Lisa Feret

Lisa Feret was born in Hartford, Connecticut. Feret served in the U.S. Air Force from 2007 to 2010. She graduated from Rocky Hill High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from Colorado State University and a graduate degree from Boston College in 2018. Her career experience includes working as a social worker.[1][2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Lisa is an Air Force Veteran, social worker, and a long-time disaster response expert. She spent a decade working in the disaster and humanitarian space helping people in war-torn countries as well as help communities recovery from fires and floods. As a social worker, she helped veterans transitioning out of the military, was a case manager for disabled, low-income people and promoted aging-in-place to keep people in the home as long as possible. She holds a degree in social work from CSU and a masters degree from Boston College. She is a mother of a three year old and a foster dog mom. She is married to her partner, Eli Feret, a fellow veteran who she met volunteering with a veterans organization. She previously served on Arvada City Council before getting elected to the House of Representatives. Her policy focus has been on healthcare and public safety. She has a passion for traveling and learning other cultures, gardening and cooking!

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I’ve been a public servant my entire life and find deep honor is being able to serve our community in this role. I focus on policies that make sense holistically, not just for specific people. I try to be objective in how I look at a policy, who is impacted both positively and negatively as well as costs associated with policy. My main rule in this role is that I respond at least once to everyone who reaches out. This is an important value of mine as I believe everyone deserves to be heard, even if we disagree.Healthcare is my primary focus and has been for years through my time as a social worker, veterans transition counselor, case manager at the county and a policy maker for our medicaid system. I try to find ways to make healthcare easier and more affordable for both the person and the provider by cutting burdensome red tape and excessive procedures and requirements to access care. I’ve passed laws making care more affordable by allowing for treatment in place and more telehealth options.Safety has been a key element in my policy development. As a former cop in the military and my decade of humanitarian and disaster response work has given me a unique lens to bring to the capitol. I’ve responded to fires and floods in Colorado as well as worked internationally in disaster and war zones to help people get to safety as well as recover from the emergencies. This experiences has humbled me and made me grateful to live and be an American. I take these life and experiences into the policy arena to help craft bills like: developing a system to distribute extra emergency supplies to businesses and community members and defining social work co-responders as first responders. I hope to continue to support our first responders.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Healthcare and Public Safety as mentioned above.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Here is a list of endorsement: https://www.lisaforcolorado.com/endorsements

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Arvada Councilmember Lisa Feret has been working for and with the community since she was a child - from local food banks to international humanitarian work. Her passion for helping others lead her to join the military, where she served as Military Police in the Air Force. She then became a social worker and deployed often with Team Rubicon, an Emergency Response organization.

When floods ravaged Colorado in 2013, Lisa deployed to help the communities recover. Witnessing firsthand the immense destruction and pain, she has dedicated her efforts to promoting climate resilient policies. Most recently, in 2021, Lisa responded to the Marshall Fires and raised almost $70,000 with her colleague to help fund basic needs for affected people.

Lisa’s dedication extends beyond the borders of Colorado. Lisa has deployed to various regions around the world delivering medical supplies to the front lines, assisting in evacuation and medical care of refugees, including Ukraine, Greece, and Nepal. Locally, she helped run a refugee shelter in Denver for Venezuelan migrants and staged multiple clothing collection drives.

Lisa graduated from Colorado State University, where she worked as a Veterans Transition Counselor as well as an Intensive Case Manager, helping older adults receive proper healthcare services.

Lisa is married to her partner, Eli, who she met volunteering and is also a veteran. They have a 5 year old lab and recently welcomed their baby Elizabeth to the world in 2023!

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Housing:

Lisa has demonstrated success in promoting housing equity and accessibility. She believes the best ideas and policies come from communities and organizations working together. By supporting smart transit-based, co-housing, and grant allocations for home repairs, we can create a safer and stronger community. She will move forward on these goals through community partnerships, streamlined collaboration of resources and by reducing barriers to building affordable housing.

Lisa supports ideas such as:

Home-sharing programs

Micro-loans and first-time homebuyer programs

Transit-oriented development

Simplifying zoning requirements and fast-tracking permitting

Early interventions to keep people housed rather than be reactiveHealthcare:

Lisa’s experience spans direct case management to state-level policy making through nonprofit, government and medicaid programs. She has worked in nursing homes, hospitals, and community-based settings to help people remain in their homes and receive proper healthcare. She has piloted and expanded programs to transition people from institutions to communities.

Lisa brings ground level perspective and experience to create more effective and efficient programs to our community so we can spend our tax dollars wisely on social programs by:

Building up community-based programs

Stronger transitional support from hospitals and nursing homes to the community

Preventative care coverage

Supporting providers

Simplifying system processSafety and Emergency Management:

Lisa’s unique background as a Military Police Woman, Emergency management spaces spans from responding to floods and fires in Colorado to deploying internationally to war-torn Ukraine and working in refugee camps. She has advocated for smart public safety programs and climate-forward solutions such as:

Promoting local mitigation efforts

Planning for more fire and flood resilient developments

Developing community preparedness programs.

Expanding co-responder programs to ensure people are able to get the help they need to mitigate the low-level crime in the community.

Increasing both inpatient and outpatient mental health programs and services

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Housing. Healthcare. Safety

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I believe having a strong moral compass makes a good leader but it is also important to understand the impacts and implementation of policy. While there are many good ideas, we need to see if it is feasible in practice. I try to take a pragmatic approach when viewing and advocating for policy. I ask questions like "how would we be able to operationalize or fund this initiative or program" rather than believing in a good idea. Furthermore, I believe that it is imperative to have diverse voices when creating policy, even if we do not agree. Differing opinions allow to see gaps in policy that you may not have thought of originally. We need to be able to compromise to allow for all stakeholders to be heard to mitigate any negative impact a policy might have.

I also believe elected officials must be honest and direct, even if the opinion being expressed isn't popular. There is a way to do this in a respectful way, but it is important to me that people know my values and views rather than avoiding answers.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

My diverse background in emergency and disasters, case management, policy making, Arvada City Council and working for the state. I wear many hats and this will be helpful when making and voting on different types of policy.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibilities for someone elected into any office is to be present and available to listen to their constituents. That is the core function of an elected official. In addition, it is important to advocate for the desires and needs of the community as a whole while overlaying that with practical policy. Representatives need to look holistically at the issue, policy, funding and impact to determine if the policy helps the residents, how it impacts different stakeholders and if/how we can fund the policy.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Everyone has a place in this world, everyone can help, you just need to find that passion and lean in!

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I served in the military and left my home when I was 17 years old.

What is your favorite book? Why?

American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.

It is really helpful in understanding different perspectives across the country and why people are the way they are.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Saying no to things. You want to help but there is only so much time in the day. It can be a struggle to manage family time and community service.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

An open communication and collaborative to ensure we are working towards meaningful policy. Regardless of party affiliation, it is important to have a productive and professional relationship.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Housing and safety are the top two. I use safety in terms of climate crisis and day-to-day crime.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes, I think it is important to understand how government and policy making works but that doesn't mean they have to be elected to get that experience. They can volunteer on boards or committees, attend meetings, or even take classes. I do not think it should be a requirement but preferred for a legislator to have some knowledge of how government works. At the very least, they should go through a training so they can be informed before they start.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes, just like any work enviorment, we should build relationships to understand their area of expertise, how they operate, what type of communication is best for them, what they are passionate about and what they stand for. This is the base in which we build from to work together to create meaningful policy. It can be tough to work effectively with strangers.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Not at this time. I think the state level is where my expertise are best suited.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

An 81 year old widow near my home lived in her apartment for over 15 years. She was disabled, living on a $891 disability check and required oxygen to ambulate. Last year, she called to tell me her rent has doubled and she is being evicted. She was already sharing the apartment because it was too expensive. I tried so hard to keep her in the home but to no avail. We were able to get her a motel voucher which she moved into shortly after being evicted. She was now living on her own. A few days after moving into her motel room, she fell. No one was around to find her and she laid on the floor for three days before any help arrived. She was transported to the hospital when she died shortly after.

We.can.do.better.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Right now, the Governor can but I would be open to allowing either the legislature and/or Governor to grant the use of emergency powers.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

I would like to work with stakeholders to build out a bill that helps streamline access to healthcare services.

What committees interest you?

Health and Human Services

Housing and Local Government

Emergency Preparedness

Military and Veterans Affairs

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

We should be an open book to our community.