Healthcare workers in Salida. Farmers and ranchers across Park County. Corrections officers in Fremont. Hotel and restaurant operators in Buena Vista. Miners at Climax. Aerospace suppliers feeding Lockheed. Public servants doing the work of government. These are the industries that anchor SD4 — and these are the industries that keep the entire state of Colorado running.
The prosperity these workers generate keeps flying right over them. Colorado lost 11,700 jobs in 2025 — the first net decline since the pandemic. The hardest hit sectors were professional services, manufacturing, and retail. Exactly the industries anchoring Fremont and Douglas counties. The national economy added jobs. Colorado lost them. SD4 paid the price.
We can't regulate our way out of a jobs deficit. We can't wait for Washington to fix it. We need state action that recognizes what SD4 actually builds — and what it costs to keep building it.
Regulatory Relief That Fits
Healthcare clinics. Family farms. Mining operations. Tourism operators. State mandates written for Denver are choking out the rural businesses that keep SD4 working. Compliance offsets recognize what every small operator already knows — rural Colorado isn't the Front Range, and shouldn't be regulated like it.
Workforce That Lands Real Jobs
Workforce dollars should land workforce jobs. Corrections, healthcare, trades, agriculture, aerospace manufacturing, tourism — these are SD4's economy. Training programs should tie directly to who's hiring and what they need, with placement rates that prove the investment is working.
Broadband as Infrastructure
Rural businesses, farms, and remote workers can't compete without reliable connectivity. Washington has failed to close the last-mile gap for a decade. State investment in rural broadband isn't optional — it's the foundation everything else is built on.