Support for Colorado Mountain College measure 7C

For the past eight years, it has been my privilege to serve on the Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees, representing west Garfield County. In partnership with the staff, students and citizens across our mountain communities, the board has listened intently to constituents and much has been accomplished. Now it is time to accomplish more in service to our mountain communities and those who reside there.

The board voted unanimously at our last meeting to place a measure on the ballot in November. Without imposing any new tax and without exceeding the limit voters approved in 2018, the measure asks the voters to waive the 5.25% property tax limit for a period of 10 years.

Communities across the college district from Steamboat Springs to Salida, from Silverthorne to Parachute and everywhere in between, we have heard loud and clear the need for housing, the need for more skilled trades and the need for trained nurses, firefighters and first responders. This ballot measure seeks the support to do just that.

Ballots will arrive soon and I humbly ask for your support and encourage a “yes” vote on measure 7C.

Peg Portscheller, Parachute

Supporting Megan Heil for Garfield Re-2 school board

As a Latina mother and community leader in Garfield County, I want to share why I support Megan Heil for the Garfield Re-2 school board. In our Latino culture, family is at the center of everything we do. We are guided by faith, by love for our children, and by the belief that learning begins at home. Parents are the first teachers, and schools should walk alongside us, not push us aside.

This is why I trust Megan. She respects parents and understands that families must have a voice in every decision about our children. She believes, like we do, that strong families build strong students. That is something our community has always lived by. Many Latino parents work long hours and make sacrifices because we want our children to have better opportunities. Megan understands this, and she is ready to stand up for families like ours.

Megan is a woman of faith, integrity and service. She has given her time and her heart to students and families, and I believe she will be the voice our community needs. She will fight for parents’ rights, protect our children, and put family values at the center of education.

As a Latina leader, I want to see someone on the board who shares these values and will protect them. That is why I proudly support Megan Heil. I trust she will represent our families with respect, courage and heart, and that she will always stand with parents and children. With Megan on the school board, I believe the education of our children and the future of the Garfield Re-2 School District will be stronger and better protected.

Salomi Gonzalez, Rifle

Honoring the sacredness of water

The sacredness, and recently the scarcity, of water was discussed at the Two Rivers Unitarian Universalists’ water communion last Sunday. We appreciated how water means life, and wanted to thank the organizations in our valley who work to protect it: the Roaring Fork Conservancy and the Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association, among others.

As water becomes increasingly scarce in the West, we want to thank the organizations addressing climate change and climate denial: 350 Roaring Fork and Mountain Action Indivisible, among others.

We pray that humans learn to live sustainably, that our federal government can move to once again embrace renewable energy, and that climate change can be discussed in a logical and scientific manner. Our current toxic political environment needs to change so we can begin to address real, rather than politically driven, problems.

Peter Westcott, TRUU Social Justice Committee, Carbondale