Boulder entrepreneur Polis makes U.S. House bid official

By John Aguilar
Mon day, May 21, 2007

Boulder entrepreneur and philanthropist Jared Polis will formally begin his candidacy for U.S. Congress today, bringing to the 2nd Congressional District race a candidate with virtually limitless financial firepower and solid name recognition.

If elected, he would become Colorado's first openly gay representative to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Polis, a Democrat who served six years as a member of the Colorado State Board of Education, said he would file his campaign papers this morning.

Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald and environmentalist Will Shafroth, both Democrats, are competing with Polis for the seat. No Republican candidates have announced.

Neither candidate returned calls for comment Sunday.

"I have a track record of thinking outside the box," Polis said in an interview with the Camera Sunday. "I have experience from the public sector coupled with experience working in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors."

It is his business experience that gives Polis, 32, an immediate and formidable presence in the race for the seat held by Rep. Mark Udall since 1999.

Having made hundreds of millions of dollars founding and selling Inter-

net-based companies, like Bluemountainarts.com and Proflowers.com, Polis' campaign war chest promises to be well-stocked.

"I am committed to raising and spending the resources to get my message out," the Boulder native said.

Besides spending his own money on the race, Polis said he will also attemptto raise small donations from many different contributors to demonstrate widespread support for his candidacy across the district.

Political analyst Katy Atkinson said while Polis' deep pockets have obvious benefits, she said extravagant wealth "can be a blessing and a curse."

Polis drew criticism earlier this year over an ethics-in-government amendment he backed that limits the value of gifts Colorado elected officials, public employees and their immediate family members can accept.

Voters passed it in November.

The measure, Amendment 41, was immediately attacked by legislators and others as poorly written and open to a myriad of differing legal interpretations.

Fitz-Gerald has said the way the measure is written, lawmakers aren't left with much power to undo the effects of its unintended consequences.

Polis acknowledges the measure should have been written more clearly, but he stands behind the law's intent to reduce the influence of special interests on public officials.

"It has a workable framework, but the language should have been bulletproof," he said.

While his opponents have made much of his wealth, Polis said voters would be shortsighted to ignore his non-business accomplishments, especially in the field of education.

Besides serving on the state board of education, Polis founded New America School, a system of public charter high schools that teach English to recent immigrants. He currently serves as the school's superintendent.

He also started the Polis Foundation in 2000 to support teachers and students through mentoring, tutoring and technology.

And he successfully led the effort in November to raise nearly $300 million in a Boulder Valley School District bond issue for school repairs and renovations.

"Every American needs the opportunity to succeed — they need access to health care, higher education, shelter and nutrition," he said. "Those are the core enablers of opportunity."

Atkinson said the fact that Polis is gay shouldn't be much of a factor in the race, especially since much of the 2nd Congressional District is in liberal-leaning Boulder.

Polis said while his sexual orientation could be a "challenge" for some voters, being open about his nearly four-year relationship with Boulder writer and University of Colorado alumnus Marlon Reis has made him stronger.

"To have dealt with the closet and coming out in one's life is a character-builder," he said.

Copyright, 2007, The Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo.