Evelyn Lim and Peter LiFari are the Denver-based Common Sense Institute Terry J. Stevinson fellows, president and CEO Kristin Strohm, said Tuesday morning.
Lim is the policy and research director at the American Cornerstone Institute, founded by Dr. Ben Carson, Housing and Urban Development secretary under President Donald Trump. LiFari is the executive director of Maiker Housing Partners, the housing authority that owns, operates and develops affordable housing communities in Adams County.
Joey Bunch: "As lawmakers return to Denver, health care will be on their minds in the age of COVID-19, but advocates say there are higher priorities than a public option, such as mental health services."
The fellowship was established in honor Stevinson, the Colorado auto business leader and a founding board member of CSI. "This fellowship is dedicated to examining a critical issue confronting Colorado and presenting achievable solutions," the Denver-based think tank said in an announcement.
The fellowship would focus on affordable housing, which Strohm said affects every Coloradan.
Dr. Brenda Bautsch Dickhoner on the Common Sense Institute will be the first to hold a fellowship named for dairy industry icon Mike A. Leprino.
“Consider the U.S. News rankings of affordable states," she said in a statement. "Colorado ranks in the top 10 most expensive places to live and while there are many factors that contribute to the rank, housing is one of the most significant.
"The bottom line is that if people can’t afford to live here, economic development will suffer, jobs will suffer, families will suffer, and our economy will stagnate.”
Lim is the former Region 8 administrator for HUD, overseeing Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. She also is a former senior adviser to Carson and helped coordinate HUD’s coronavirus pandemic response and relief efforts.
As President Joe Biden's administration Wednesday provided more details about sweeping reforms to curb pollution from fossil fuels, reaction came quickly in the form of criticism, praise and at least one lawsuit.
Before joining HUD, Lim was the deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. After 9/11, she joined the then-newly created Department of Homeland Security as the George W. Bush administration's director of transportation security policy. She is an attorney admitted to the bar in Florida and Illinois. Lim clerked in U.S. District Court and worked on predatory lending practices by home mortgage lenders for the Illinois Attorney General's Office.
For the fund to recover to its pre-pandemic solvency by 2028, employers' taxes and contributions will have to grow by an average of $420 million a year after 2023, the Common Sense Institute projects.
Besides serving Adams County, LiFari is a board member for indieDwell, an Idaho company that produces modern modular homes from shipping containers that are safe, environmentally sustainable and to help communities address their affordable housing needs.
He is the regional president of the Mountain Plains region for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, serving Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. LiFari also chairs the Adams County COVID19 Housing Response and Recovery Task Force.
“Evelyn and Peter represent different perspectives of this important issue and bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to this project,” Strohm stated. “We’re looking forward to releasing their findings later this year.”
An examination of data from February through November found that labor force participation rates for women with children fell 8.6 percentage points over the 10 months.
Common Sense Institute found that Denver's newly passed sales tax will bring in $40 million to combat climate change, but it's not clear how it will fight it.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Post a comment as Guest
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.