PVA/Election-Candidate Information/2002/State

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PVA 2002 Candidate Information
~ State House District 29 ~

This page contains candidate information about the candidates for State House District 29.

Highlights from this race:

We received responses from one or more of the candidates in this race, but none of their scores warranted their being selected as a "Pro-Animal Pick."
All candidates in this race are listed below, along with their responses or a notation that they did not respond.

Notes:

Responses are given exactly as they were written. Spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors were not corrected.
PVA imposed a 25-word limit on comments because of space limitations; however, if a candidate exceeded this limit we did not cut the text off in mid-sentence. In any case where a candidate's comment is not shown in full, we have included a note to contact us for the full comment.
Each candidate's party affiliation is indicated in parentheses immediately following his or her name below. Party abbreviations are as follows. "ACP" - American Constitution Party; "COPI" - Concerns of People, Inc. Party; "CRP" - Colorado Reform Party; "D" - Democratic Party; "G" - Green Party; "L" - Libertarian Party; "N" - Natural Law Party; "R" - Republican Party; "U" - Unaffiliated.

Candidate questionnaire scores

1a. Did you grow up with animals? Yes/No
1b. If so, what kind?

SHD29	Debbie Benefield (D)	Yes - dogs
SHD29	Hans V. Romer (L)	Yes - Siberian Huskys - 2, Cat, Snakes
SHD29	Bob Briggs (R)	Did not respond

2a. Does your family have animals? Yes/No
2b. If so, what kind?

SHD29	Debbie Benefield (D)	Yes - cats, dogs, fish
SHD29	Hans V. Romer (L)	Yes - 2-Egyptian Mans' - Cats
SHD29	Bob Briggs (R)	Did not respond

3. Are you in favor of the spaying/neutering of dogs and cats to reduce overpopulation? Yes/No/Undecided

SHD29	Debbie Benefield (D)	Yes
SHD29	Hans V. Romer (L)	Yes
SHD29	Bob Briggs (R)	Did not respond

4. Would you be likely to support state legislation to require that animals raised for slaughter be protected from inhumane forms of slaughter, housing, and transportation? Yes/No/Undecided

SHD29	Debbie Benefield (D)	Yes
SHD29	Hans V. Romer (L)	Undecided
SHD29	Bob Briggs (R)	Did not respond

5. Would you be likely to support state legislation to require that educational institutions at all levels provide (and advertise to students) an alternative to animal dissection? Yes/No/Undecided

SHD29	Debbie Benefield (D)	No
SHD29	Hans V. Romer (L)	Undecided
SHD29	Bob Briggs (R)	Did not respond

6. Do you believe that aggravated cruelty/violence to animals should be a felony? (Choose Y, N, U, or C.)
(Y) yes; (N) no; (U) undecided; (C) yes, in certain cases (e.g., extreme cases only, or after the first offense)

SHD29	Debbie Benefield (D)	(Y)
SHD29	Hans V. Romer (L)	(C)
SHD29	Bob Briggs (R)	Did not respond

7. Would you be likely to support state legislation prohibiting the use of elephants in traveling acts, such as circuses? Yes/No/Undecided

SHD29	Debbie Benefield (D)	No
SHD29	Hans V. Romer (L)	Undecided
SHD29	Bob Briggs (R)	Did not respond

8. Of the two following value statements, to which are you likely to give higher priority?
(a) Wildlife and their environment are to be protected and preserved.
(b) Wildlife and their environment are to be managed.

SHD29	Debbie Benefield (D)	(a)
SHD29	Hans V. Romer (L)	(a)
SHD29	Bob Briggs (R)	Did not respond

9. Section 33-1-101 (1), Colorado Revised Statutes, states, "It is the policy of the state of Colorado that the wildlife and their environment are to be protected, preserved, enhanced, and managed for the use, benefit, and enjoyment of the people of this state and its visitors."
Do you believe that all Colorado residents should have a voice in wildlife policy? Yes/No/Undecided

SHD29	Debbie Benefield (D)	Undecided
SHD29	Hans V. Romer (L)	Yes! - I believe that the people of Colorados' tax dollars paid for the land, and it should be returned to them.
SHD29	Bob Briggs (R)	Did not respond

10. Do you believe that there are forms of hunting that are unethical and that wildlife should be protected from them? Yes/No/Undecided

SHD29	Debbie Benefield (D)	Yes
SHD29	Hans V. Romer (L)	Yes
SHD29	Bob Briggs (R)	Did not respond

11. Do you believe that Amendment 14, the anti-trapping initiative passed by Colorado voters in 1996, should be overturned or weakened in any way? Yes/No/Undecided

SHD29	Debbie Benefield (D)	Undecided
SHD29	Hans V. Romer (L)	Undecided
SHD29	Bob Briggs (R)	Did not respond

12. Would you be likely to support state legislation to (1) require counties to allow county-level ballot initiatives and (2) establish consistent procedures and criteria for such initiatives? Yes/No/Undecided

SHD29	Debbie Benefield (D)	Yes
SHD29	Hans V. Romer (L)	Yes - I would like to see statues & Laws at the local level proceed State and Federal levels, for this is the voice of the people, as to finally give strength and voice back to the people.
SHD29	Bob Briggs (R)	Did not respond

13. Do you think that initiating a state ballot issue should be (a) easier; (b) harder; or (c) as it is now?

SHD29	Debbie Benefield (D)	(b)
SHD29	Hans V. Romer (L)	(a)
SHD29	Bob Briggs (R)	Did not respond

14. Would you be willing to consider factual documentation from PVA on a given issue? Yes/No/Undecided

SHD29	Debbie Benefield (D)	Yes
SHD29	Hans V. Romer (L)	Yes
SHD29	Bob Briggs (R)	Did not respond

Please add any other comments ...

SHD29	Debbie Benefield (D)	None given
SHD29	Hans V. Romer (L)	I do feel for your fight, and love all animals. I personally feel that all animals are innocent creatures just surviving. Being Libertarian also means that I believe Government should have a much smaller role in social issues, such as this one. Comment exceeded word limit; please contact PVA for the full text.
SHD29	Bob Briggs (R)	Did not respond

Candidate questionnaire scores

SHD29	Debbie Benefield (D)	Overall Questionnaire Response Score = 46%
SHD29	Hans V. Romer (L)	Overall Questionnaire Response Score = 63%
SHD29	Bob Briggs (R)	Did not respond

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