Jared Polis and cabinet host listening session in Pueblo. Here's what Puebloans had to say

Politicians have a reputation for doing more talking than listening.

At a Tuesday evening event held at Colorado State University Pueblo, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and members of his cabinet held structured discussions with people from Pueblo about Colorado’s future and how state government can better support Pueblo.

The session in Pueblo was the third of four the governor and his staff have planned around Colorado. Previous events have been hosted in Aurora and Grand Junction — the fourth location has yet to be publicly announced.

Approximately 100 Puebloans came to the invite-only event, including several city councilors and candidates for mayor: Heather Graham, Larry Atencio and Dennis Flores were in attendance, as was incumbent Mayor Nick Gradisar.

Representatives and leaders from local nonprofits and advocacy groups were also at the listening session in addition to the community members who were invited.

Polis’ cabinet members discussed specific subtopics, such as transportation, small business and the workforce with groups of up to 10 people, but the predominant theme was housing.

Placards were displayed showing a mock-up of a TIME magazine cover featuring Colorado at the state’s 150^th birthday in 2026, as attendees were asked to envision what that would look like in Pueblo.

People also talked about how the state could help Pueblo achieve its goals and shared their thoughts about what’s going well and what isn’t.

The state government leaders took notes on large post-it boards and staff members also jotted down notes to be analyzed later.

“There was a lot of interest in housing costs: we're very focused on partnering with Pueblo to make housing more affordable, make transit more affordable, and to reduce the cost of living,” Polis told the Chieftain after the event. “There's a lot of good ideas that have all been taken down that we're going to be going over with our team to really make sure that as we work for the future of the state of Colorado, it's a future that really works for Pueblo.”

What’s next for the governor’s housing policy?

Polis was recently reelected to serve a second and final term as Colorado governor in November 2022. He received 58.5% of votes around the state and 54.2% of support in Pueblo County.

Polis backed a controversial zoning reform bill that failed to pass the Democratic-controlled legislature this spring. As introduced, the “Land Use bill” would have overruled some local zoning rules to end single-family zoning in many urban areas, including Pueblo, and allow denser housing such as townhomes and accessory dwelling units across the city, Colorado Public Radio reported.

Housing is still a top priority for the Colorado governor going into the next legislative session, which starts in January. “It’s still an issue, so we still have to do it,” Polis said.

“The fact that really people are focused on housing means that as a state we still need to act to allow more housing to be built, especially the kinds of homes that people can afford: duplexes, triplexes, accessory dwelling units,” Polis said.

Polis also said that another bill could be introduced for the legislature to consider in January.

“I think it needs to be bigger and bolder than before,” Polis said. “I mean, I think the challenge is even worse with interest rates and mortgage rates, so I really think that the state needs to do even more to help make life in Pueblo more affordable and the cost of owning the dream of owning a home more achievable for Pueblo families.”

More on Pueblo politics: Poll: Housing, cost of living are top concerns for Latino voters in Colorado's 3rd District

Anna Lynn Winfrey covers politics for the Pueblo Chieftain. She can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com. Please support local news at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: What Governor Jared Polis heard at a listening session in Pueblo