James Iacino of Ridgway is making his first bid for elective office in seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Rep. Scott Tipton for a U.S. House seat. Iacino has been the CEO of his family’s Seattle Fish Co., based in Denver, and supported his alma mater, Colorado State University.
Iacino talks of the need for leadership and the ability to work across the aisle. He is a strong advocate for meeting mental health needs, believes the Equal Rights Amendment is long overdue and would make care of the environment a priority. “Colorado can lead against the climate challenge,” Iacino says.
Opposing Iacino is former state representative Diane Mitsch Bush of Steamboat Springs. Mitsch Bush is a social scientist and has held a variety of employment management positions, and in the state Legislature she favored environmental issues. Climate action would be a priority, which would create new and better jobs, she says.
While Mitsch Bush was an effective legislator and knows the Western Slope, in this contest the Herald’s editorial board believes James Iacino would be less partisan and able to provide some of the collaboration Congress requires.
