State House District 45 race: Murray seeks another term

Incumbent state Rep. Carole Murray lives in Castle Rock with her husband Lisle Gates, former principal of Castle View High School. She has lived in House District 45 for 27 years, after moving to Perry Park in 1978. She and Gates have five children and 11 grandchildren, with two more on the way.

Murray, a Republican, has a bachelor's degree and has worked in the private, nonprofit and public sectors. She won state awards as an advertising manager of the local newspaper and for seven years she served as the head of the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce.

During her eight-year term as the Douglas County clerk and recorder, the county became the first in the state to complete electronic real estate recordings. As the county clerk, Murray helped craft the bill to make Colorado the first state to enable its counties to receive electronic recordings.

Colorado Community Media asked the following questions of the candidates in House District 45. Below are Murray's answers.

What makes you the best candidate for this office?

I have a known and a public history. Not only in politics, but in the community. I bring my conservative principles to the real world of my constituents' lives.

I have to add, that, in today's political climate, “experience” is a bad word. I'm here to say that our 21st-century set of Colorado statutes has created a very complex government that is very difficult to tackle from the first day on the job, without some kind of knowledge of the system.

Knowing whom to call to fix a problem or to help write a successful bill is a precious commodity these days.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the district and what would you do to meet that challenge?

The economic stability of the citizens in House District 45 is my number one concern. We are a hard-working, ambitious, family-centric district, and my constituents deserve to be the masters of their own future.

Government should not be in the way of our family's dreams, but should be a quiet partner in our success.

My voting record and my continued commitment shows that I support a government that enables people to be the best they can be, with government's role being carefully monitored and defined.

What should be done to improve Colorado's K-12 educational system?

I serve on the House Education Committee, sponsoring the bill that requires teachers and school leaders to be evaluated based on the performance of their students. I'm working to improve the teacher preparation programs in our state system.

I advocated to support children who are struggling in reading, to include retaining third-graders who are not reading at the appropriate level.

I support parents' rights to create charter schools, and vouchers could make a big difference in our urban schools. If parents have a way to walk away from failing schools, the schools will change.

I'm proud of the quality of schools in Douglas County and look forward to their continued leadership.