Democratic state Rep. Jennifer Parenti of Erie is no longer seeking re-election this November, blaming an atmosphere in which “personal agendas and special interests are still being rewarded at the expense of our districts, each other and the integrity of the body in which we serve.”.
Parenti sent the email announcing her decision Friday. She plans to serve out the rest of her term. Because the primary process is already over, a Democratic vacancy committee will select a candidate to take her slot on the fall ballot.
House District 19, the seat Parenti currently holds, covers Erie, Firestone, Frederick and other communities along the Boulder-Weld County border. It’s a relatively competitive district that could help determine the extent of Democratic control in the House next year. Former state Rep. Dan Woog is the Republican candidate this year.
“While many factors have weighed into this decision,” Parenti wrote in her email, “ultimately it comes down to this: I cannot continue to serve while maintaining my own sense of integrity. The two are simply incompatible.”
Parenti is just finishing her first term in office. Two other freshman lawmakers left the legislature in the last year for various reasons, including low compensation and a vitriolic political atmosphere.
Parenti wrote that she had hoped the legislature’s increasing diversity would foster a new ethical culture at the statehouse, “one that supported its new and diverse voices, promoted thoughtful and intentional discussion, (and) ensured every district had a seat at the table in drafting important legislation …”
But she said special interests and personal agendas instead have the upper hand.
“That these challenges are not new to Colorado politics is, for me, an insufficient excuse not to prioritize addressing them. We can do better.”
Parenti is the only female veteran currently serving in the legislature; she spent two decades in the Air Force. She serves on the Joint Technology Committee, Transportation, Housing & Local Government and the State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs committees.
She did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CPR News.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
