Jon Becker of Fort Morgan has announced his candidacy for the Colorado House of Representatives 63^rd District seat. He made the announcement to a full room during an Oct. 15 press conference at the County Steak-Out in Fort Morgan.

“I am excited to announce that I am a candidate for State House District 63, and I will be proud and honored to serve the residents of northeast Colorado,” he said.

Fiscal responsibility, supporting business and agriculture, economic development, and grassroots conservatism are the bywords for former Morgan County Commissioner Jon Becker, 37, as he makes a run for the Colorado House of Representatives. He would like to take the place of a fellow Republican, Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, who is looking to become the Republican candidate to challenge incumbent U.S. Congresswoman Betsy Markey in the 4th Congressional District.

When questioned about the current Colorado administration, Becker said, “I believe they’re following a bad economic path. And in times of an economic downturn, you don’t penalize your larger industries, such as the oil and gas, and you do not raise fees to cover budget shortfalls. In fact, raising various fees across the state amounts to taxation, which per TABOR, Colorado citizens should have been allowed to vote on.”

Private property rights, particularly business rights, are important, but Colorado has not shown it supports business recently, Becker said. The legislature and Gov. Bill Ritter pushed through new oil and gas regulations, which seemed to show that the industry was not welcome in Colorado, he said. That is the kind of faulty decision which the state cannot afford.

Green energy is something which is worth working on for the future of the state, he said, but Colorado needs to leave room for traditional energy sources, too.

Agriculture
Part of keeping the state’s economy thriving is taking care of agricultural interests throughout the state, Becker said.

Protecting water rights is also vital, so that those who own them can use them as they see fit, he said.

At the same time Becker plans to build alliances with Front Range legislators – which is the only way the rural areas can get things accomplished – but without compromising his beliefs or those of eastern Colorado, he said.

Business view
Becker said he felt he never lost his roots as a businessperson when he was on the Board of Morgan County Commissioners and will not let that happen if he joins the legislature. That means he is willing to stand up for the needs of the district, he said.

He said he would like to serve on the energy and transportation, agriculture or business affairs committees if he reaches the House, but would feel privileged to serve on any committee that will allow him to better serve eastern Colorado.

As a county commissioner, Becker worked with each of the counties in the 63^rd district. The counties often share the same concerns, Becker said, but they also have individual issues that he is willing to work with them on.

Other Issues
Becker explained that he is “pro-life” and will fight to defend that belief no matter what.

Becker also noted that he is a strong supporter of all Coloradoans Second Amendment rights. Becker said the liberal left would like to legislate this right away, and he will not sit and watch that happen.

Becker said he understands government from the side of the average citizen, and he understands how important it is to have good representation.

A native of Fort Morgan, Becker worked as the Executive Director of the Morgan County Economic Development Corp. immediately before being elected as a commissioner, and he ran several businesses before that. He also worked for Farmers Insurance for nine years.

Becker earned an associate degree from Morgan Community College, a B.A. in business administration from Colorado State University and an MBA. from Colorado Christian University. He said he knows how valuable education is.

Becker is married to Christal, who is also a native of Fort Morgan, and the couple has two boys: Grant, 9, and JT, 7. Becker has invited anyone with questions and those who would like to offer support to call him at (970) 768-6500 or e-mail him at jonjbecker@gmail.com.

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