Politics is loud. Results are harder to find.

While Washington gets most of the attention, decisions made at the Colorado State Capitol often have a much more direct impact on our daily lives: the cost of housing and health care, our roads, our water and how our schools and rural hospitals are funded.

That’s why I believe Colorado needs a state legislature that works — and works for the people it represents. Less political theater. More problem-solving. Less worrying about who gets the credit. More focus on whether we actually get something done.

That’s the kind of legislator I’ve tried to be during my four years as your state senator, and it’s why I’m running for another term representing Senate District 8.

I’m Dylan Roberts. I’m a third-generation Coloradan, a former prosecutor, a husband and a dad raising my family in Summit County. I grew up in Routt County, I’ve spent nearly my entire life in the communities I now represent and I know what makes this part of Colorado special — and what makes it challenging.

Senate District 8 is unlike anywhere else in Colorado. It stretches across 10 counties and 44 towns, from ski resorts to coal communities, agricultural towns to gaming communities. Our economies, politics and priorities can look very different from one end of the district to the other.

That means there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the challenges we face. It also means I don’t think this district needs a state senator who simply follows a party playbook. We need someone who will show up, listen and get to work.

The issue I hear about most consistently is affordability. People are struggling with housing, health care, groceries and other everyday expenses. During my time in the legislature, I’ve helped deliver Colorado’s largest single-year investment in affordable housing and supported efforts that have expanded housing opportunities across Western Colorado. I also wrote and passed the nation’s first insulin price cap and the Colorado Option to expand access to more affordable health care.

Going forward, I want to keep working on the things that determine whether people can afford to stay here: housing, health care, good-paying local jobs, small businesses and the infrastructure our communities depend on.

Water will be another defining challenge. Colorado has experienced historic drought, with consequences for agriculture, communities, rivers and ecosystems across the Western Slope. I have sponsored Colorado’s annual water projects legislation and worked on conservation, river protection and efforts to secure important Western Slope water supplies. Colorado needs to take responsibility for its water future while protecting agriculture, communities and our environment.

We also need to be responsible with taxpayer dollars. Colorado must balance its budget, and I support finding efficiencies and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy. But balancing the budget cannot simply mean cutting services rural and mountain communities depend on. We need smart investments, measurable results and policies that recognize the realities of rural Colorado.

Most importantly, I believe representation starts with showing up.

During my four years in office, I’ve held 64 town hall meetings and countless community meetings in all 10 counties of the district. I’ve listened to people who agree with me, people who strongly disagree with me and plenty of people somewhere in between.

That’s the job.

The nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking ranked me Colorado’s most effective first-term senator, and 98% of my bills have received bipartisan support. I’m proud of that record because it reflects how I believe government should work. I’ve worked with Democrats and Republicans, and I’ve gone against my own party when I believed it was right for Senate District 8.

I don’t expect everyone here to agree with me. I wouldn’t expect that in a district this diverse.

But I do believe we can agree on something pretty simple: Colorado government should work. Our state legislature should be functional, serious about solving problems and focused on results.

That’s the standard I’ve tried to bring to the state senate. If given the opportunity to continue serving, that’s exactly what I’ll keep doing — for you, for us, for our future.

Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, is the incumbent candidate in the Nov. 3 midterm election for Colorado Senate District 8, which spans Clear Creek, Eagle, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco, Routt and Summit counties.