Couey good for Garfield County

Keeping Carrie Couey as your Treasurer is so important. The job of County Treasurer requires educational background and experience, well-rounded in the many money and finance issues with Public Funds. 

Carrie’s bachelor’s and master’s were in the area of accounting, business and organizational leadership with focus on public and non-profit management. Carrie’s impressive service to you as your County Treasurer has deployed this background and has met the investment goals for your investments, provided excellent audit reviews, led the office with no turnover and enjoyed a strong  public relationship with the public whom she serves.  

Party affiliation is not the critical issue here, not in this race; in fact Carrie’s opponent was a long-time Republican running for other offices. Carrie’s opponent is an OK person and I have known him for years. He keeps looking and shifting for a position.

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This position is not even close. It is not a good fit and is not worth the risk. We are entering into very difficult and challenging times with the economy and we all need comfort in the experience and steady hand that Carrie, as Treasurer, and the folks in that office have provided. You have that with Carrie continuing to serve you as your Treasurer.

Scott McInnis, Grand Junction

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(Former Colorado and U.S. Representative, Mesa County Commissioner)

Vote Diaz for Treasurer

I am supporting Aron Diaz for Garfield County Treasurer. I have known Aron and his extended family for many years as he is a fourth-generation resident of Garfield County. 

Aron worked for me as staff for my office as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from this district. He distinguished himself by exhaustively researching, analyzing, and delivering policy options on complex issues of importance to the district and the state. 

We worked closely together for the public interest which was always prominent in his values and desire to serve. I know well his eagerness to honestly perform the Treasurer’s duties for the greatest number of citizens. Aron studies the work before him and capably manages the subject matter and the people involved to successfully complete projects. He has the intellect and ability to lead the office and the personnel of the Treasurer’s office professionally and competently. 

As importantly, he will meticulously guard the safety of the public’s resources and money. Finally, Aron will conduct himself and the office in a non-political, non-partisan manner as is the right way to respect the responsibility of the public’s work. Politics will not guide his choices. I am proud to see Aron courageously step up, during these grim times for our government and democracy, to be counted on to do the right thing even in this atmosphere of rough and tumble skepticism and personal criticism of any public official. I will consider it an honor to cast my vote for Aron Diaz. I hope you will too.

Russell George, Rifle

(Former Speaker of the House, Colorado House of Representatives)

Glenwood Chamber Board endorses 2C

There is no question that the workforce shortage is one of the biggest challenges facing our businesses and community as a whole right now. We have all seen and experienced the help wanted signs, overworked staff, shortened business hours and more. The problem is not limited to any one industry – it’s impacting all industries. 

While there are a variety of reasons the workforce challenges exist, availability of workforce housing is one of the main contributing factors.

How do we as a community address the workforce housing crisis? There isn’t one quick or easy fix. It will require a variety of projects, collaboration, creativity and public-private partnerships to solve the needs of the community. These require capacity and resources.   

This November, Glenwood Springs voters can say yes to a solution — Ballot Issue 2C Accommodations Tax for Workforce Housing. The Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association (GSCRA) Board of Directors unanimously supports this measure as a reasonable and meaningful long-term solution to our workforce housing crisis. 

2C will create a dedicated workforce housing fund to support creative solutions that fit our community such as down payment assistance loans, affordable units within existing development and incentives for Accessory Dwelling Units. The fund will provide needed capacity and resources that will allow our community to leverage millions of additional dollars and give us more control over future development in Glenwood Springs.

Glenwood Springs’ main economic driver is tourism, and it’s imperative to remain competitive and sustainable as a destination. Funding for 2C will be generated by a 2.5% accommodations tax increase, which will provide adequate resources to make a positive impact while keeping our accommodations and overall tax rate in line with similar mountain communities in Colorado.

2C will provide sensible and sustainable workforce housing solutions to help our businesses and community thrive.  Learn more at yes2cglenwood.org. 

GSCRA Board of Directors

Puebloan for Perry

I met Perry Will in 1979 when we both began our careers with the Division of Wildlife. Native Coloradans, we were brought up in distinctly different communities but share the common background of caring for our state and its resources. 

I’m a lifelong Democrat. Perry is a Republican. I rarely stray outside the party line, but I would if I felt the candidate was exceptional and warranted my support. 

I worked closely with Perry and have seen his remarkable authenticity. I know what kind of person he is and I would not hesitate to support him, regardless of his affiliation. 

I don’t live in Perry’s district, and thus I can’t vote for him. 

What I am willing to do is compose a letter to the people of the district and let you know that Perry is trustworthy and will advocate for you on so many levels because he has no self-imposed restrictions on doing what is right. 

In this time of scalding, low-brow politics you should feel comfortable in supporting an individual who is as principled and honorable as Perry Will.

Al Trujillo, Pueblo

Parties Part of the Deal

​​I read the article titled “Garfield County Treasurer candidates spar over partisanship of down-ballot offices” with interest because the system requires a partisan path in order to be a local elected official in charge of an administrative county office. 

Mr. Diaz had to use a political path to get his name on the ballot also. 

Carrie Couey takes the job seriously. From day one of her appointment she quickly worked to learn the job by consulting staff and reaching out to her peers in the state. 

As one of her peers I am confident in her abilities, her understanding of statute and her strong will to continually work to improve. 

Carrie has become involved in the Colorado County Treasurer and Public Trustees Legislative team and serves as an Executive Board Member for the association. Getting involved at this level provides Carrie an opportunity to represent Garfield County when discussions occur regarding best practices and legislative priorities. 

In the office of Treasurer and Public Trustee there isn’t much room for partisan antics once you get there. It’s a statutorily driven office. 

Carrie has been a good choice for Treasurer.

Sheila Reiner, Grand Junction

Mesa County Treasurer

We need Ryan

I met Ryan Gordon at CMC. He was talking to a student from Rifle. Ryan asked what he could do as Garfield County Commissioner to make things better for this student and his family. Surprised to be asked his opinion, the student smiled. He started to talk about the number of times his family had moved to find an affordable place to live, and his environmental concerns about the future. Ryan listened. He understands first hand the cost of housing. Ryan grew up in Glenwood Springs and has moved back to raise his children in this wonderful environment. He loves the life here. But he also has concerns about the quality of education, mental and physical health and about the sustainability of our environment. As an engineer, Ryan has worked on water issues in Western Colorado. We need his knowledge and enthusiasm on the Garfield County Commission. We will definitely vote for Ryan Gordon for Garfield Country Commissioner. We hope you will, too. It is time for change. 

We need Ryan. 

Cari and John Shurman, Carbondale

Animal Rights Before the Court

This week’s case before the US Supreme Court is not about abortion, religious freedom, or gun rights, but whether farm animals are entitled to life before death. The meat industry is challenging California’s 2018 law requiring minimal space and health standards for the animals.

As millions of male baby chicks are hatched, they are ground up or suffocated, because they don’t lay eggs. Groups of females are crammed into small wire cages that tear out their feathers and cut their feet. Their beaks are cut off.

Mother pigs suffer for a lifetime in tight metal gestation stalls. Their babies are torn away shortly after birth, mutilated without anesthesia, crammed into crowded pens for six months, then slaughtered in the dawn of their lives.

Dairy cows spend their lives chained on a concrete floor, and have their milk sucked out of them by machines twice a day. Every year, they are artificially impregnated to keep the milk flowing. 

Delicious, healthful, eco-friendly plant-based replacements for animal meat and dairy products are widely available. Every one of us can help defeat the meat industry’s case on our next trip to the supermarket.

Sincerely,

Fred Stoddemeyer, Glenwood Springs

Supporting Ryan Gordon

I support Ryan Gordon for Garfield County Commissioner. Ryan is a Glenwood Springs native who has watched our perennially tight and pricey housing market become an economic crisis. Businesses ready to grow are unable to hire workers because housing is unaffordable and unavailable. I trust Ryan Gordon; he is ready to put the muscle of county government to work to help solve the housing crisis across Garfield County. 

The current commissioners have taken a passive approach, simply hoping that free-market developers will build affordable housing. It’s an unrealistic expectation that hasn’t panned out.

Ryan Gordon is ready to collaborate with neighboring counties to hammer out regional solutions, bring a community land trust to the county, help mobile home park tenants purchase their parks, and work with affordable housing organizations. 

Ryan believes people should be able to live in the same area where they work, and they should be able to build equity and become stable community members through home ownership. He is ready to lead Garfield County in active efforts to solve the housing crisis.

Please join me in voting for Ryan Gordon for Garfield County Commissioner.

Ellen Dole, Glenwood Springs

Marxist idea

After perusing Cassandra Ballard’s well written (10/10/22) PI article on ballot issue 2C, and after reading Councilman Tony Hershey’s LTE in the same PI issue, this LTE is written to challenge Clark Anderson’s (of Yes for Workforce Housing) public statement:

“Ultimately, it’s hurting the fabric of our community; 2C provides us as a community of Glenwood Springs with an opportunity to create much needed resources to really begin tackling this (affordable housing) issue,” he said. “2C provides us with a practical and proven solution.”

Rubbish Mr. Anderson! Your economic model for transferring wealth, in the form of a bed tax targeting of tourists, is textbook central planning socialism. Methinks Mr. Anderson that you are a product of Colorado’s public schools, where Marxist/socialism is the economic model taught and not capitalism; whereby the local hotel/motel operators function and whom you propose to collect, from their customers, the new 2.5% lodging tax.

Clearly Marxists/socialists are in charge of Glenwood Springs City Hall. Vote no on 2C.

Carl L. McWilliams, Glenwood Springs