Author: Jimmy Sengenberger

Step Denver and Step Springs CEO Meghan Shay joins The OpEdge to explore addiction recovery, homelessness, and the role of accountability in lasting change. Shay tells host and investigative columnist Jimmy Sengenberger why she believes recovery is built on personal responsibility, peer support, and meaningful work, explaining how “real compassion” often means helping people confront…

Amy Oliver Cooke, Independence Institute senior fellow and Always On Energy Research co-founder, joins The OpEdge to dissect Colorado’s energy transition, grid reliability, and the state’s net-zero goals. Cooke warns host Jimmy Sengenberger that current state policies threaten affordability and reliability — and explains why she sees nuclear energy as one key to a more…

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman joins The OpEdge to explore why he’s spent every Friday night since February sleeping at a homeless shelter. Coffman tells host and investigative columnist Jimmy Sengenberger what the experience is teaching him about homelessness, why he believes Aurora’s incentive-based model is the superior alternative to “Housing First,” and how the city…

Jeffco Kids First founder Lindsay Datko joins The OpEdge to explore concerns about school safety, staff misconduct and transparency in Jefferson County Schools. Datko tells host and investigative columnist Jimmy Sengenberger why she believes Colorado’s second-largest district has too often prioritized self-protection over accountability, citing a sweeping safety audit, a federal Title IX finding and…

As homelessness continues to persist across Colorado, former Aurora City Councilman Dustin Zvonek paints a compelling picture of how the primary policy prescription may be enabling the root cause more than providing a permanent solution. In this OpEdge Podcast conversation with Gazette and Colorado Politics Deputy Opinion Editor Antonio Olivero, Zvonek, now the homelessness fellow…

Michael Fields, executive director of Advance Colorado, joins OpEdge host and investigative columnist Jimmy Sengenberger to assess the good, the bad and the ugly of the Colorado General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session. Reflecting on the 120 bills passed in 120 days, Fields not only spells out what the budget, transportation and crime ramifications mean for…

In the latest episode of The OpEdge — The Gazette’s new opinion podcast — Colorado Springs District 11 Superintendent Michael Gaal reveals why teachers’ union contracts hold schools back. Gaal tells OpEdge host and investigative columnist Jimmy Sengenberger how ending D-11’s labor contract unleashed flexibility on teacher pay, staffing and accountability, while arguing school choice and…