Colorado State of the State: Cost of Living, Public Safety, and Housing Affordability Top the Charts

David Cunningham , Summit Information Services, Colorado

During January, Colorado Governor Jared Polis gave two annual State of the State addresses, first to the Colorado General Assembly and then to the Colorado Business Roundtable. In his presentation to the Colorado Business Roundtable, the Governor expanded on a couple of the issues he initially outlined in his address to the General Assembly. Most notably, Governor Polis emphasized that the high cost of housing is undoubtedly the most pressing issue facing Coloradans. He stated a need to create more housing for people of all income levels and expressed his commitment to supporting innovative solutions, such as “new financing strategies, easing parking restrictions, tackling liability costs for multi-family condo construction, [and] reducing the cost of fire insurance.”?

Governor Polis tied housing costs to other issues affecting Coloradans, including traffic and homelessness. The governor pointed out the need for more walkable communities and more transportation options for people who cannot afford to live near where they work.?

Last legislative session housing was also his keystone issue. His proposal preempted local control over land use planning, and ultimately, the bill, which had faced massive opposition from municipalities and counties, failed in the last few hour of the session. ?

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Governor Polis’ Colorado Business Roundtable presentation understandably focused on issues relating to business and the economy, including workplace development. Other key issues that he talked about when addressing the General Assembly, such as abortion, healthcare, and the environment, were noticeably absent.?

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?In both addresses, Governor Polis talked at length about public safety, an issue weighing on the minds of Coloradans and Governor Polis alike. Panelists wanted to know more about how Polis aims to keep public transit safe, how to beef up mental health resources, and how homelessness and the recent influx of migrants might affect public safety.

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?A recent poll conducted by the Colorado Polling Institute on November 26-27 shows Coloradans believe the cost of living, crime and public safety, and housing affordability are the most important issues for the Colorado state government to address. Interestingly, cost of living, which an overwhelming 40.4% of poll respondents voted as an important issue, was only mentioned in Governor Polis’ State of the State address in relation to housing costs. Other factors contributing to the cost of living, such as food prices and student loan debt, were not mentioned.

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Crime and public safety, which was voted as an important issue by 29.2% of the poll’s respondents, took up about 13% of Governor Polis’ speech, and housing affordability, which received 28% of the vote by poll responders, took up roughly 32% of his speech. The rest of Governor Polis’ State of the State address talked about other issues also mentioned by poll respondents, such as healthcare, education, and jobs.?

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Overall, both addresses lined up well with the issues most important to Coloradans, and the Governor was able to show how the high cost of housing—his flagship issue—relates to the larger political and economic landscape in Colorado.?

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Knowing the issues that are important to the people of Colorado, and how they may vote at the ballot box, helps guide our strategies, messaging and tactics as we work to find common ground with stakeholders on behalf of our clients.