Scott Bottoms, Barbara Kirkmeyer and Victor Marx are all candidates in the June 30 Republican primary for Colorado Governor. The Summit Daily asked each candidate five questions about some of the key issues facing Colorado’s Western Slope. 

Question 1: Colorado’s High Country has a severe housing crisis that is pushing out working locals, yet much of the housing legislation that has been passed in recent years has been focused on Front Range communities. As governor, what efforts would you take to bring down costs and increase access to housing in the High Country? 

Bottoms: As governor, I would prioritize slashing the regulatory burden and taxes driving up housing costs in the High Country.

The crisis stems from excessive government fees, mandates and red tape, not a lack of supply. Front Range-focused bills ignore rural realities like high construction costs, environmental rules and limited land use flexibility in mountain communities. I will fight for statewide reforms: cutting property taxes (a major driver of affordability issues), streamlining permitting to speed development, repealing unnecessary regulations and mandates that inflate builder costs and promoting fiscal responsibility to ease the overall cost of living.

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This includes opposing energy policies that raise building expenses and prioritizing local control so High Country towns can address their unique needs without one-size-fits-all Denver mandates. By reducing government overreach, we will make housing attainable again for working locals, teachers, first responders and families who call the mountains home. Reclaim Colorado means putting people first.

Kirkmeyer: The Colorado State Patrol is facing 50% vacancy rates in the High Country because home prices scare away potential recruits, according to joint budget committee discussions. I’ve heard similar stories for firefighters and first responders. With that in mind, last year I sponsored legislation, which is now law, to expand access for first responders to downpayment assistance programs through the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority. 

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I think there is more that we can do to modernize CHFA’s homeownership programs, many of which were designed when current housing prices were unthinkable. I also want to repeal recent statewide energy efficiency requirements that add $60,000 to the price of a new home — requirements that apply regardless of whether the home is built near the Oklahoma border or at 10,000 feet elevation in Leadville.

Marx: I’ve sat with teachers, nurses and ranchers on the Western Slope who can’t afford to live where they work. That’s heartbreaking, and it’s a failure of Denver politicians who write housing policy like our mountain communities don’t exist.

Here’s the truth: the High Country housing crisis is a regulatory crisis. I’ll cut the red tape driving up construction costs, end the unfunded mandates forcing counties to raise local taxes and give mountain communities the flexibility to build workforce housing their way, not the Front Range way.

I’ll also make sure Western Slope voices are in the room when housing legislation gets written, not added as an afterthought after Denver gets everything it wants.

Colorado doesn’t end at Interstate 25. Under my administration, neither will our solutions. Working families deserve to stay in the communities they built 

Question 2: Rural resort areas navigate a delicate balance between the tourism industry and the need for long-term housing for locals. Do you support legislation to tax and/or limit vacant homes and short-term rentals? Please provide a “yes” or “no” answer to this question before expanding on your reasoning. 

Bottoms: No. I do not support legislation to tax or limit vacant homes and short-term rentals. These policies infringe on property rights and often backfire by reducing overall housing supply and hurting the tourism economy that rural resort communities depend on.

Short-term rentals provide critical income for homeowners and help balance the seasonal nature of mountain economies. Instead of punitive taxes or restrictions that drive up costs and punish property owners, we should focus on increasing supply through regulatory reform: faster permitting, lower fees and reduced mandates. Local governments in the High Country know their needs best and should retain control rather than face top-down rules from Denver.

By cutting taxes and red tape, we empower working locals and small businesses while preserving the tourism base. Heavy-handed interventions distort markets and rarely deliver affordable long-term housing. Reclaim Colorado prioritizes freedom and practical solutions over government penalties.

Kirkmeyer: No. As a rule, I don’t believe the state legislature should inject itself in issues that are inherently local zoning and land use questions, particularly in areas as unique as mountain resort

communities. It seems clear that each new tax or regulation imposed on property owners will

further limit future investment in residential homes, keeping supply low and prices high.

Marx: No, but let me explain, because this deserves a straight answer.

I don’t believe the state should be in the business of punishing property owners with new taxes or heavy-handed limits on how they use what they’ve earned. That’s government overreach.

But I absolutely understand the frustration. Locals are being priced out of their own communities, and that’s a real problem that demands real solutions.

The answer isn’t taxing people more; it’s removing the barriers that make building workforce housing so expensive and slow. Streamline permitting, cut regulatory red tape, end unfunded mandates on counties and give local communities, not Denver bureaucrats, the tools to create attainable housing that fits their needs.

Local governments should have flexibility here. But a new state tax on property owners isn’t the conservative solution, it’s just another government squeeze. We can do better. 

Question 3: The fight over the future of the Colorado River is likely to spill into the next governor’s administration. What do you believe is the best path forward for Colorado’s water security, and how will you work to protect residents’ critical water rights?

Bottoms: The best path forward for Colorado’s water security is to fiercely defend our state’s water rights under the Colorado River Compact while rejecting federal overreach that threatens them.

Colorado must prioritize compact compliance through efficient use, storage expansion and voluntary conservation incentives rather than top-down mandates that penalize agriculture and residents. As governor, I will fight in interstate negotiations and courts to protect agricultural, municipal and recreational rights. We should streamline permitting for new reservoirs and infrastructure, cut regulatory barriers and empower local water districts instead of Denver-centric bureaucracies.

This approach safeguards working ranches, farmers and mountain communities without sacrificing growth. By reducing government interference and promoting responsible stewardship, we secure water for future generations. Reclaim Colorado means standing up for property rights and practical solutions.

Kirkmeyer: The Colorado River is a national treasure and the primary artery of our state. I have expressed support for the Colorado River District’s efforts to complete the purchase of the Shoshone Water Rights as planned to benefit the Western Slope, at a time when other parties involved appeared to waver about the size of the call and its future uses. 

I oppose reopening the Colorado River Compact, because Colorado’s best interests

are vastly outnumbered in Congress. We need to maximize the use of Colorado’s water rights

before they leave the state with more storage, to protect our agricultural sector and keep prices

from rising. As a county commissioner, I was an active proponent of the NISP (Northern Integrated Supply Project) reservoir project in Weld County — the first new major reservoir in Colorado in over a decade. I also support a number of projects around the state seeking to expand or deepen existing reservoirs.

Marx: The Colorado River fight isn’t coming, it’s already here, and Colorado needs a governor who will show up swinging, not negotiating away Western Slope water behind closed doors.

My position is clear: no transfer of Western Slope water to Front Range interests. I’ll fight to expand state investment in water storage and conservation infrastructure, modernize our aging systems and make sure Colorado is negotiating from a position of strength in any interstate compact discussions.

I’ll also stop the progressive war on farmers and ranchers who depend on these water rights to survive. They built this state. Their rights will be protected under my administration.

Water policy in Colorado for too long has been made by people who’ve never touched a ditch or seen a well. That changes on day one. 

Question 4: Wolf reintroduction remains a contentious issue in Colorado with lawmakers bringing concerns about program cost, transparency, management and impacts on the Western Slope. What actions, if any, would you support to alter the wolf reintroduction program and why?

Bottoms: I would support immediately pausing and ultimately phasing out the wolf reintroduction program.

The program has imposed high costs, lacked transparency and created real hardships for Western Slope ranchers, farmers and communities through livestock losses and management burdens. As governor, I would push legislation to halt further releases, return management authority to local governments and the state without federal strings, and ensure full compensation for impacted producers using program funds. 

This flawed, top-down mandate ignores rural realities and prioritizes ideology over practical stewardship. We must protect private property rights, agricultural livelihoods and public safety. Reclaim Colorado will deliver accountability by ending wasteful experiments and focusing on responsible wildlife management that serves Coloradans first.

Kirkmeyer: I led the fight at the Joint Budget Committee to pause funding for additional wolf releases. I’ve owned and operated Dairy Farms, and there was never a doubt that this program would be a travesty for Colorado’s farmers and ranchers in the reintroduction zone. Ground beef in Colorado now costs as much as $9 a pound, and while the wolf reintroduction may not account for the direct price spike, there is no doubt that ranchers and producers are making decisions to refocus investment outside of the zone — ultimately, that will affect everyone at the grocery stores, in our state and local

budgets, and in the very fabric of Colorado’s ranching communities.

Marx: Colorado’s wolf reintroduction was an ideological decision, not a scientific one. Activists and lobbyists pushed it through, and Western Slope ranchers are paying the price. That’s a failure, plain and simple, and it deserves real action, not more excuses.

As governor, I’ll clean house on the boards and commissions making these decisions. No more activists with an agenda. No more lobbyists working for special interests. I’ll appoint real scientists, real outdoorsmen and women, people who actually understand this land and the people who work it.

Immediately: Ranchers who’ve lost livestock deserve fast, fair compensation, and this program needs serious reform based on honest data, not ideology.

Colorado’s wildlife policy should serve all Coloradans, including the ranchers and farmers who’ve been ignored for too long. 

Question 5: Colorado continues to face a structural deficit in its state budget, and this year the legislature was forced to cut spending on Medicaid, affordable housing and other key programs. As governor, how would you put the state on a more sustainable spending path while protecting programs and services that Coloradans rely on?

Bottoms: The budget crisis stems from unchecked growth in government, not insufficient revenue. I will implement zero-based budgeting, audit every agency for inefficiencies and veto bloated spending bills. This includes streamlining bureaucracy in Medicaid and housing programs to reduce administrative overhead while protecting core services for those truly in need.

By slashing regulations that drive up costs, lowering taxes to boost economic growth and rejecting new mandates, we generate revenue organically without tax hikes. Prioritizing essential services like public safety, infrastructure and education over special interest giveaways will restore sustainability.

Reclaim Colorado means fiscal responsibility that safeguards programs Coloradans rely on without mortgaging our future.

Kirkmeyer: Colorado’s budget faces a crisis of priorities and a crisis of vision. 

As one of two minority members on the Joint Budget Committee, I see it firsthand: During the Polis Administration, nearly every agency has grown their administrative budgets faster than their core programs. I see mismanagement that wastes tens of millions in Medicaid and human services, and then there are many new and frivolous programs such as the “Office of Saving People Money,” which

does little more than pay the Lieutenant Governor an additional salary. And as a result, we were

forced to cut core programs as you mentioned above.

As governor, I will submit a new balanced budget that reflects a “Back to Basics” set of priorities, reins in wasteful spending, and cuts between 5% and 10% of each agency’s operating budgets. On day one, I will institute a statewide hiring freeze and suspend unnecessary out-of-state travel. These agencies should perform at a much higher level of service, and I know how to make it happen.

Marx: Colorado doesn’t have a revenue problem; it has a spending problem. A $47 billion budget that keeps growing while families struggle to make ends meet isn’t leadership, it’s negligence.

As governor, I’ll use the veto pen. I’ll do line-item review on everything. If it doesn’t benefit Coloradans directly, it’s out. No sacred cows, no backroom deals.

Here’s the thing though: When you cut wasteful bureaucracy and bloated administrative spending first, you protect the programs people actually depend on. Medicaid, roads, public safety. Those aren’t on the chopping block. The layers of government overhead that nobody can even explain? That’s where we start.

I’ve run a lean nonprofit for years. I know how to stretch a dollar and deliver results without waste.

Colorado families balance their budgets every month. Their state government should do the same. It’s that simple.  

View the Q&A responses from the Democratic candidates for Colorado Governor in the primary. Ballots for the June 30 Colorado primary were mailed to voters starting Monday, June 8. To check your voter registration status, visit GoVoteColorado.gov.