Tyler Quick

“First of all, I will base decisions on peer-reviewed science and research above all else. I’m fortunate to have attended a graduate program with a robust focus on methodology. I regularly consume peer-reviewed research in fields adjacent to my own, including economics, sociology, anthropology, psychology, and more. I am better than the average person at consuming more “hard science” research and would consult peer-reviewed sources in public health, ecology, etc. when within my time and power.

Likewise, I will ensure that experts in their field are given the same access to decisionmakers in Adams County that wealthy special interests have. At times, this will involve consulting experts like naturalists or engineers on county staff. At other times, it will mean inviting local researchers and faculty members to testify on important and relevant issues. It may mean contacting associations.

What I can commit to, above all else, is ensuring that scientific and social scientific perspectives, grounded in peer-reviewed, empirical research and expert opinion, are elevated in discourses surrounding policymaking. I can also pledge that my own decisions, which would only make up one-fifth of decision-making, will prioritize scientific research and findings above all else. “

“In Adams County we need a comprehensive zoning and planning update for agriculture. We need to incentivize moving away from soy and other feed crops and toward water-wise crops that we can sell here in our own community (thereby reducing our community’s carbon footprint as well). Right now, farmers I’m talking to have feed crops that were supposed be destined for Mexico still rotting in their field after tariffs disrupted their normal economic model. We need to seize this disruption as an opportunity to become more self-sufficient and economically resilient.

We also need to explore more ways to get working families into farm ownership, preventing consolidation.

We can further save water by regulating oil and gas more effectively. Right now, housing projects have to prove 300 years of water reserves in eastern Adams County while fracking wells can withdraw unlimited water from the basin, soil it, and effectively remove it from our water resources indefinitely.

We also need to be judicious with data center development. Data centers focused on market-unproven AI products make big promises but often fail to deliver. They also have a tendency to use more water and power. We need to regulate data centers to mandate closed-loop cooling systems and on-site electricity generation. We also must be wise and discerning in which data center projects we approve, seeking proven long-term economic growth industries over trendy but risky digital services focused on AI.”

“Well, I answered this question partially above. Let me expand on two things:

1. Data centers perform a variety of digital services ranging from the absolutely necessary, e.g. financial transactions or inventory systems management, to the superfluous, e.g. many generative A.I. and blockchain products, V.R. products (though this seems a little passe now). We need a County Commissioner who can ask intelligent questions about the services that a data center will provide because that’s how you can corroborate grandiose claims about revenue or jobs. I have the background and ability to perform such analysis.

2. We need to effectively calculate externalities. This isn’t something that many county or municipal economic development offices do but is increasingly important. Short-term gains in revenue or union jobs are important but cannot come at the expense at long-term pollution, devastation of our water resources, etc.

I did not mention privacy, so to expand on that a little bit. In general, the county needs to be more discerning about making sure that contracts with third-party include provisions that secure personal data in county-owned hardware, limit connectivity (and thus vulnerability), and fulfill our legal obligation to avoid collaborating with lawless federal entities like ICE. “

“This is a tricky question because it arrives against the backdrop of Trump defunding Medicaid and public health programs. This does make community health fairs and mobile clinics all the more important, and I will fight hard to ensure that these are funded to the fullest extent possible. We know that mobile clinics, in particular, can help address the vaccination gap between the insured and uninsured.

We also need to invest in after-school and summer programs to keep young people in school, oriented toward a meaningful career, mentally healthy, and out of the costly and extremely unhealthy prison system. Low-cost, early investments in these types of programs have incredible cost savings for the county in the long term and transform lives.

Finally, we need to make sure that our Adams County recreational facilities remain affordable for our working-class residents. We can achieve this by increasing leasing opportunities and class offerings to increase revenue. That’s a win-win for everyone.”

“As an educator, I can confirm that science literacy is lacking. This is an issue beyond the purview of the Adams County Board of County Commissioners, however.

I am not particularly familiar with the current K-12 education standards. In my political experience, the K-12 system’s greatest challenges in Colorado are fiscal. Colorado ranks low for teacher pay, per pupil expenditures, etc. We need to more fully fund public education to most seriously address this problem.

In my personal view, students seem to have far less of a grasp on the scientific method than my generation did. As budgets are cut, so are labs and experiential learning. If possible, I would like to see these better integrated into public education. But again, what we need most of all are new sources of revenue. “