Kathleen Chandler (Colorado)

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Kathleen Chandler

Nonpartisan

Regional Transportation District Board of Directors District F

Tenure

2025 - Present

Term ends

2028

Years in position

0

Predecessor

Bob Broom

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Rampart High School

Bachelor's

University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, 1990

Personal

Birthplace

Wheat Ridge, Colo.

Religion

Baptist

Profession

Nonprofit program director

Contact

Campaign website

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Kathleen Chandler is a member of the Regional Transportation District Board of Directors in Colorado, representing District F. She assumed office on January 7, 2025. Her current term ends on December 31, 2028.

Chandler ran for election to the Regional Transportation District Board of Directors to represent District F in Colorado. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Chandler completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Kathleen Chandler was born in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. She graduated from Rampart High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs in 1990. Her career experience includes working as a nonprofit program director.

Elections

2024

See also: City elections in Denver, Colorado (2024)

General election

General election for Regional Transportation District Board of Directors District F

Kathleen Chandler defeated Bernard Celestin in the general election for Regional Transportation District Board of Directors District F on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kathleen Chandler (Nonpartisan)	52.8	36,211
	Submit photo	Bernard Celestin (Nonpartisan)	47.2	32,339

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 68,550
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Chandler in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Kathleen Chandler completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Chandler's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Kathleen Chandler. I am a fourth-generation Colorado native. I grew up in southern Colorado and moved to the Denver area in 1991. I have lived in Arapahoe County since 1995. I am married with adult sons and grandchildren. Colorado is my home. I want to see those in Colorado and in Arapahoe County thrive.

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?

• Safety on RTD

  Between 2019 and 2023, violent crime rose by 53%, including a 300% rise in murder, an 86% rise in aggravated assault, a 32% rise in non-consensual sex assault, and a 32% rise in robbery.* (CSI)

  Drug crime increased even more sharply. The number of drug violations at air/bus/train terminals rose by 248% between 2019 and 2023 and the number of drug equipment violations rose by 858%. *(CSI)

  How to fix this?

  Work with state legislators to make violent crime penalties tougher including bonding out laws for crimes committed on RTD property. Increase patrols on RTD to enforce ridership rules and laws including paying fares. If you pay for ridership, you are likely to obey the laws of the system.
• RTD has the 4th largest budget in the State of Colorado Ridership on RTD has fallen tremendously yet the cost has increased exponentially. The answer is not to keep increasing taxes, but to cut the expenses or cost of RTD to the taxpayer. Often it is not a revenue problem, it is a spending problem. i The Budget in 2023 was just under $1.2 Billion. The proposed 2024 budget is nearly $1.25 Billion. That is over a 6% increase. Increases in costs include labor, benefits, and fuel. There are many other increases as RTD is adding more rail lines. Is this necessary and prudent today? I would argue no.
• Flexibility for Mobility RTD is a regional transportation district, not the Colorado Department of Transportation. We should be concentrating on flexible solutions for an ever-growing population. Buses are much more flexible than light rail. People need mobility and buses fit that need. Rail lines are fixed and do not accommodate the needs of people outside of downtown Denver.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about restoring personal freedom by limiting the government's role in everyday life. The government has a role. However, it has become increasingly larger and larger. The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen. We should understand the role of government and the role of people.

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

RTD is a billion-dollar annual agency that covers seven counties in Colorado. It is unique in that it is the region’s transit system. People depend on RTD to get them to and from places. It helps the transit-dependent and others get to work and play. The transit population varies from those who need to get to work and those who want to play. We need to service all people with the reliability they deserve in the safe manner they expect.

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

The world is a serious place. We need to take issues seriously, but not ourselves. Books that have influenced me are Free to Choose (Milton Friedman) and Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand). Movies also should affect us as they reflect culture. Princess Bride, Top Gun, and Die Hard are so fun! These movies have given me funny one-liners and instilled in me a can-do attitude.

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

Honesty and integrity are the most important characteristics of an elected official.

The most important principle to me is the power and importance of the individual.

People know what is best for themselves and their families. We need to trust individuals. We need to expect the best from people, and the government should be limited in its laws and regulations. People thrive when the government is limited and people are free.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a good listener, and I think things through. Thinking past just step one is a needed skill for an elected official. Often officeholders live in the immediate and don’t consider the long-term consequences of policy. I enjoy receiving input from others, looking at the consequences and making a decision based on what is the best for the most people.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

A core responsibility of an RTD director is to make transportation easy to access and affordable to transit-dependent citizens and taxpayers through efficiency and flexible multi-mobility channels.

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

My parents got the Denver Post, and my mom was helping me with vocabulary/reading homework. I think I was in 2nd grade. We read the article about President Carter and how bad inflation was. I remember the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979.

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

My very first job was, at the age of 6, working for my dad. He owned a donut shop in Bear Valley. My brothers and I helped open the donut shop on Saturdays. I worked there until they sold it. I was 10. I have such fond memories of my dad, the early mornings, and the cinnamon crunch donuts!

What is your favorite book? Why?

My favorite book is the Bible. It is a great story of love and redemption, and it gives you a moral guide to right living. It is full of practical wisdom, poetry, prose, heroes and villains. Many of our cultural idioms are from the Bible.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

The theme of Jeopardy. I miss Alex Trebek.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

The most important role of an RTD Director is to make sure that RTD is servicing the customer (riders and taxpayers) with reliable service. RTD is charged with providing transportation services safely and efficiently. People need a ride, and RTD is supposed to provide mobility.

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

RTD is a billion-dollar agency that is larger than the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). RTD only services 7 counties in the metro area while CDOT services the entire state.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

As a director, you need critical thinking skills. Our Founding Fathers expected that every citizen could serve in government. As a citizen, you and me, we have the skills to keep the government in check; just think! Holding the government accountable is the biggest skill needed.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Honorable John Andrews, Councilwoman Stephanie Hancock (Aurora), Mayor Mike Coffman (Aurora), Councilman Dustin Zvonek (Aurora).

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

The government must be responsive to citizens. We pay for all of it. Government doesn’t produce anything that is not first paid for by the taxpayer. All accounts and activities of local governments should be available for citizen review and scrutiny.

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

Colorado is one of 19 states that have the citizen initiative process in place. We need to keep it. It is our right to redress our grievances, and the citizen initiative process is one way we can do it. When the government overreaches or is unresponsive to a need of the electorate, we, the people, need a remedy. The direct petition process is our voice.

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Regional Transportation District Board of Directors District F

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