Hello Everyone,
I am proud that my personal history is woven into the fabric of this district. In my youth, I was educated in this district's public schools and played in these neighborhoods. As a teenager, I worked in the Americorp program on issues affecting this district. After college I chose to come back to Denver to play a role in the community where I grew up. My wife and I chose to buy a house in the historic Five Points neighborhood to be a part of its rich history and cultural traditions. Someday, we would like to raise our children in this district. We want our children to enjoy the beautiful trees at City Park, and to take them to them play in the fountain at the Stapleton Town Center on a hot summer day . We want them to make friends in our neighborhood schools and learn about the world right here.
I want to represent this district as your state senator because I have a personal connection to this place. I know people in every neighborhood in our district and I am committed to making a difference in their lives. Most of my life has been spent in service to this community, and I want to continue my service in the state senate. I am proud of the diversity in this district. I love the eclectic mix of residents, new and old. I value the cultural diversity here and I think that our community has incredible promise. As your state senator, I will work relentlessly to improve the lives of ALL residents of this district by focusing on EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE and ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. These are the needs that unite our district. Every child deserves access to a world class education no matter where they live in our district. Every resident should be entitled to affordable healthcare regardless of their income, employment status, zip code or ethnicity. And all of our residents should have an opportunity to improve their quality of life through employment and economic development opportunities.
As your state senator, I will commit to the following priorities:
Several members of our community agree with my vision and believe that I have the tools to serve you well in the state senate. I have also been endorsed by the following elected officials:
The Honorable Wellington E. Webb, Former Mayor of Denver
The Honorable Wilma Webb, Former State Rep. for House District 8
The Honorable Penfield Tate, Former State Senator for District 33
The Honorable Abel Tapia, State Senator for District 3, Chairman of the Appropriations Committee and Member of the Joint Budget Committee
The Honorable Joe Miklosi, State Rep. for House District 3
The Honorable Daniel Kagan, State Rep. for House District 9
NEED MORE ?
There are three reasons why you should choose me as your next state senator;
1) I am committed to service. I have mentored youth in this community for nearly a decade. I have served on boards for several non-profit organizations including; the Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center that helps children who are abused and neglected, Kappa Housing, Inc. that creates affordable senior housing options, the French American Chamber of Commerce that works to promote economic development opportunities between French companies and businesses in the Rocky Mountain region (I am also fluent in French), the Sun Microsystems Foundation as their Digital Divide Champion, DePauw University's Alumni Association for Colorado and the University of Denver's African American Alumni Association. I currently serve on the Board of Directors for the Capitol Hill United Neighborhood Association (CHUN) and have been appointed to the Complete Count Sub-committee for the 2010 Census for the City and County of Denver at the pleasure of Mayor Hickenlooper and I chair the Civic Action Committee for the Denver Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. I am also a regular guest speaker at the Gilliam Youth Detention Center. This year, I received the University of Denver's Community Service Award bestowed by the Chancellor of the University, and have been added to their Alumni Wall of Honor.
2) I am a business-minded individual with significant experience in the private sector. I have spent the last eleven years solving problems in private industry and have an MBA in International Business from the University of Denver. I have worked as a management consultant, managed large international projects and worked with executives, dignitaries and hard working hourly employees. My career has taken me through Fortune 500 companies, small start-up environments, working for firms overseas, and into the classroom as an adjunct professor. I also worked in the federal government for the U.S. Department of Commerce. In each case, I have been able to bring diverse people together with differing points of view to find compromise and forge solutions. My experiences in the private, non-profit and public sector will be an asset to the people of this senate district.
3) I have served the Democratic Party with distinction. Every member of this committee is a Democratic Party official or is a Democrat serving in elected office. I have demonstrated my commitment to the Democratic Party and to progressive ideals through my service as an elected member of the Democratic National Committee. I was also elected as a National Obama Voting Delegate to the Democratic National Convention for Colorado's First Congressional District (CD1) - Senate District 33 lies at the heart of CD1. As a party official, I have been a consistent and visible contributor to Democratic activities in Senate District 33 and across Colorado. I will continue this track record in the state senate and will engage my constituents in every part of the district.
I will be a strong and independent voice in the senate. I am not scared of a fight and I am prepared for the challenges ahead - including redistricting and reapportionment that will take place in 2011. I have already had extensive conversations with people who have previously been involved in this process like former State Senator for District 33 Penfield Tate (who is endorsing me). Redistricting and reapportionment are a team effort that will involve many groups and will be led by legislative committee or through a Reapportionment Commission that will be appointed by the leadership in all three branches of our state government.
I will seek out your opinions and allow your needs to steer legislation. I will listen to your issues and be respectful, even when we do not agree. I will guard the decorum of the senate and I will never forget that you have appointed me to a trust. I am ready to be your Community Senator and would be honored to represent this District in the legislature. I am asking for your vote tonight - Monday, May 11th.
The vote will take place tonight at Smiley Middle School, located at 2540 Holly St., Denver, CO 80207. Registration begins at 6:00 p.m. and balloting will begin at 7:00 p.m. If you need a ride to the polls, my campaign would be happy to arrange a ride, just call my cell phone at 303.579.7062.
Thank you for your consideration.
Anthony E. Graves
Colorado Senate Candidate - District 33
For more information, please visit my website at: http://www.anthonyericgraves.com/
Video Links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ0mKlXrAMU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcBPmUs89uc
http://www.du.edu/features/stories/anthonyGraves.html
