Leaders

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Ed has deep roots in the 7th Congressional District and has lived in Jefferson County his entire life. His grandfather and father ran a concrete business (in what is now the 7th District) for decades. Ed attended Jefferson County public schools and then worked construction with his father during the summers while in law school at the University of Colorado. He chose to raise his family in the district where his three daughters also attended Jefferson County Public Schools. Ed currently lives in Arvada with his wife Nancy, a public school teacher.

In 1994, Ed was elected to the Colorado State Senate as the first Democrat to hold the seat in nearly 30 years. He served two terms and garnered the reputation as a bipartisan bridge-builder and a champion of renewable energy and smart growth policies.

In 2006, Ed was first elected to represent the 7th Congressional District in Congress and is currently serving in his fifth term. Ed’s top priority in the 114th Congress is creating more opportunity for the hardworking people in Colorado. Ed supports job growth by promoting energy security and independence, by working with the Colorado School of Mines and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and other world-class private sector energy businesses, moving forward with construction of the new VA Hospital and expanding Colorado’s role and economic development opportunities in the aerospace industry including the Orion manned space flight program.

In the 114th Congress, Ed is proud to serve on both the House Science, Space and Technology Committee and the Financial Services Committee. On the Science, Space and Technology Committee, Ed serves on the Space and Energy subcommittees. For the Financial Services Committee, Ed serves on the Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSE), and Monetary Policy and Trade subcommittees. Ed is also co-chair of the New Democrat Coalition Energy Task Force.

Congressman Perlmutter is pleased have Sarah Lofland, his third place award winner from our 2016 Congressional Art Competition participate as our mask artist this year.

About the Mask Artist: My name is Sarah Lofland and I am 16 years old, and I currently attend Wheat Ridge High School. I have found joy in art for as long as I can remember. Art to me is a way of life; one can express themselves through its malleable and interpretive nature. Being able to see beauty in everyday life in an artist’s eyes has helped me grow as a person, and as I practice more craft, I learn more about myself and others in the process. I hope others can learn about themselves when they look at my art.

I titled this piece, “Put on your mask” to delineate the behavior of many people. Perfection and sophistication are facades that people portray ostentatiously for other’s approval, when in reality they are insecure and immature. This piece is not supposed to put down any group of people - In fact, it is an expression of an aspect of myself that I know is present in a lot of others. I tried not to let the perfectionist inside of me make it too realistic and detailed. Instead it is supposed to look unrealistic and vulnerable.