Positions on Key Issues
Economy and Jobs
I will seek to foster a more diverse, more robust and more sustainable 21st century economy; one which takes advantage of our unique qualities, without compromising those very qualities that have made this such a great place to live, work and play.
I define a healthy economy as one which can sustainably provide meaningful jobs that meet the skills and income needs of our residents. A healthy economy depends on several important factors.
First, our infrastructure and services must be at least up to par with that of other regions. For example, our transportation system must be capable of efficiently moving people and goods where they are needed; and be able to evolve with the times. This will be increasingly critical as we vie for the kind of innovation that a new energy economy will produce, at a time when energy costs related to transportation become more and more of a concern for employers.
Second, we must maintain both the educated workforce and the high quality of life that are attractants for new business generation. We can not trade off our natural advantages, such as our abundant open spaces, rivers, and the recreational opportunities they afford, for short-term profit for a few.
Third, we must move beyond the tax-subsidized “boom and bust” mentality which has driven economic development policy for too long. This mentality has created imbalances and headaches for County government, such as the anticipated budget shortfall in 2012.
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County Budget
I will work to ensure that critical services are provided in a cost effective manner. I will fight for county taxpayers by working to ensure that growth pays its own way and that our county revenues are not unfairly reduced through unscrupulous Urban Renewal “blight” designations by Larimer County communities.
I also will work continuously to encourage cost-savings throughout County government by rewarding those who eliminate waste and find better, more cost-effective ways of delivering services.
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Public Health
Larimer County government plays a significant role in protecting public health, by providing a wide range of services including (among many others) restaurant inspections, immunization and disease prevention programs, and monitoring and controls for West Nile Virus. I consider this to be a crucial function of County government which must not be compromised, because lives are at stake.
Another key aspect of public health involves the quality of the air we breathe. It is my belief that we are not doing enough collectively to protect our air quality, and this has serious implications both to public health and to our economy. I would like to see the County be far more proactive in air quality planning, through its membership in the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and its participation in the Regional Air Quality Council .
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Public Safety and Law Enforcement
Ensuring public safety is another essential role of County government, and as with issues involving public health, it's a role which must not be compromised, because human lives are at stake.
Our criminal justice system is a key part of public safety. Law enforcement must have adequate resources to prevent, stop, and prosecute crime. At the same time, we must make better use of alternatives for handling people such as substance abusers and the mentally ill… if for no other reason than it is more cost effective (as well as more humane) to provide them with needed detox or mental health services than it is to repeatedly lock them up at higher cost in the jail.
Emergency/disaster preparedness is another important part of public safety, and one to which I would like to see more attention given. First and foremost, being properly prepared can help save lives; but it can also result in other savings in the long run. I believe that a healthy reserve is necessary as part of a general commitment to emergency planning.
I will see to it that public safety is not compromised by lack of resources.
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Seniors and Other Human Services
The County provides a number of important services that are needed by children (such as child protection and immunization programs), seniors, and the disabled. Many of these services prevent more costly interventions later. Especially knowing that seniors comprise the fastest growing segment of our population, I strongly support these programs and believe that the County must fully leverage federal and state funds, while collaborating with the business and nonprofit sectors to ensure that we don’t abandon the most vulnerable among us.
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Transportation
Our single-mode transportation system is broken. Congestion is increasing, and maintenance deficits are also growing. As the cost of petroleum products continue to rise, maintenance costs will likely grow even further out of reach, and travel by single occupancy vehicles will become increasingly more expensive for residents.
At the same time, we’re violating the standard for ozone pollution, and autos are a large part of the cause. Our combined vehicle miles traveled has been growing twice as fast as the population itself. Furthermore, there are many, including many seniors, who are not served by an exclusively auto-dependent “system”.
For these and other reasons we must create a more integrated, multi-modal transportation system; while maintaining the safety of our existing roads and bridges.
I have been working to help bring about such a system, including the possibility of commuter rail linking the downtowns of our cities and towns with those of the Denver Metro area, by connecting with the already-planned FasTrax system. This would allow easy commuter connections between Fort Collins, Loveland, and Berthoud, and DIA or other Metro-area destinations, for example. This would be a huge economic engine in and of itself, encouraging job creation. Such a system would have huge economic advantages in that it would be far more energy-efficient, reducing pollution and greenhouse gases; and be far more easily adaptable to new energy and automotive technologies, as well as more readily expandable than the broken system we have now.
We must also give better attention to bikeways, which have often been neglected even as other roadway improvements are planned.
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Agriculture
Larimer County has lost significant amounts of “ag land” to development, especially over the last couple decades. I believe agriculture is an integral part of a diverse, sustainable, local economy. As energy and transportation costs continue to soar, the importance of having local agricultural (food) production capacity will likely become clearer.
As County Commissioner, I will work cooperatively with farmers, ranchers, and others to protect and preserve the remaining agricultural lands in Larimer County. These lands provide numerous benefits including local sources of food, scenic viewsheds, livelihoods for many, and a link to our agricultural heritage.
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Parks, Open Space and Trails
The population of Larimer County and the Front Range continues to grow much faster than the nation’s population as a whole. We must maintain an adequate amount of parks and open space as we grow. Anything less would be to deprive ourselves and future generations of the amenities we have had. We must particularly value those areas that have significant natural features, such as access to streams and fishing, hiking trails, etc. The County should continue to partner with the municipalities in the completion of trails and in the acquisition of community buffers.
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Uranium Mining and Other Extractive Uses
An increase in commodity prices has led to increased interest in mining for uranium and other minerals, as well as oil and gas exploration.
It’s my observation that existing federal and state protections for public health and the environment have been woefully lacking when it comes to mining and other extractive uses. Water pollution resulting from mining activity has too often gone undetected (or detected too late) and unpunished. In many cases, it's been left to the taxpayers to foot the bill for mitigation. Standards for mine permitting have been too weak, and enforcement lax.
All mining and drilling must be properly regulated to protect the public’s health and our economy, and should pay reasonable tax revenue to the county and state. This requires even more diligence by local elected officials and a willingness to use all available authorities to protect the public, and I will do this.
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Water, Rivers and Glade Reservoir
We must provide water and protect our rivers though 21st century solutions. This will require conservation, innovative water sharing solutions with farmers, smarter development, and maintaining adequate in-stream flows.
Because better alternatives are available yet untapped, and because Glade Reservoir would harm and cost Larimer County’s residents, while providing no water thereto and very possibly hastening the loss of farmland in this region, I do not support the project as proposed.
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"1041" Powers
Little known to many, Counties were authorized many years ago to adopt a set of review powers known as “1041 Powers”. Essentially, a County can declare that it has a compelling interest in various types of regional projects affecting its citizens, and attach conditions that the project must meet, even though the project in question might not normally come under the Commissioners’ authority. Examples include highways, utilities and pipelines, and water storage projects.
I would work for the adoption of 1041 powers to enable Larimer County to better protect the broad public interest.
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