Name: Karen McCormick
Party: Democratic
Website: https://karenforco.com/
Age: 63
Family: Husband – Gregg Perry, Kids: Kendall Perry, Erin Perry, Camryn Perry
How long have you lived in Boulder County: 26 years
Professional background: Veterinarian, small business owner
Political/community experience: Nonprofit boards of ViDAS, Project VETS, Rotary member, volunteer English language teach for immigrants with Intercambio, Citizens Climate Lobby member, Former Congressional Candidate in 2018 for CD04
Education: Bachelor’s in agriculture University of Florida; doctor of veterinary medicine University of Florida, certified veterinary acupuncturist Colorado State University
What’s been the focus of your campaign and how will that translate to the issues you will tackle first, if elected?
The reason I am running for state house is to work to make the lives of Colorado families better. My focus is on mitigating the effects of climate change to protect our health and the future of our food source. We can do this and create new jobs to stimulate our economy. I plan to work to make healthcare access easier and more affordable for everyone. We also need to find more secure funding mechanisms for our public education system and for infrastructure projects across our state.
What’s your plan to help the local economy as businesses and families grapple with impacts from the coronavirus?
I want to continue to look at ways to remove barriers to innovation so that small businesses can more easily adapt to this new way of reaching customers. I will stand behind science- based data showing simple steps such as wearing masks, staying at least 6 feet apart, washing our hands frequently can absolutely prevent spread of a pandemic. I plan to work to fund testing sites, fast turnaround tests, contact tracing and implementation of providing the vaccine when it is available. By doing all of this we can protect people thereby giving people more confidence to engage in economic activity. We must also address the barriers that families are experiencing for their kids to be fully engaged through online schooling.
What’s your stance on housing issues in Boulder County? How will you work to address homelessness and help provide more affordable housing options?
I support the Boulder County Regional Housing Partnership’s plans to increase the inventory of affordable housing through a variety of measures. I support helping people experiencing homelessness into housing first and funding the wrap-around services to assist folks in finding stable employment, mental health services, food and childcare, etc.
I want to explore ways to repurpose older buildings to be developed into affordable housing units and to create financing for innovative tiny home projects for new homeowners to be able to build equity from a reasonable starting point. It is important to me that we provide more options so that people can live closer to where they work. If we want to continue to have a vibrant community it is critical that we are not a city where workers have to commute in from surrounding towns.