Common Sense Digest

SPECIAL EPISODE: On the Road to $1 Billion in Vehicles Stolen

Common Sense Digest proudly presents this special episode titled "On the Road to $1 Billion in Vehicles Stolen: The Data Trends Behind Colorado’s Motor Vehicle Theft Crisis." This follows our recently released report of the same name found at the link. Despite the complexity of the issues surrounding motor vehicle theft, there is a crystal-clear trend in the Centennial state. Theft rates continue to rise, and Colorado maintains its unenviable distinction as the number one state in America for car theft. Common Sense Institute (CSI) Criminal Justice Fellows Mitch Morrissey and George Brauchler explore the data and trends through the first six months of 2022.

You will also hear from CSI Senior Economist Steven Byers and President of the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police, David Hayes. 

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Will Proposition 123 Help the Affordable Housing Issue in Colorado? featuring Peter LiFari and Chris Brown

Housing affordability is one of the hottest topics in Colorado, and is likely to remain so. On this November's ballot Colorado voters will decide on the fate of Proposition 123, titled, “Dedicate Revenue for Affordable Housing.” To discuss this measure Host and Chairman Earl Wright welcomes CSI's Vice President of Policy and Research Chris Brown, and CSI 2022 Housing Fellow to discuss what issue the measure hopes to solve, how it would be implemented, its potential limitations and much more. 

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Peter LiFari is the 2022 Housing Fellow & 2021 Terry J. Stevinson Fellow and is the Executive Director of Maiker Housing Partners, a socially conscious public housing authority based in Adams County, Colorado. In his role as Executive Director, LiFari leads a passionate team committed to ending the cycle of generational poverty by providing individuals and families with access to affordable housing, support programs and by engaging in community development. LiFari is a compassionate visionary whose leadership style is grounded in treating individuals with empathy, warmth and grace. 

Dollars and Data: Education Funding and Achievement featuring Jason Gaulden and Brenda Dickhoner

As the COVID-19 pandemic recedes, it leaves in its wake declining public school student enrollment and achievement, local, state, and federal dollars continue to flow to Colorado school districts in ever-larger amounts. Despite this, student achievement made only a modest recovery in English Language Arts (reading and writing) in 2022 after a huge plunge in 2021, and fewer than four in 10 Colorado students can perform grade-level math proficiently.

To discuss these issues and much more including teacher pay and innovation in the classroom, our Host and Chairman Earl Wright welcomes CSI’s current and former education fellows. Brenda Dickhoner was CSI’s Mike A. Leprino Free Enterprise Fellow in 2021 and is now the President and CEO of education advocacy group Ready Colorado. Jason Gaulden, is this year's CSI Education Fellow and the author of the latest Dollars and Data report.

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Brenda Dickhoner is the President and CEO of Ready Colorado, an education advocacy organization. Brenda has spent her career working in education policy at the national and state level. She has previously served as a policy expert at the Colorado Department of Education, helping design and implement programs to help improve the state’s lowest-performing schools and districts. Brenda also supported education policy efforts at the Colorado Department of Higher Education and the National Conference of State Legislatures. Brenda earned a Ph.D. in Public Policy at the University of Colorado Denver's School of Public Affairs and a B.A. from Duke University.

Jason Gaulden, 2022 Education Fellow at Common Sense Institute and Partner at Oak Rose Group, a strategy consulting firm specializing in education, workforce development, and economic mobility. From 2015 to 2020, he worked with America Succeeds, a national network of business leaders focused on modernizing the nation’s education system. He co-authored the report The Age of Agility: Education Pathways for the Future of Work. The initiative empowers business leaders, educators, and policymakers to better prepare students for the new workforce and economy. Jason served as the program officer for education at Daniels Fund from 2005 to 2009, and before that, a Senior Fellow at El Pomar Foundation from 2001 to 2005. Jason is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. 

The Impact of New Energy Codes on Colorado’s Fraught Housing Market Part 2

Following Part 1 of this series, we re-join Host and Chairman Earl Wright, CEO of the Colorado Association of Homebuilders and CEO of the HBA of Metro Denver, Ted Leighty, Founder of Confluence Companies Tim Walsh, and CSI 2022 Mike A. Leprino Fellow and report author Evelyn Lim. They continue their conversation about the state of the Colorado housing market, the goals of recently passed energy code legislation, the increased costs those new codes will result in for builders (and ultimately homebuyers and employers), and what challenges exist in implementing them.

Our recent report The Uncertain Future Cost of Colorado’s Energy Infrastructure and Housing Affordability, foregrounds this discussion as our experts dig into the cost of implementing recently passed legislation that requires the adoption of a new energy code for buildings as well as what electrification of the built environment could cost Coloradans.  

Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here. 

In addition to being the CSI 2022 Mike A. Leprino Fellow, Evelyn Lim is the Former Region 8 Director at the US Housing and Urban Development and is now the Director of Policy and Research at the American Cornerstone Institute.

Since 2017 Ted Leighty has been the CEO of the Colorado Association of Home Builders and CEO of the HBA of Metro Denver since 2020. Ted has extensive experience in Colorado real estate, having served as Vice President of Government Affairs for the Colorado Association of Realtors.  He has also chaired the Colorado Real Estate Alliance and the Colorado Competitive Council.

Tim Walsh is the founder of Confluence Companies which plans, designs, develops, and provides construction management services here in Colorado. Since its founding, Confluence has managed the development and construction of over $750 million in projects including 2,000 multi-family residential units.

The Impact of New Energy Codes on Colorado’s Fraught Housing Market Part 1

The issue of housing is one we tackle repeatedly on Common Sense Digest because it touches every single Coloradan in some way and impacts the overall economic health and well-being of the state. Building off our recent report The Uncertain Future Cost of Colorado’s Energy Infrastructure and Housing Affordability, this first in a two-part series on Common Sense Digest discuss the cost of implementing recently passed legislation that requires the adoption of a new energy code for buildings as well as what electrification of the built environment could cost Coloradans.  

Joining Host and Chairman Earl Wright are CEO of the Colorado Association of Homebuilders and CEO of the HBA of Metro Denver, Ted Leighty, Founder of Confluence Companies Tim Walsh, and CSI 2022 Mike A. Leprino Fellow and report author Evelyn Lim. In Part 1, the four discuss the state of the Colorado housing market, the goals of recently passed energy code legislation, the increased costs those new codes will result in for builders (and ultimately homebuyers and employers), and what challenges exist in implementing them. 

Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here. 

In addition to being the CSI 2022 Mike A. Leprino Fellow, Evelyn Lim is the Former Region 8 Director at the US Housing and Urban Development and is now the Director of Policy and Research at the American Cornerstone Institute.

Since 2017 Ted Leighty has been the CEO of the Colorado Association of Home Builders and CEO of the HBA of Metro Denver since 2020. Ted has extensive experience in Colorado real estate, having served as Vice President of Government Affairs for the Colorado Association of Realtors.  He has also chaired the Colorado Real Estate Alliance and the Colorado Competitive Council.

Tim Walsh is the founder of Confluence Companies which plans, designs, develops, and provides construction management services here in Colorado. Since its founding, Confluence has managed the development and construction of over $750 million in projects including 2,000 multi-family residential units.

SPECIAL EPISODE: Affordable and Accessible Child Care: Colorado’s Workforce Challenge

This special episode of Common Sense Digest is brought to you by Colorado Politics and the Denver Gazette and hosted by Common Sense Institute and EPIC.

The high cost of child care acts as a barrier for parents, particularly women, seeking to return to the workforce, exacerbating Colorado’s labor shortage. Join industry experts and policymakers in exploring ways to create better access to quality and affordable child care for working families.

Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.

SPECIAL EPISODE: Eggs & the Economy - Affordability

The following is a special episode of Common Sense Digest. On June 21, 2022, Common Sense Institute hosted Eggs & The Economy, a quarterly symposium featuring guest speakers on a variety of public policy issues highlighting the most pressing issues Colorado is currently facing. Our most recent event featured discussed the issue of affordability in Colorado. This podcast captured audio from the event in full, and features remarks from Chairman of the Board Earl Wright, and the following panelists:

Senior Economist Steven Byers

Mike A. Leprino Fellow Evelyn Lim

Vice President of Policy & Research Chris Brown

Representative of Colorado’s 35^th District Shannon Bird

Luigi Del Puerto, Managing Editor of Colorado Politics (Moderator)

Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.

What Makes a Great City? featuring Mayor John Suthers and Councilman Dustin Zvonek

The state of Colorado is facing a housing affordability crisis, inflation, dealing with soaring crime rates, and homelessness. The list of challenges Coloradans are facing is daunting. But across our great state local leaders are digging in, rising to the challenge and coming up with innovative ways to create opportunity for their residents.

On this episode of Common Sense Digest, Host and Chairman Earl Wright welcomes Mayor of Colorado Springs John Suthers and Aurora City Councilman Dustin Zvonek to the show to discuss how each municipality is approaching the complex and intermingling challenges of housing affordability, homelessness, crime, economic opportunity and much more. They share ideas, opportunities and roadblocks to the creation of cities in which we all thrive, prosper and find happiness in the face of wicked problems and entrenched thinking. It's a wide ranging and informative conversation featuring two leaders working to shape the future of two of Colorado's most prominent cities.

Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.

John Suthers was re-elected to a second term as Mayor of Colorado Springs by an overwhelming majority in April of 2019. Before being elected Mayor, Suthers served as Attorney General of Colorado from 2005 to 2015. Under Suthers' leadership, the Colorado Attorney General's office earned a national reputation for excellence. Prior to being Attorney General, he was named by President George W. Bush in 2001 to be United States Attorney for Colorado and he was unanimously confirmed by the US Senate. In 1999, Suthers was appointed by Governor Bill Owens as Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, based in Colorado Springs. In that position, he managed an organization with 6,000 employees and a budget in excess of $500 million.

In 1988, he was elected District Attorney of the 4th Judicial District, which includes El Paso and Teller Counties.

The 41st mayor of Colorado Springs, Suthers’ first term began in May of 2015. Dustin Zvonek is the President and founder of Zvonek Consulting, an executive management consulting firm, and a Partner and Senior Advisor at Rising Cloud, a first to market tech start-up. Dustin was elected to the Aurora City Council in November of 2021 to a four-year term as an At-Large Member. On Council, Dustin is currently the Chairman of the Public Safety Committee and the Vice Chairman of the Planning and Economic Development Committee. Dustin also serves as the Chairman of the Red Tape Reduction Committee and is a member of the Management and Finance committee.

Unpacking the Colorado and Arizona Housing Markets with Glenn Farley and Steven Byers

Housing prices are frequently at the forefront of policy discussions because they impact so many other aspects of the economy. On this episode of Common Sense Digest, Host and Chairman Earl Wright welcomes CSI Arizona's Director of Policy & Research Glenn Farley, CSI's Senior Economist Steven Byers to discuss the housing markets in Arizona and Colorado, respectively. They dive deep into what led us to the current situation, attempt to forecast where things are headed, and prescribe their fixes for bringing the cost of housing down. Whether it's talent recruitment and retainment, the overall health of the economy, or personal wealth building, this is an episode that has implications for all.

Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.

Glenn Farley is CSI Arizona’s Director of Policy & Research. For the past eight years he has worked in the Office of the Arizona Governor, most recently as Gov. Doug Ducey’s Chief Economist and a policy advisor. In that role he advised on issues of tax, fiscal, and regulatory policy, and was one of the Governor’s lead architects of his two major tax reforms – the 2018 tax overhaul that established the State’s first remote sellers sales tax and dedicated the proceeds to a major simplification and overhaul of the individual income tax, followed by the 2021 income tax omnibus which phased in a 2.50% flat tax (the lowest in the country).

Steven Byers, Ph.D. is the new Senior Economist for Common Sense Institute. Prior to joining CSI Steven spent three years working for the Coalition for a Prosperous America, a nonprofit organization consisting of manufacturing, agricultural, labor, consumer, and citizen interest groups, where he conducted research on the U.S. economy, international trade, and tariffs. Highlights of this research include a paper titled, “Decoupling from China – An Economic Analysis of the Impact on the U.S. Economy of a Permanent Tariff on Chinese Imports” for which he and a co-author won the National Association for Business Economics Edmund A. Mennis Contributed Paper Award.

The Wicked Problem of Fentanyl in Colorado featuring George Brauchler and Mitch Morrissey

In April of 2022, Common Sense Institute released a report titled Fentanyl’s Increasing Toll on the Colorado Economy which detailed the evolution of the opioid crisis, the 2019 legislation that exacerbated the problems of the opioid crisis, and highlighted the unique deadliness of fentanyl in particular. 

On this episode of Common Sense Digest, Host and Chairman Earl Wright welcomes CSI's Criminal Justice Fellows George Brauchler and Mitch Morrissey to discuss these issues in much more depth. Mitch and George detail their extensive history in how drug possession cases were handled prior to 2019, discuss the problems they perceive the recently passed and signed HB22-1326 "Fentanyl Accountability And Prevention" to have, why they think the problem will get worse before it gets better and much more. This episode is a fascinating deep dive into the world of criminal justice, and drug laws specfically.

Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.

George Brauchler served as the elected District Attorney for the 18th Judicial District (JD), Colorado’s most populous district, which includes Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln counties, from 2013-2021. As a state prosecutor, he handled the felony cases from the Columbine High School mass shooting case, the Aurora Theater (Batman) mass shooting case, and recently, the STEM Academy school mass shooting case.

Mitch Morrissey was the elected District Attorney of Denver, Colorado from November 2004 until January 2017. Prior to 2004, Mitch was a trial lawyer in the Denver District Attorney’s office. Mitch is internationally recognized for his expertise in DNA technology, applying that technology in criminal prosecutions, and working to ensure that DNA science is admissible in court. He has trained law enforcement officers and prosecutors throughout the United States, in the Middle East, in Central America, and Canada.