Hoffmann looks to future for county
District 3 candidate's collaborative approach earns endorsement

Editorial
Fort Collins Coloradoan, 14 October 2004

The candidate who has a vision for the future should lead Larimer County as county commissioner during the next four years in District 3. That person is Roger Hoffmann.

Hoffmann impressed with his willingness to test his ideas by offering them to the public for consideration. His thoughtful, collaborative nature and experience in community activism in Loveland should benefit the county at a time when rural and urban interests appear to be clashing. Simply put, Hoffmann looked toward the future rather than rehashed the past.

Addressing the jail overcrowding issue, Hoffmann is correct that solutions have to include increased funding, possibly from a tax, as well as alternative ways to deal with inmates with mental-health and substance-abuse problems. Hoffmann also wants to engage county employees more in the budget process to help define priorities along with the county residents' survey.

One note, though, Hoffmann's insistence that the current county commissioners have fostered growth by extending County Road 5 is troublesome. The development of County Road 5 was a commonsense and safe solution to deal with traffic at the county fairgrounds and events center. Hoffmann said he is not a no-growth candidate, but one who will connect land-use and transportation issues to ensure managed growth. If elected, he must follow through by advancing policies with a moderate, rather than polarized, approach to growth.

Incumbent Glenn Gibson, a Republican, failed to meet the burden of why he should be re-elected. While Gibson was able to cite budget figures that illustrated county problems, he was unable to connect those figures to solutions. He offered broad, unspecific solutions to questions about budget priorities, shortfalls at the sheriff's department and transportation funding. Gibson's run-in with the sheriff in August, in which he called the county coroner's office seeking information about how to arrest the sheriff, didn't serve him well.

Gibson's refusal to publicly debate Hoffmann, a Democrat, was a major concern for the Coloradoan editorial board. The office of county commissioner isn't bequeathed; it is elected. While Gibson did appear with Hoffmann at the editorial board meeting, his refusal - and weak reasoning that he would let his 30-year-record of public service speak for him - failed voters.

Hoffmann receives a unanimous endorsement for Larimer County commissioner.