Levon Stilson
District 11 - Republican Party
How does your experience make you qualified to represent the people?
Experience does not equate to competent governance. When I left the US Army and entered civilian life as a native Coloradan, I was disheartened to see the precipitous decline of our beautiful state. The state where I grew up was no longer the prosperous, safe, and free state it was during my childhood. I decided then that I needed to get involved. As a legislative aide, I witnessed firsthand the legislature's regulatory impulses. These impulses have contributed to an incoherent framework that harms small businesses, major industries, and most importantly, Coloradans who are living paycheck to paycheck. As someone with a wife and three young children, I feel firsthand the impact this has had on everyday working families, especially those in Southeast Colorado Springs. I hear about it daily from community members, many of whom are deciding to leave the state. As a combat veteran, I know the meaning of servant leadership, and that's exactly what the people of Senate District 11 and Colorado deserve. While I don't have years of experience in government or as a politician, I consider that my greatest strength and what differentiates me from my opponent. I don't have years of special interest influence, nor have I ingratiated myself with the donor class. Many current legislators have over a decade of experience, but life in Colorado has become more regulated, less safe, and simply unaffordable for working families. Beyond my experience as a Staff Sergeant in the United States Infantry where I learned to lead Soldiers from every imaginable background to be the best version of themselves and complete the mission, beyond my education in political science, and beyond my experience under the golden dome, my judgement and willingness to make difficult decisions for the good of the people is what qualifies me to be next State Senator representing District 11.
What are your top policy priorities?
1. Affordability: I will prevent unfunded mandates, excessive spending, and bureaucratic waste, which stifle productivity and encourage the outward migration of industry, businesses, and families from our state. I will ensure social safety nets like Medicare and Medicaid are only used to care for legal citizens in Colorado. And finally, I will protect the Taxpayers' Bill of Rights, which over 70% of Coloradans support and which the majority party in the Legislature is currently undermining.
2. Public Safety: I will ensure first responders have the resources and support they need to do their job effectively, keep us safe, and keep violent criminals behind bars and out of our communities. I will fight to ensure there are consequences and accountability for violations of the law, for both white and blue-collar crimes.
3. Civil Liberties: I will fight to protect parental rights from legislators who have repeatedly undermined them. I will ensure that citizens' rights are protected from unconstitutional laws, whether through attacks on the Second Amendment or warrantless surveillance. I will respect the Constitution and the rights enshrined in it.
What is one issue you think is being overlooked in this race, and how would you address it?
The most overlooked issue in this race is the affordability crisis. For over 10 years, Colorado citizens have been governed by a state legislature that has failed them. Over the last 10 years, the state bureaucracy has ballooned in size. Standing up dozens of new offices, hiring hundreds of new personnel for pet projects, and some legislators even voting to fund NGOs they are paid by and sit on the board of, all using taxpayer money. Despite warnings from the bipartisan Joint Budget Committee staff over the last several years that the legislature was creating a structural deficit, the legislature continued forward. Consequently, we have a structural deficit, meaning we appropriate more funds for these programs than we collect in taxes each year. As a result, Medicaid and Medicare provider premiums are reduced, forcing many providers to withdraw from the system entirely, which further limits healthcare access for rural and low-income Coloradans. My candidacy represents a departure from this mentality. The citizens of Colorado demand and deserve competent governance, and that's exactly what I will deliver as the next State Senator representing Senate District 11.
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