Marc Snyder, former Manitou Springs mayor, plans to continue his life of public service. The Democrat announced Dec. 8 that he would run for another two-year term to represent House District 18, which includes Manitou, in the Colorado Legislature.
“I always intended to run for re-election, but I watched the independent redistricting process closely and waited until the court approved their maps and sent them to the Secretary of State’s office,” Snyder said Dec. 14.
The Colorado Independent Congressional and Legislative Redistricting Commissions were established in 2018 to redraw the congressional and state legislative districts to reflect changing populations and other factors.
Snyder is grateful that District 18 remained “mostly intact,” but his constituents now include residents of Mountain Shadows, Green Mountain Falls and other areas in western El Paso County — people he hopes to meet and talk with soon.
“We are truly a connected community of interest and the newly added constituents to HD-18 make that even more true,” he said.
The career attorney said he’s been honored to serve his constituents and to ensure their needs are heard in Denver since first winning the seat in November 2018.
Snyder is just hoping that next year will be more normal for all of us. He’s eager to work to improve the state’s economy while also focusing on other challenges, such as climate change and education funding.
“The 2020 and 2021 legislative sessions were unprecedented as we and the rest of the world dealt with the COVID crisis and our legislative agenda was dominated by public health and economic recovery,” he said.
Snyder serves as vice-chair of the house Finance Committee and is a member of the Business Affairs and Labor and Legal Services committees and the Colorado Municipal Bond Supervision Advisory Board. He’s also served as chair of the Wildfire Matters and Tax Expenditures interim committees.
“It is actually very humbling and remarkable when I look at the large number of bills and resolutions that I have co-prime sponsored over my first three sessions,” he said.
“I am perhaps most proud of my work in wildfire mitigation and prevention, fostering a healthy, competitive and more equitable Colorado economy, increasing funding for the growing need for cyber-security education and training, and funding programs like 211 services that target assistance for the most disadvantaged Coloradans.”
The challenges have been finding ways to support policies while ensuring that all stakeholders can participate — and that those policies don’t have unforeseen consequences that might adversely affect the state’s economy and citizens.
Snyder is excited about a bill he’s sponsoring to boost state reforestation efforts by increasing capacity and scientific expertise at the state nursery in Fort Collins.
But really, for him, the greatest fulfillment will come from working on behalf of HD-18 constituents and all Coloradans.