From Struggle to Service
Adams County is in my blood. I grew up here and raised my children as a single mother, living in the house behind the one I grew up in. It wasn’t easy raising two young children on my own. There were many times I struggled financially to put a roof over our heads and food on the table.
During those times, I had to rely on kindness from the community and help from assistance programs. Through work and perseverance, my situation improved, but I wouldn’t be where I am today without having access to food and housing assistance when we needed it.
In 2007, I wanted to give back and represent a community that gave so much to me and my children, and so I ran for Thornton City Council. I won by 63%. After serving my first term, I was reelected in 2011 with bipartisan support of 74%. During my tenure on City Council, I advocated for policies supporting labor unions and workers, small businesses, environmental sustainability, ending discriminatory policies, and much more.
In 2012, I was elected as the Commissioner for Adams County District 1 and have been serving in that role since. I’ve worked to turn resident priorities into local action for good-paying jobs, great quality of life, and powerful resources for justice and opportunity.
My children are now grown, and are happy, healthy adults raising their own families. I look back on my struggles as a single mother and know that all of my hard work was to make a better future for my children.
Those experiences helped shape the type of leader I am today. I am intimately aware of what a lot of our families in Adams County are going through during hard economic struggles. We are a community of families, and we are all working hard to make a better future for our children, which is why I fight every day to champion the issues that matter most.
What We've Accomplished
-
Championed social justice through an investment of a modern facility, consolidating all human services agencies into the Pete Mirelez Human Services Center where residents can conveniently access services in a single location.
-
Protected open space in Adams County and promoted quality of life with $86 million for parks and open space projects.
-
Offered opportunity for low-income families with four-year scholarships for children receiving free and reduced school lunches.
-
Won the relocation of large new Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) employers and aerospace companies to Adams County’s Colorado Air and Spaceport.
Community Service
-
Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG)
-
Adams County Regional Economic Development (Executive Committee)
-
Maiker Housing Authority (Chair)
-
Airport Coordinating Committee (Negotiation Team)
-
North Area Transportation Association
Past Board Service
-
Adams County Housing Authority
-
Metro Vision
-
Airport Coordinating Committee (Including negotiation team with Denver regarding DIA)
-
Children Outreach Project
-
Adams County Blue Ribbon on the Homeless
-
Denver Metro Housing Initiative