Colorado’s tremendous beauty and rich western culture is the reason so many of us chose to live here. It’s the reason Colorado finds its place among many people’s dream places to visit.
If we haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet — howdy, I’m Rep. Perry Will. I was honored to serve as a wildlife officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife for over 40 years. I spent my career helping to preserve our beautiful state and our western culture. Now, I’m doing exactly that as your State Representative.
I represent every reason you choose to live here
I chose to serve my state as your representative because these things have been worrying me, just like they’ve been worrying you. I believe the voice of rural Colorado matters and that our way of life should be well represented in Denver. It is an honor to be your voice in the Capitol. I’m proud of the work that I’ve accomplished there.
While my district looks a little different than it did before, one thing is clear: my values have not changed.
I embody the cowboy spirit that has worked tirelessly to preserve the natural resources and beauty of the West, always leaving the land better than we found it. This is the land you love and the land that I will always fight to protect.
I don’t vote party line; I vote what’s best for my district because that’s what I took an oath to represent – my district, not a political party. I represent the people, the animals, and the land; this is what I think about when I’m faced with tough decisions in Denver.
At the end of the day, Colorado has never been defined by a political party. People don’t think of red or blue when they think of this state. They think of the mountains, the plains, the rivers, the valleys, our beautiful skies, and our western culture.
That’s why I’ve focused my work in the legislature not on party issues, but on the issues that are most important to my district. In the last legislative session, I ran over 30 bills, most of them bipartisan, addressing public safety, healthcare in rural Colorado, and wildlife management.
It is when legislation like the Habitat Partnership Program (HB22-1072) are passed by the legislature and signed into law that I am most proud of my work in Denver. This program helps the Division of Parks and Wildlife reduce big game conflicts on private land and benefits landowners, sportsmen, the Division of Parks and Wildlife, and most importantly — the animals. I saw the benefits of this program when I was a game warden and now, with this legislation, this program is permanent!
I also sponsored and passed, SB22-151, “the Safe Crossings For Colorado Wildlife And Motorists Act.” This bill creates safe road crossings across our state, protecting both our animals and our drivers. Investments like this one into our infrastructure keep Colorado beautiful and safe and protect all of us.
I also passed the Telehealth for Hearing Aid Providers (HB22-1076) which allows hearing aid providers to perform services through telehealth and save thousands of Coloradans money and time in traveling long distances to a specialized doctor. It’s common sense solutions like this that we need in our state.
During this past legislative session, I was awarded the “Bridging the Gap Award” and the “Care Access Award” from Healthier Colorado for championing bills to create health equity across our state and improve access to care.
As long as I have the honor of representing you, know that there’s a cowboy in Denver fighting for common-sense solutions that work for all of us, and most importantly, protect our way of life here in the Centennial State. If you have questions, give me a call; I’d love to hear from you about what our western heritage means to you.
By PERRY WILL – Special to the Herald Times
