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Representative Victor Mitchell: The road ahead

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Contributed by: Victor Mitchell on 12/28/2006

Hello Friends,

It's been a long and rewarding experience over the last 18 months since I first announced my candidacy for State House District 45.

Over the past year, I've met with scores of interesting people who have shared their concerns for our community, state, and nation. I hope that all of you will continue to share your thoughts with me as I begin my work at the Capitol on January 10.

I'm extremely excited and invigorated in making the transition from being a candidate to a legislator. My hope is to make a difference and improve the lives of our fellow citizens in Douglas and Teller Counties.

Since the campaign has ended, to say the least, I've been quite busy! I've recently completed the freshman legislator orientation process and its' been a terrific experience. I've learned so much about rules, procedures, and how the legislative process functions in committee and open floor debates.

For someone who hadn't previously worked in politics, this training has been extremely helpful. The state of Colorado provides terrific resources to its legislators including a Legislative Review Council staff whose mission is to provide non-partisan information on any subject matter. I plan to use this department extensively. Currently, I have them preparing six different research analyses.

The first bill I plan to sponsor deals with providing tracking devices-called Project Lifesaver-for individuals that have a propensity to wander and get lost. The devices are primarily intended for those that are afflicted with Alzheimer's disease, autism, or Down's syndrome. If implemented, this program will save lives, reduce angst to caregivers and family members alike, and save taxpayers and counties money by reducing search and rescue times.

The second bill (which is a referred measure) involves defining the words "public use" so that local governments will be limited in their powers to condemn private property. The United States Supreme Court ruled in Kelo v. New London that local governments can use their powers of eminent domain for reasons such as economic development.

Protection of private property rights is a fundamental right of each and every American citizen. I don't believe it was the intent of our founding fathers to have an overly broad definition of public use. Therefore, it's my goal to have the voters of Colorado decide and clarify this matter.

On a separate but related note, the state of Colorado plans to spend in excess of $40 billion dollars over the next 20 years on road and capital projects which will inherently involve matters related to eminent domain. I believe it's in everyone's best interest to have this matter resolved sooner rather than later.

Finally, our team has formed a 16-member citizen advisory committee, which will meet no less than four times per year. I also will be serving on three House committees: education, finance, and legislative audit.

Thank you for giving me the privilege and honor to represent our diverse and sprawling district. As always, I look forward to hearing your comments and feedback.

You can contact me anytime and please visit my Web site for regular updates on what's will be going on at the Capitol.

Respectfully,

Victor Mitchell, Representative-elect

Editor's note: This is the first column in an ongoing series from State Representative Victor Mitchell, R-Castle Rock. To view Mitchell's Web site, click here.

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Showing 1-2 of 2 comments

Submitted By: Virginia Kontnik

posted on 1/4/2007 @ 10:35:56 AM

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Victor ~ Great sharing! Five Stars!

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Submitted By: Steve Shultz

posted on 1/2/2007 @ 12:43:11 PM

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Thanks for the column, Victor!

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