DR. JOHNSON'S POSITION
experience
What experience (personal, professional, other) would you bring to your role as Representative that will benefit our state?
answered by Dr. Garfield Johnson, MA, MPA
As an educator, a disabled veteran, I will fight for the voice of the people so that they may not have their rights violated. A former Olympic hopeful, licensed Colorado school teacher, entrepreneur, and a long-time area resident with strong leadership skills, I have lived multiple lives in this one life. My experiences have shaped who I am as a person and have shaped my views as a staunch conservative which is why my goals are to uphold the values that Colorado has been built on and protect the rights of children who will one day inherit this beautiful land. This I hope to achieve by working with my colleagues and constituents as a State Representative for House District 15.
Election Reform
Do you believe that elections in Colorado should be conducted differently? Should voters in Colorado be required to verify their identity and residential status in the respective counties in which they vote? Are you in favor of a single-day, in-person voting system consisting of all-paper ballots? Why or why not?
answered by Dr. Garfield Johnson, MA, MPA
I observed that after the presidential election of 2020, the shocking widespread allegations of voter fraud showed that the current voter system is tremendously problematic. As a candidate for HD15, I am calling for election integrity in El Paso County and Colorado by cleaning up the voter rolls because the current Department of Motor Vehicles voter rolls are jam-packed with disqualified voters who are either dead, or no longer residing in our State. As such, voter ID is inherently necessary within our constitutional democracy.
What is your position on the Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR)?
The Taxpayer Bill of Rights sets out as its commitment to small business to ensure their interactions with the CRA are conducted with efficiency and effectiveness. I pledge that TABOR by its very design will protect voters by ensuring they have a voice to increase taxes they pay, and various debt that federal, state, and local governments incur.
As a State Representative, what will you do to improve the education of our K – 12 students? What is your position on parental authority in education, including school choice?
I strongly support school choice and parental authority in education. After military service, I built my career in education. I have a Colorado Teaching license with certifications in Social Studies and Special Education. I taught in Colorado middle and high schools, including schools providing alternative education for at-risk youth. My most recent teaching experience includes working as a special education teacher and as an online teacher. In conjunction with my teaching activities, I also served as a coach and a tutor and has been active as an educational leader in many different settings. I relished a strong commitment to education and to ensuring that all students have the opportunity to learn and succeed.
Vision
What is your vision for being a Colorado State Representative?
answered by Dr. Garfield Johnson, MA, MPA
I will continue the work of Dave Williams and to fight for our freedom and Republican values which includes election integrity, fighting for the unborn child, ending child gender modifications, and stopping our schools from indoctrinating and sexualizing our children.
Government Authority
Do you believe that the government has the legal power and authority to dictate what a person does with his or her body? If so, how?
answered by Dr. Garfield Johnson, MA, MPA
I support medical freedom. The coronavirus pandemic has profoundly disturbed life around the world. Seclusion, contact boundaries and economic shutdown in Colorado and around the globe, imposed a complete change in daily psychosocial environments, but this pandemic brings with it an opportunity for personal growth and family cohesion. Under this penumbra, I strongly believe that leaders have exceeded their boundaries by manufacturing political decisions that reduced our personal freedoms.
1st Amendment
What will you do as Colorado State Representative to protect our 1st Amendment rights to: the free exercise of religion, freedom of speech, peaceably assembly, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances, all of which are becoming more difficult to exercise in America (and around the world)?
answered by Dr. Garfield Johnson, MA, MPA
Former President Lincoln stated that an Armed society is a polite society. As a fiscal conservative, I support gun ownership, and first amendment rights. As such, I will fight to ensure that the right of the people to peacefully assembly and discuss their grievances with government officials at the state and local level are preserved. I will also fight to ensure that the state government does not infringe on an individual right to worship.
Do you believe that gun ownership is a civil right, and what are your positions in regards to red flag laws, magazine capacity bans, legislation that regulates gun storage, and permitless “Constitutional carry”?
Former President Lincoln stated that an Armed society is a polite society. I support gun ownership, and will oppose any legislation that intrudes upon second amendment rights.
Infrastructure Spending
How do you believe that tax revenue in Colorado should be best utilized to improve our infrastructure?
answered by Dr. Garfield Johnson, MA, MPA
I believe that one step to addressing the city’s capital infrastructure needs is to create a comprehensive growth plan that has both immediate and long-term goals. The city continues to grow. Infrastructure needs to be developed by preparing for growth while lessening current traffic concerns to allow for ease of access around the city. In addition, Colorado needs a 500-year water plan. With this stated, the city needs to plan for growth by planning for the expansion of water and other utilities to handle an increase in population in designated growth areas.