Meet Anna Jones!
Anna Jones is considered to be one of the favorites to take over for Jeanne Robb for City Council District 10. Anna is a community development professional and a Denver native who’s lived in Congress Park for more than twenty years. Anna agreed to sit down and talk with us about her background and campaign.
First, congratulations to Out Front on your 39th Anniversary issue and thank you for including me! I’m running for City Council because I’m passionate about keeping Denver a great place to live and play. I have the right experience and skill set for this job. We’re experiencing tremendous growth in the city and I want to take my experience on projects like the Main Street Colfax initiative and Denver Union Station and use it to help address issues like affordable housing, congestion, and parking. I also want to focus on quality of life issues, like additional funding for public health services and multi-modal transit options.
What work have you done in the past with or for the LGBT community?
I’ve been an ally in my personal life and I have worked for candidates and causes that support LGBT equality. I’m proud of the progress made on marriage, but this fight doesn’t end with a slip of paper.
How will you work on the behalf of the LGBT community on city council?
I applauded Denver Clerk and Recorder [Debra Johnson] when she moved to issue marriage certificates to same sex couples and as councilwoman I will always stand up for equal rights. My children have grown up in a home where equality is a core value, and I want to be an ally who you can trust to stand up for the LGBT community. On the issue of rights, I do think Denver has taken many steps in the right direction to promote progressive policies. We need to do more to stand up for the underserved in our city and I think continued focus and transparency around public safety will be critical in doing that.
What is your vision for District 10 and Denver?
My vision for District 10 and Denver is one of a city of increased connectivity with meaningful multi-modal options that lead to improved health, public safety, and a vivacious economy. The more we can spur people to get out in the street and moving around our city, the more it will benefit business owners from Cherry Creek to Colfax to Uptown to the Golden Triangle. District 10 is Central Denver and our health and vitality is a strong reflection of how the city is doing as a whole — it’s critical we make the right investments and drive smart growth to ensure the future of our city!
Denver is becoming increasingly expensive and the cost of living continues to go up. What will you do on council to address the affordable housing crisis?
This is the most rapid growth Denver has ever seen, and we must generate creative solutions to deal with all the demands that come with it. One of the great benefits of the influx of young and creative residents is that the number of cool and healthy neighborhoods to live in is skyrocketing and the opportunity to create meaningful, well-placed density that will drive transit investments is ripe. This is a complicated issue with myriad answers but my philosophy around it is simple: We need to drive density to areas that can support it with major arterial streets. Those investments will generate more multi- modal transit options that will improve the quality of life in Denver.
The effects of homelessness are a major concern shared by many District 10 and Denver residents. What do you plan to do to address this issue and what specifically will you do to help serve the queer and transgender youth homeless population that’s estimated to account for 40 percent of all youth homeless population?
Homelessness is a major issue in Denver and District 10 residents are some of the most impacted in the city when it comes to the unintended consequences of some of our policies like the camping ban. As councilwoman, I will work hard to make sure Denver is pursuing comprehensive policy and not just moving to push people out of the light. This problem demands solutions that deal with the cause and not the symptoms.
Regarding working with queer and trans homeless youth I would like to convene an LGBT summit in 2015 or 2016 to do more to focus on their issues and incorporate nonprofits, businesses, and LGBT youth themselves. There is positive momentum in creating more resources and services for these kids. Our city is defined in part by how we treat our most vulnerable populations, and we need to hold ourselves to a high standard.
Safety is an important issue for all Denverites — especially for those of us in the LGBT community. What policies will you support on the council to improve safety?
Many people don’t realize that public safety is the #1 expenditure on the Denver city budget. That is a reflection of just how critical safety is to how we function as a society. As councilwoman, I will be devoted to ensuring those dollars are being spent as efficiently and effectively as possible. I applaud the recent vote of the council to expand the powers of the Office of the Independent Monitor, and I generally support any policy that enhances transparency and builds trust with the public. I think education for officers around LGBT issues is critical and I would promote more public meetings and forums to enhance the connection between rank-and-file officers and all communities in our city including that of our LGBT citizens.
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