John Re-election Acceptance Speech
November 4, 2008
Thank you, Fort Collins. Thank you to my campaign staff, all my volunteers, my supporters, my contributors, and the voters of House District 52. I also want to thank my family – Beth (my lovely wife and a gifted church musician), Tim (my younger son, a recent CSU graduate, and an awesome ultimate frisbee guy), Harlan (a great father who has served with honor in Iraq and Afghanistan), his wife Tracey (a wonderful mother, among her many talents) and of course my granddaughters, Lillie and Barbara. We work so hard to make things better, especially for all our children and all our grandchildren. It keeps us going with hope and courage.
I am humbled by the renewed trust and faith the voters have placed in me and believe our race is a reminder that you can run a 100 percent clean, issues-based, people-oriented campaign and succeed resoundingly. I am honored to have earned the privilege, once again, to represent you for the next two years in the state legislature, and to be the first Democrat re-elected in this district since 1936. Those were extraordinary times, with the nation facing war and economic depression, not unlike the problems we face today.
As I have listened to voters across Fort Collins, I have heard loud and clear your concerns over the economy – your need to find and keep a good job, your difficulty paying the mortgage or the rent, your struggle over decent health insurance, your anxiety over your children’s education, as well as your concern with broader challenges like war and global warming facing our nation today. I believe we can solve these problems, if we all pull together, and in the wake of this historic election, it’s definitely time to pull together. And we are doing this – pulling together, here in our beautiful state of Colorado, and I am very proud to be part of a Democratic majority at the State Capitol that gets it and that is making positive and constructive things happen.
Yes, we are advancing a progressive and common sense policy agenda that is focused on diversifying and strengthening our local and state economies – creating jobs in key sectors like clean and renewable energy; yes, we are advancing health care reform towards the goal of affordable, quality and universal health care coverage; yes, we are advancing strong and balanced environmental protections so that we may be better stewards of our land, water and air; and yes we are blessed to live in one of the most amazing places on this earth with the magnificent Poudre River that flows through the heart of our community. And indeed, we are growing in our understanding of how to live in ways that consider the impact of our actions seven generations from now. And yes, we are advancing solutions that recognize the value of shared prosperity and responsibility. It seems to me that when you work hard and play by the rules you deserve a much fairer shot at the American Dream – however you define that – certainly a way out of poverty.
For those of you who really know me (hopefully my wife and family), you know that my entire life is dedicated to public service – service to others - from a place of love and compassion. With this in mind and for the record, I pledge to continue working hard on your behalf, not only at the state capitol but here in our community, to do this with honesty and integrity and to be accessible, to work in a nonpartisan fashion, to seek common ground and common sense solutions, to engage the people of House District 52 in deliberative democracy and self-governance. I am mindful of the fact that I must represent all the residents of House District 52.
Working Together We Are Doing Better, and We All Do Better.. When We All Do Better.
Negative Mailers Not From My Camp
It has come to my attention that negative mail targeting my opponent were sent to House District 52 voters by a political group that acts independently from - and does not speak for - my re-election campaign. I strongly object to these mailers and would suggest that when you receive a campaign piece, look carefully at the fine print to determine the source.
These mailers were intended to appeal to voters' emotions by painting my opponent in a particular light. Indeed, there are clear differences between us, and I hope most voters will agree I represent them better at the state Capitol. However, I feel these mailers have gone too far with political rhetoric and have crossed the line of civility. They run contrary to my core principles for campaigns to be positive and issues-focused.
I know what it's like to be on the receiving end of attacks, and it's not fun. Nevertheless, I am committed to running a clean campaign. I respectfully ask that all parties involved in this election provide the voters what they want - information about where we stand on the issues and how we'll address the challenges that our communities, state and nation face.
John Kefalas,
State Representative, HD-52,
Fort Collins
Coloradoan 10/23/08. Please note this link will expire after 7 days.
Coloradoan Endorses John!
Kefalas wins the nod in a close endorsement. Kefalas has become an effective lawmaker with advocacy for stronger measures against uranium mining and increased funding for higher education. And his record of holding town meetings is unmatched.
Kefalas' tireless pursuit of the restoration of the Colorado Earned Income Tax Credit is an illustration of his commitment to those less fortunate. In fact, because our local poverty rate is climbing and communities are working together to find solutions, Kefalas' insights into the plight of the working poor, sown by working for years as their advocate, earned him the edge in this endorsement. With the economic downturn, those less fortunate will likely become even more marginalized and Kefalas' experience is needed.
To read more, visit the Coloradoan as the article appeared on 10/16/2008.
Please note, this link may expire after 7 days.
