Go to: Candidate Q&A home page • Denver Post Voter Guide
Shannon Bird (i) Dem
Residence: Westminster
Profession: Attorney
Education: JD, MBA, MS Finance, BA Economics
Experience: I am a finance attorney and incumbent State Representative. I chair the Joint Budget Committee and am the Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee.
Campaign website
What are your top three priorities, if elected?
I will first continue my work on laws that encourage the construction of homes that people can afford to buy or rent. Second, I plan to continue my work to strengthen Colorado’s economy. If there are workers looking for better wages and professional opportunities, or individuals who want to start their own businesses, having a healthy economy benefits us all. I plan to continue prioritizing and improving public education. Since I have been in office, we have made historic funding increases for schools, made tuition free, all-day kindergarten a reality and held college tuition increases below the rate of inflation.
Recent polling has shown trust in government hovering at historically low levels and stark partisan divides in views of election integrity. What will you do to bridge those gaps?
I bridge divides by being transparent in my work and by demonstrating respect for my colleagues. I prioritize responsiveness to constituent requests and have held approximately 100 town halls and community coffees to ensure transparency in my work. 92% of the bills I passed this year had a bipartisan co-prime sponsor. I show public respect for my Republican colleagues and emphasize our work together because our constituents need to know that not only are we capable of, but that we do, in fact, frequently collaborate to solve meaningful problems.
What specific actions would you support to improve affordability for Coloradans, whether aimed at housing costs, tax burdens or other impacts?
One of the biggest challenges to affordability in Colorado is high housing costs, impacting renters and home buyers alike. A key driver is the fact that housing supply has not kept pace with population growth. I plan to continue my work to pass laws that encourage increased housing construction, which can include creating a more predictable legal environment for quality builders. Additionally, we must continue to encourage local governments to create more uniform building and design requirements and decrease local development fees, all of which will substantially decrease building costs that are often passed onto the consumer.
What should the legislature do when it comes to addressing greenhouse gas emissions and regulating oil and gas development?
Since I began my service, we have passed legislation that commits Colorado to meaningful greenhouse gas reductions in all sectors of our economy. Our path forward will require continued regulatory oversight to ensure effective implementation of regulations meant to cut greenhouse gas emissions and additional work to create improved transit options, particularly up and down the Front Range, as vehicle emissions continue to be a significant driver of greenhouse gas emissions.
Whether your party is in the majority or minority next year, where do you see actionable common ground with the opposing party?
As someone with a very strong record of bipartisanship, I am optimistic that Democrats and Republicans can continue to find common ground on the issues that matter to Colorado. Two areas of opportunity include housing and economic policy. Democrats and Republicans across the state want a more affordable housing market and we all want a strong economy. While we might have different ideas about how to achieve these goals, my experience has made clear that when we come together with a good faith intent to solve problems, we will find good solutions.
Evan Hunt did not return the questionnaire.
How candidate order was determined: A lot drawing was held at the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office on Aug. 7, 2024, to determine the general election ballot order for major and minor party candidates for U.S. House, State Board of Education, CU Regent, State Senate, State House, and District Attorney races. Colorado law (1-5-404, C.R.S.) requires that candidates are ordered on the ballot in three tiers: major party candidates followed by minor party candidates followed by unaffiliated candidates. Within each tier, the candidates are ordered by a lot drawing with the exception of the President and Vice President race, which is ordered by the last name of the presidential candidate. Questionnaires were not sent to write-in candidates.
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