Renee Reif

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Renee Reif

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Colorado State University Pueblo, 2006

Graduate

DeVry University, 2011

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Years of service

1985 - 2006

Personal

Birthplace

Portsmouth, Va.

Religion

Humanist Atheist

Profession

Caregiver

Contact

Campaign Facebook

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Renee Reif (Democratic Party) ran for election for El Paso County Assessor in Colorado. She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Reif completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Renee Reif was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. Reif's professional experience includes working as a caregiver. She served in the U.S. Army from 1985 to 2006. Reif earned a bachelor's degree from Colorado State University, Pueblo in 2006 and a graduate degree from DeVry University in 2011.

Reif has been affiliated with the El Paso County Democratic Party, Colorado Democratic Party, Humanists In Healthcare, Rocky Mountain Junior Pool League, and The Center for Freethought Equality.

Elections

2022

See also: Municipal elections in El Paso County, Colorado (2022)

General election

General election for El Paso County Assessor

Mark Flutcher defeated Renee Reif in the general election for El Paso County Assessor on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Mark Flutcher (R)	60.4	163,762
		Renee Reif (D)	39.6	107,465

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 271,227
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for El Paso County Assessor

Renee Reif advanced from the Democratic primary for El Paso County Assessor on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Renee Reif	100.0	42,961

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 42,961
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for El Paso County Assessor

Mark Flutcher advanced from the Republican primary for El Paso County Assessor on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Mark Flutcher	100.0	80,155

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 80,155
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Renee Reif completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Reif's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

A retired veteran and former active-duty Army wife, I have a Masters in Public Administration and bachelor in sociology. My background includes military and civilian sector experience, with past volunteer experience including the El Paso County Placement Alternative Commission, the Fountain Planning Commission, and the Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity Interfaith Coalition Unity Build Committee. Past work experience includes elementary school secretary, and temporary positions in human resources at the sheriff’s office and Matrix Design Group (through Addstaff). I understand the importance of forging local dialogue, and the veteran in me has the life purpose to serve our community.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I will work to ensure that the Senior Homestead Exemption program is funded yearly, that it is modified to allow homeowners to use the exemption more than once (ie: when they downsize or to move into a property with less maintenance needs), and I will collaborate to reduce the taxable amount of primary residence homes so as to give relief from increasing market values.
• GENERATIONAL PROPERTY OWNERSHIP I support legislation and educational opportunities to help homeowners learn transfer property to heirs, such as creating a trust pass their homeownership to other family members.
• COLORADO ADDRESS CONFIDENTIALITY PROGRAM This is a statewide program that provides survivors of stalking and domestic violence with a legal substitute address and mail forwarding. We need to expand this program and remove barriers victims experience when buying a home or other property while trying to keep their families safe from abusers.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Altruism, Critical Thinking, Empathy, Environmentalism, Ethical Development, Global Awareness, Peach and Social Justice, Responsibility, Service and Participation. These Commitments closely relate to the Army Values, which matter when we are making and executing policy. Service means caring for those around us who don't have a voice; we must solve housing, financial, social justice, racial & generational disparities that affect multiple groups such as those with disabilities, those who have a non-Christian beliefs, those suffering poverty, and non-white demographics, retirees and veterans who suffer & struggle to survive, and including women & LGBTQIA+ communities suffering mysogyny and worse.... any group that does not historically benefit from the freedoms represented by the American flag and anthem.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

I was surprised when I first learned that county assessor is an elected position in most places, as I expected it to be a nonpartisan position that seems like it should be simply managing the collection of property taxes, but I now understand how it has come to be an elected position. As a statutory office, the assessor is an integral part of the system that works to execute the laws created by the legislature and the voters. But there is so much more that this office can do to help property owners via mechanisms like the Colorado Address Confidentiality Program, by working with legislators to ensure that the Homestead Exemption programs are funded annually, by bringing attention to ways that families can pass on property (generational wealth) to their families, to include family members with disabilities who receive benefits such as SSI and Medicaid (finding ways to implement a living trust, for example), and so importantly, fighting against the property theft that is happening in our country (people fraudulently change the property deed to a different name, and the rightful home owner discovers this happened when they are evicted from their homes). It is possible to ensure that El Paso county implements a mechanism to prevent this fraud.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is at the top of my list, though there are so many more. She grew up in a time when women were not supported to become educated and career-oriented. Indeed, this generation frowned on many kinds of successes. I also have incredible appreciation for the families and teachers of Helen Keller and Temple Grandin, who refused to believe that Helen and Temple were unteachable. These mothers and teachers worked hard, bucking conventional thought that people with disabilities had no ability to learn and should be institutionalized. Eustacia Cutler and Kate Adams Keller, who became educated in their own right, also found the teachers and situations they needed to support Helen and Temple, to help them become as independent as they could possibly become. RBG, along with these mothers, teachers and others were strong at every turn, powerful, confident, self-empowered. They supported and empowered their daughters.
We know that Empowered Women Empower other Women and that It Takes A Village; it's time to pave the path for those who will become the leaders of tomorrow's Village.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

I love the Paradoxical Commandments by Kent M. Keith (copyright 1968, renewed 2001)

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.

This was displayed by Erin Gruwell who is a teacher, an author, and the founder of the Freedom Writers Foundation, when she fought back against an unfair system to truly care for her students.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Altruism, Critical Thinking, Empathy, Environmentalism, Ethical Development, Global Awareness, Peach and Social Justice, Responsibility, Service and Participation. These Commitments closely relate to the Army Values, which matter when we are making and executing policy. Army values: Loyalty-to the PEOPLE for whom I wore the uniform ALL Americans. Duty-I will fulfill my obligations to the people, ALL the People. Respect-I will treat you with respect. Selfless Service: just as I care for my family, I will put the needs and welfare of my friends and neighbors, superiors and subordinates, before personal gain, above party or any other ideology. Honor and Integrity-I WILL live up to the values I developed while in uniform, and I will ALWAYS do what is right, legally AND morally. I will never jeopardize my own moral compass. And finally, PERSONAL COURAGE. Today, anyone who is trying to fight for those around us, trying to #stopreligiousnationalism and #authoritarianism must have courage. As eloquently stated, "Change takes Courage."

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like people to remember that I did my best to honor my own life purpose, my commitment to humanity and the world, that I was Altruistic, a Critical Thinker. That I had Empathy and cared about Environmentalism and Ethical Development. That I had Global Awareness was a good neighbor to the people who share the Earth with me and helped make the world a better place. That I had Humility- an understanding of my own strengths and weaknesses.

That I worked for Peace and Social Justice to help solve problems and handle disagreements in ways that are fair for everyone.
True peace involves an intense commitment to social justice and affirms the human rights and personal autonomy of all people. Any level of injustice against groups or individuals signifies existing conflict, even if the conflict isn’t immediate or obvious. We attain peace only by consistently responding to injustice through thoughtful conflict resolution that aims to repair harms and ensure a fair and equitable society moving forward. This kind of conflict resolution is known as restorative justice. In order to achieve a just, peaceful society, we all must take claims of injustice seriously and ensure that those who are impacted most by rights-violations determine the best course forward.
That I was Responsible- a good person—even when no one was looking—and I owned the consequences of my actions.

That I actively Served and Participated in society; I helped my community in ways to understand the people I’m helping. That I actively put values into action in ways that positively impact our communities and society as a whole.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember when President Reagan and White House Press Secretary James Brady were shot in 1981, though I didn't understand the magnitude of that event until much later. Reagan was my first Commander-in-Chief, so the magnitude of this event became more clear.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I had a newspaper route as a kid for the Herald Times Reporter in Wisconsin! During high school, I hung out periodically at the Army recruiting office, where I learned some office tasks and joined the Army via the Delayed Entry Program. I left for basic training in July 1986 after graduation from high school! I don't recall how long I delivered news papers, but I spent nearly six and a half years on active duty until December 1992. I joined the army national guard in 1993 where I reclassified into Military Intelligence; I trained at the Defense Language Institute and Fort McCoy, WI initially. I retired from the army national guard here at Fort Carson in 2006 after finishing my bachelor degree.
During these national guard years in MD, MI, WI, WA and CO, I often worked for my unit outside of monthly drills, as much help is needed ongoing to operate the part-time force and maintain military readiness.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey. I read this in college and it spoke so deeply to my spirit, my heart. He's stepping out into the world, albeit, not a human-filled world; he's escaping humans and learning all that Mother Nature has to offer, good and not so good, beautiful and treacherous.

https://www.amazon.com/Desert-Solitaire-Wilderness-Edward-Abbey/dp/0345326490

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214614.Desert_Solitaire

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

National Park Ranger Anna Pigeon, the heroine of my favorite author, Nevada Barr! She travels around our country to beautiful national parks, solving murders and surviving things most of us could barely imagine. Like Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg talked about, Ranger Anna Pigeon is "fragile like a bomb, NOT fragile like a flower!"
https://www.goodreads.com/series/40958-anna-pigeon

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

I think the ability to help domestic violence survivors who need to remain hidden from their abusers become homeowners, through the Colorado Address Confidentiality Program. This is a way for survivors to move on with their lives safely and not have to worry that their residence address is publicly available through the Assessor's office.
In addition, I believe that the assessor plays a key role in trying to help find ways to fund the Homestead Exemption programs while seeking ways to replace that money in the state budget. There are ways, and there are people in positions to help make this happen.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

While I believe that government and political experiences can add to your education and experience, so much learning actually happens while you're doing the work, and today, there is so much ongoing training that we have to keep up with-changes to systems, policies, processes, etc. I believe that this office must have staff and leaders who are willing and able to keep up with continued learning requirements and changes. Change management

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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