Last week I met with several local business leaders from the Arvada and Westminster Chambers of Commerce in a virtual roundtable discussion to learn how their businesses have been impacted by COVID-19. Their stories were extremely moving and they offered excellent feedback on what's working and where they need the most help.
Members of the Westminster Chamber of Commerce during business recovery roundtable
While the full legislature will not return to the Capitol for a few more weeks, the Joint Budget Committee starts back next week to work on the state budget. The pandemic has altered our legislative agenda dramatically. We must focus on stimulating our economy and address any lingering impacts of the virus. We will also be working with a very limited budget. As such, I felt it was imperative to hear directly from businesses about their experiences
before heading back.
The conversations centered around the high points and low points since the stay-at-home order. We discussed which efforts have been helpful and which efforts have fallen short. They touched on what they felt were the most critical pieces of legislation that we should prioritize, and they offered their ideas for how we could work on getting Colorado back on track towards physical and economic health.
Chris Hill of Odyssey Beerwerks speaking at Arvada Chamber business recovery roundtable
I want to thank the following people (see below) for participating and for spending so much of their valuable time sharing with me their perspectives. They represented a good cross-section of the business community and did a great job articulating their needs and the needs of their industry colleagues:
Arvada Chamber: Kami Welch
Michael McCarron, Lakeside Insurance
Nathan Cooper, Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Contractors National Assn
Mike Lazar, Attorney at Feldmann, Nagel, Cantafio, PLLC
Wayne Anderson, Master International Leadership Coach
Ben Martin, Orchard Town Center
Chip Howes, Aqua Serve
Tina Francone, Communications
Erin Young, Zimmer Biomet
Kristen Judd, Zimmer Biomet
Heroes among us in SD19
I've been collecting stories from folks, mostly through Facebook, on some of the heroic efforts in dealing with COVID-19 that are taking place right here in Senate District 19. I plan to share all these stories in the coming weeks, but I'll kick things off with this story about one local couple who have been producing and donating homemade face masks and scrubs hats.
Karen and Tom Tonso, Local Face Mask Makers
Karen Tonso, a local quilter, and her husband Tom Tonso, have made over 400 masks for first-responders and other front-line workers and community organizations including: FedEx drivers, the Arvada Community Table (food bank), women and children's domestic abuse shelters, and The Rising. They have also made and donated over 30 scrub hats for respiratory therapists at Craig Hospital. Thank you for being "heroes among us!"
Rachel Zenzinger
Rachel Zenzinger won election to the Colorado State Senate, representing District 19, in November 2016. She also served as Senator for SD19 in 2014. Sen. Zenzinger is a member of the Joint Budget Committee, the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Vice Chair of the Statutory Revision Committee.
Tele-Town Hall meeting Wednesday, April 29
Our final midweek tele-town hall meeting will be this coming Wednesday, April 29 at 3:00 pm. We will hear from County Commissioner Lesley Dahlkemper, and others, to learn more about the Jeffco "Stay-at-Home" extension, as well as the transition to "Safer-at-Home."
If you missed any of our prior town hall meetings, you can listen to the recordings (see links below):
If you have questions or need resources that are not covered by the links above, send me an email and we will track down what you need.
Donations to
Rachel For Colorado
I am pleased to announce that I am the Democratic
2020 nominee for election to the Colorado Senate District 19 seat in November. I am honored to receive the nomination and it would be honor to have your support once more. Would you consider making a contribution to my campaign?
