PVA/Election-Candidate Information/2002/State

A Colorado
non-profit organization
advocating for animals
in the political arena

PVA 2002 Candidate Information
~ State House District 38 ~

This page contains candidate information about the candidates for State House District 38.

Highlights from this race:

The Republican candidate in this race - Joe Stengel - served as a state representative during the 2002 state legislative session. His 2002 scorecard, which also contains his pre-2002 animal-related voting scores, is now available.
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?

SHD38	Glen L. Emerson (D)	Did not respond
SHD38	Mark Holden (L)	Yes - Dogs, a Labrador Retriever and 3 Norwegian Elkhounds
SHD38	Joe Stengel (R)	Did not respond

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

SHD38	Glen L. Emerson (D)	Did not respond
SHD38	Mark Holden (L)	No
SHD38	Joe Stengel (R)	Did not respond

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

SHD38	Glen L. Emerson (D)	Did not respond
SHD38	Mark Holden (L)	Yes - And I believe that the owners of pets would be a wise to make this decision for themselves.
SHD38	Joe Stengel (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

SHD38	Glen L. Emerson (D)	Did not respond
SHD38	Mark Holden (L)	No - While I believe that protecting animals from inhumane forms of slaughter, housing and transportation is a good idea, I would not pass a law that would force any business to adopt such a plan. Comment exceeded word limit; please contact PVA for the full text.
SHD38	Joe Stengel (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

SHD38	Glen L. Emerson (D)	Did not respond
SHD38	Mark Holden (L)	No - While I believe that providing alternatives to animal dissection is a good idea, I wouldn't pass a law that would force institutions to adopt such a plan. Comment exceeded word limit; please contact PVA for the full text.
SHD38	Joe Stengel (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)

SHD38	Glen L. Emerson (D)	Did not respond
SHD38	Mark Holden (L)	(N) - But I do believe that aggravated cruelty/violence to animals is an outward manifestation of a sick and twisted mind. Now if we were to make such actions a felony (and punished accordingly), wouldn't that drive it "underground" or cause it to be done secretly? Comment exceeded word limit; please contact PVA for the full text.
SHD38	Joe Stengel (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

SHD38	Glen L. Emerson (D)	Did not respond
SHD38	Mark Holden (L)	No - Elephants are not easy to transport, but their safety and health are the concern of their owners. It is expensive to transport and maintain such an animal and the owner would need to maximize his revenue stream in order to cover this overhead. Comment exceeded word limit; please contact PVA for the full text.
SHD38	Joe Stengel (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.

SHD38	Glen L. Emerson (D)	Did not respond
SHD38	Mark Holden (L)	No answer selected - If you mean to be protected, preserved or managed by government, then I would say neither. Historically, the government (Federal or State) has not done a very good job. Comment exceeded word limit; please contact PVA for the full text.
SHD38	Joe Stengel (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

SHD38	Glen L. Emerson (D)	Did not respond
SHD38	Mark Holden (L)	Yes - The wildlife and wildlife habitat owned and operated by the state of Colorado, are in effect owned by all the residents of this state. And every resident does have a voice in our state's wildlife policy through our elected representatives.
SHD38	Joe Stengel (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

SHD38	Glen L. Emerson (D)	Did not respond
SHD38	Mark Holden (L)	Yes and No - Ethics concerns itself with the moral duty of man, not the legal duty of man. This branch of philosophy does not lend itself to a resolution of right and wrong. Comment exceeded word limit; please contact PVA for the full text.
SHD38	Joe Stengel (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

SHD38	Glen L. Emerson (D)	Did not respond
SHD38	Mark Holden (L)	No answer selected - Amendment 14 did not eliminate trapping in Colorado, only restricted its practice to more discriminating and humane means. (However the state wildlife division is still allowed to use poison.) Comment exceeded word limit; please contact PVA for the full text.
SHD38	Joe Stengel (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

SHD38	Glen L. Emerson (D)	Did not respond
SHD38	Mark Holden (L)	No - First, I know of no state legislation that prevents counties from allowing county-level ballot initiatives. And second, I believe that it should be up to the citizens of each county to determine for themselves the criteria for such initiatives. Comment exceeded word limit; please contact PVA for the full text.
SHD38	Joe Stengel (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?

SHD38	Glen L. Emerson (D)	Did not respond
SHD38	Mark Holden (L)	No answer selected - Not easier. It is an unfortunate but true statement that the majority of the electorate generally shows little interest or knowledge in our affairs of state. Comment exceeded word limit; please contact PVA for the full text.
SHD38	Joe Stengel (R)	Did not respond

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

SHD38	Glen L. Emerson (D)	Did not respond
SHD38	Mark Holden (L)	Yes - I want to hear from every constituent or representative organization. I feel that even if I may disagree with a particular position or thought, I can always learn from it. Comment exceeded word limit; please contact PVA for the full text.
SHD38	Joe Stengel (R)	Did not respond

Please add any other comments ...

SHD38	Glen L. Emerson (D)	Did not respond
SHD38	Mark Holden (L)	None given
SHD38	Joe Stengel (R)	Did not respond

Candidate questionnaire scores

SHD38	Glen L. Emerson (D)	Did not respond
SHD38	Mark Holden (L)	Overall Questionnaire Response Score = 4%
SHD38	Joe Stengel (R)	Did not respond

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