Soap Box
- Turner can navigate choices ahead
- 04/04/2019
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To the editor,
A vote for Jack Turner is a vote for a cleaner energy future at LPEA. Energy technologies are changing rapidly, requiring knowledge and experience to navigate the important decisions ahead that will affect our co-op for years to come. We need our energy sources to be both affordable and sustainable. Jack is someone I trust to ask hard questions, research, debate and tackle new challenges. He was elected by his peers on the Board to serve as a delegate for the Colorado Rural Electric Association (CREA). Jack has served on the special Power Supply Committee to study the opportunities of power supply and identifying options for increasing LPEA’s flexibility to provide more local renewable transmission. We need his forward-thinking leadership. Your LPEA ballot will arrive early April in the mail.
– Ed Atkinson, Durango
- HB 1177 gives hope to families
- 04/04/2019
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To the editor,
As a one-time state lawmaker who had an “A+” NRA rating and a former Republican candidate for governor, I’m strongly supportive of HB-1177 – a bill that would provide extreme risk protection orders to temporarily remove firearms for those in the midst of a crisis.
My perspective on this issue is personal. Our family was in constant fear of losing our eldest daughter to suicide nearly a decade ago. She was just a child of 17 years at the time. Today, she’s healthy and successful.
Our family took action and removed all the firearms in our home. However, today Colorado’s families, especially those who have adult family members living on their own, don’t have such capabilities to take preventive measures.
I challenge the members of the Legislature, especially my fellow Republicans, to find common ground and work together in a bipartisan manner to support a thoughtful, comprehensive bill that balances 2nd Amendment protections with desperate families coping with a loved one in the midst of a crisis.
Each member of this committee has an opportunity to make a real difference and reduce suicide in their community, help and protect law enforcement, and, most importantly, give hope to desperate families. Please act!
– Victor Mitchell, Castle Rock, Board member, Mental Health Colorado
- 1A recoups money lost to internet
- 03/28/2019
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To the editor,
To the very real extent that the 1A sales tax will replace local sales taxes we no longer pay when we purchase goods online, 1A is simply a continuation of the community investment we’ve long made to maintain our city’s streets.
Moreover, the burden of 1A will be shared fairly among all those who use Durango’s infrastructure – town citizens, county residents working and shopping in town, and visitors from out of town alike.
Please join me in voting yes for 1A, and for Durango’s well-maintained future.
– Scott Graham, Durango
- Wisner next-generation leadership
- 03/28/2019
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To the editor,
It’s that time, Durango, to dust off any political apathy and return your ballot for City Council and the sales tax question. I’m supporting Marcos Wisner for council. He is a Durango native, which is almost a rare breed these days. Marcos works very hard as a business owner, employer and community member. Let’s vote in the next generation of leadership for our fair city.
– Beth Lamberson Warren, Durango
- Yes on 1A; keep Durango beautiful
- 03/28/2019
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To the editor,
I am voting yes on 1A on the April ballot because I love Durango, and I want visitors and locals alike to be amazed by our infrastructure as well as our natural beauty. I am voting yes because I can’t always find what I need locally, and I know that every online purchase takes a little out of our local sales tax revenue. As a matter of fact, increases in online shopping have made a serious impact on the amount of sales tax coming in to the city. I am voting yes because I know that operational costs of maintaining roads have gone up due to increased cost of materials and are not able to keep pace with our General Fund revenue. I am voting yes because I know that if the City doesn’t maintain our roads now, it will cost taxpayers millions more dollars to repair them later. I am voting yes because Durango is my home, and I want to take care of it. I hope you will join me in voting yes on 1A. It’s the right choice for Durango.
– Sarah Brown, Durango