I am not a politician. I am a citizen. My core values are:

• family
• service
• freedom
• dedication

I am a citizen who is concerned about the future of this senate district, our state, and our nation. I am Sueyuna Duthie, a wife, mother, educator, writer, and an activist running for the office of Senator in the Colorado State Legislature.

The way I see it, my race to win in State Senate District 28 is not about partisanship. I believe in the values of our Constitution. That means that the government works for the people, not the people working for the government.

There are three American heroes, leaders, men who said this best in their own words.

To quote his famous words, John F. Kennedy said,
"Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country."

Martin Luther King Jr. said,
"Our lives begin to end the day that we begin to do nothing."

Our current president, George W. Bush, said something at his March 27, 2008 address at the U.S. Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio that has really impressed me. He was speaking in the context of Iraqi mothers involved in a coalition peace effort to give their children a better future. He said this:

"This is bottom up government. Bottom up government is good. Bottom up government causes those in power above to take action."

Through an unusual set of circumstances I am now a candidate for the Colorado State Senate in District 28. I served as precinct leader in precinct 424 in Arapahoe County and I've served as a delegate to the county and congressional assemblies.

This is my first call to take action as a citizen leader. There was a need for someone to run and oppose the incumbent. So, my husband Matt and I prayerfully considered entering this race. He was totally supportive and said "Go for it!"

So, I'm going for it while the words of my husband, Kennedy, King, Bush, my mother, my father, my children, my friends, my community and a host of other encouraging voices help move this race forward. This process is also proving to be a valuable experience for our three daughters. I tell them repeatedly, "Girls, all in all, remember this, if you believe strongly in something, go for it. You can do something about it."

I believe in these tenets of government:

• small, limited government
• lower taxes
• free enterprise
• defending our freedom
• right to work
• individual responsibility
• common sense
• practical solutions for real problems

I came to Colorado nearly thirty years ago on June 13, 1978. I am a graduate of St. Mary's Academy in Englewood, Colorado, and the University of Colorado in Boulder. My undergraduate bachelor of arts degree is in English Literature, and Creative Writing, with an emphasis in Shakespeare and Chaucer. I have worked as a freelance writer in my spare time for The Urban Spectrum, University Faculty Voice, and The New York Times as a note taker. I have written and self published a children's storybook entitled American Storybook Recipes. Currently, I am completing the writing of my first novel in an epoch trilogy series I have entitled The Canvas. I am 75,000 words into this 100,000 word piece. Soon, I will be onto the work of obtaining a literary agent and a publisher.

My post baccalaureate work is in elementary education also from the University of Colorado, Boulder. I did my teaching practicum in the second grade at Jewell Elementary School in Aurora, Colorado. My education experience is broad in its scope. I began at The University of Colorado, Boulder as Diversity Program Coordinator in a freshman residence hall. Working with college freshman was a wonderful experience. I served as a career coach at Manual High School in the 11th grade, after working with the then principal Nancy Sutton on a feature length piece I entitled, Manual after School Busing.

Again, in response to a civic need, this time for a teacher to instruct children on a waitlist at St. Andrews Lutheran School in Denver, I stepped up to the plate. I taught there for 2 years. Afterward, my husband and I opted for private school instruction for our children. I have been a private education instructor for seven years. In that capacity, I have taught grades Montessori though 7. My favorite aspect of teaching is literacy instruction in the early years. Books, just like life, and I find even now along the campaign trail, can take us in directions we may never have imagined. One needs only to step out and join the race. I'm happy to be in the race. Won't you join me?