Lisa Calderón: "It's time to elect a Sheriff in Denver"

LOOKING FOR AFFORDABILITY| Lisa Calderón believes that subsidies to homeowners or renters need to be provided while prices stabilize in Denver. (Photo/ El Comercio de Colorado

ELECTIONS IN DENVER

THE CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR OF THE CITY SPEAKS

Newsroom El Comercio de Colorado

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Lisa Calderón tries for the second time to be elected as mayor of Denver. “We have the opportunity to create and reinvent Denver. There are many things we can learn from the past, but I really want to look to the future. I want to have many Latino visionaries in my administration and break barriers in doing so. We know that about 30 percent of the city’s population is of Latino origin and that proportion is growing. We are the sleeping political giant in this city. My mayor’s office will reflect that,” said the candidate. It’s time to elect a Sheriff in Denver”.

Calderón emphasizes that she belongs to the fourth generation of Mexican immigrants who settled in Denver. “My grandparents, my great grandparents were from Mexico and my grandmother was a migrant farm worker and she instilled in us a hard work ethic and also the importance of education and home ownership,” she said. With that impulse that she received in her home, Calderón decided to continue her university studies. She earned four degrees including a law degree and a master’s and doctorate in education.

Based on this identity, Calderón addresses the high cost of living in Denver. “About 50 percent of Latinos are homeowners, which means we have a lot of renters. So the fact that so many Latinos are struggling to make ends meet, whether it’s to pay a mortgage or rent, is one of the reasons that motivates me to be in this race,” she said. The candidate believes that programs should be created to subsidize housing and rent. They would be stabilization programs due to market conditions.

Public security

Calderón assures that she aspires to correct other of the concerns that Latinos have. She refers to security. “My son was assaulted by Denver cops when he was 15 years old walking home from school. I wanted to make sure my son felt safe, without fear of crime or police violence. I participated in many commissions. Most recently I was part of the task force to reimagine the police. We created 112 recommendations to help our community live safer” indicates the candidate.

“I want to have public safety officials appointed by their leadership conditions but with input from the Latino community. I look forward to revamping our public safety department to make it more responsive to the needs of our community,” she said. And she continued, “I think our sheriff should be elected. I have written the text of a proposal to achieve. All Colorado jurisdictions elect one. The fact that we don’t do it is a legacy of the time of the Ku Klux Klan. He has decentralized the mayor’s office.

Short answers

Where do you get the best Mexican food in Denver?

Lisa Calderón: My favorite places are El Noa Noa and El Taco de México. When I want to get a good breakfast burrito or delicious lengua tacos I go to second place. And when I want to sit down and have a meeting with someone I go to El Noa, Noa.

How do you enjoy free time?

LC: I go for walks with my dogs, enjoying the outdoor environment. It is that we Latinos are environmentalists by nature, although some deny it. Being with the earth in the air, walking through a river, that’s something I try to do every weekend. My daughter supports me to do it when I have had a lot of work. That relaxes me.