Candidate for State Representative, HD3: Aaron Silverstein

Aaron Silverstein -

I am the Legislative Aide to Rep. Andy Kerr, and am honored to work at the Capitol alongside our great Representative, Anne McGihon. I serve House District 3 as a precinct committee person and as the Vice Chair of Senate District 32. My wife Barbara and I are homeowners in Platte Park. My son Christopher was a Colorado public schools student, and is graduating in a little over a month from CU Boulder.

Before I came to the legislature, I was a community organizer for the non-profit "Democrats Work", where I led teams of volunteers at food banks, blood drives, recycling centers, senior high-rises, and anywhere else we could get Democrats active serving their communities. I also served as their national director of internet outreach, and promoted the projects of our chapters nationwide.

I am a committed and unashamed liberal, and I look forward to taking leadership for the core progressive issues of House District 3. I want to continue Rep. McGihon's fight for affordable quality health care. I want to promote local economies that support Colorado businesses and the working families that give so much to them. I want to continue my work broadening educational and occupational opportunities for all people, and I want to carry the message that "liberty for all" means nothing if it does not include our Latino voices, our GLBT voices, and all those amongst us who work each day knowing that there are no bonuses or bailouts waiting for them.

I have been a highly outspoken champion for progressive change, and have written for hundreds of political websites including columns on youth involvement for "Future Majority", serving as the Senior Editor of SquareState.net in Colorado, and being repeated featured on the national website "DailyKos." I have fought for the party as a staffer on Congressional, State, and municipal campaigns, and I was an employee of the Democratic Party, coordinating their get out the vote and registration drives in Jefferson County during the successful and pivotal 2006 cycle.

I have washed dishes in coffee houses, and traded options from the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade. I have assisted Presidents and the homeless. I have run a small business, worked for some large ones, and I have now watched my son grow from diapers to diplomas. Throughout it all, I have found that everywhere people are struggling and fighting, they are fighting for the same thing. They want to live their lives with dignity, love who they love, see their families thrive, and enjoy enough health and security so they can do their work and earn their way.

We have important opportunities right now, during this session, to help the people who fight for what we all do. I believe HD3 needs a Representative already involved in those discussions, and already moving forward that legislation. We need someone who was there for us yesterday, and who we know will be there in the years to follow.

I have found it an incredibly fulfilling experience to work on legislation like HB-1057 that can help close the achievement gap by allowing parents unpaid leave from work to attend parent teacher conferences. By the end of this session, I hope the Governor will sign it into law so that a single mom working two jobs never has to choose between being fired or helping her child’s success.

I am excited about my current work on a bill to bring renewable energy loans to K-12 schools, so that with solar panels and hybrid busses we can lower their costs and make our environment more sustainable.

I am eager to continue my work on other bills, including one to protect the right to have our votes counted, and one to protect our retirement funds.

If the members of our District send me back to the Capitol able to co-sponsor and champion bills like these, I will be honored to sit at the humble desk in the small room that Anne McGihon transformed into such a powerful office for the people.

If anyone has any questions, requests or advice, please help me better serve you. My cell phone number is 303-669-2684.

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