With ballots going out to area voters this week for the 2012 Republican primary election, KSJD Dryland Community Radio and the Cortez Journal have partnered together to provide election preview coverage for Montezuma County and the 22nd Judicial District.
Candidates for District 2 County Commissioner are Keenan Ertel, Pat DeGagne-Rule and Bud Garner.
A list of three questions was asked of all county commissioner candidates and what follows is a summary of the District 3 candidate's responses to the questions.
How will you balance economic development initiatives with environmental protections considering the perspectives of agricultural producers, tourist interests, and both urban and rural residents?
KEENAN ERTEL
He said that question opens up a lot of doors that are difficult to answer because the term economic development is too broad and could refer to almost anything.
He said what the commissioners must do is consider all the people involved in the county and what type of economic growth they want.
He also said he would like the city and county to work together, but said he needs more specifics to determine initiatives.
Ertel mentioned the Phil's World business that brings in bike riders from all across the country to Montezuma County.
“It's a innocuous little cottage industry that brings big revenue to our county,” he said.
Ertel also said the county needs to use its natural things, like Phil's World, to help draw economic development, and in doing so make sure it affects the vast majority and protects the rights of all county residents.
PAT DeGAGNE-RULE
DeGagne-Rule said while economic development is important, it is not the commission's job to create jobs, as there is the economic development council that oversees this.
She said the county commission needs to keep track on what is occurring and added that the agriculture and tourism industry are extremely important and is something the county depends on.
She also said it is important that the city and county work together, but added not all of the issues or concerns in the area are under the direction of the county.
She said Montezuma County is a beautiful area, and one job of the commissioners should be to maintain the quality that is in place right now.
BUD GARNER
Garner said when talking about economic development it is important to know what the commission can and cannot do.
He said while the commission does have some leeway when it comes to the land use code, a lot of that is already covered in law by this code.
As for environmental protection concerns, he said those too are built into the land use code, so there would be no significant changes in this either.
He also said the commission cannot do anything that is much different when it comes to private sectors, as this not a job for the county commission.
“Really, we don't have too much that county commissioners can do to initiate or cooperate in those type of things,” Garner said.
How do you plan to serve the diversity of constituents and political perspectives throughout Montezuma County?
KEENAN ERTEL
Ertel said when he takes the oath of office as a county commissioner, he will be vowing to follow the U.S. Constitution and the Colorado State Constitution.
“That is the master I am suppose to follow,” he said.
He said he knows everyone has their own needs and desires because of the county's political landscape.
He said the commission must make decisions that are consistent and solid and is hopeful the public will stand behind them and say that was a good decision the commissioners made.
He said the commission also needs to make the kinds of decisions that positively reflect the values of Montezuma County.
He said any decisions should be the right and best ones for almost everyone in the county,
These decisions, he said, need to be based on all the facts, not innuendos or any kind of speculation.
PAT DeGAGNE-RULE
DeGagne-Rule pointed to the fact where she has been on numerous nonprofits and groups for eight years where she has seen the diversity, and added she has worked well with them.
She said she can see both sides to this issue since she once served as the chairwoman of the Republican party for the county.
“Once you are elected as county commissioner you are there to help them all,” she said, adding commissioners should not approach a person to ask their party affiliation before deciding whether to talk to him or her.
“We are working for them when you get down to it,” DeGagne-Rule said.
She reiterated that her community involvement is something that her opponents cannot come close to matching.
BUD GARNER
Garner said whomever wins the county seat will have to take the oath and vow to uphold the U.S. and Colorado State Constitution because it would be impossible for any one to uphold something they do not know or believe in.
“I will not go down that path,” he said.
He said both constitutions don't separate one group from another, as all people are supposed to be treated the same way.
“When you swear before that oath you better know what you are swearing to,” he said.
Garner said his loyalty will go to the citizens of the county because this is what both constitutions mandate.
Describe what you believe Montezuma County's relationship should be with federal, state, and tribal government?
KEENAN ERTEL
He said it is his belief that the commissioners are tied directly to the state of Colorado, and that is where its authority comes to act on the behalf of Montezuma County.
Ertel said he has mixed views about how the federal government is getting involved in the personal and everyday lives of people, as well as the forces it is exerting on the state and counties.
He said the founding fathers believed in less government, and that state rights were going to trump federal rights.
He said the county has seen a tremendous move away from federal government with them being so involved.
“I think that it's something we need to look at again to see how intrusive they are,” he said. “I don't want to have an adversarial relationship with anybody if it's not necessary, but I also feel that if our rights, our property, our persons are being infringed upon or pressure put upon, it behooves the commissioners to take a stand and make certain we have our rights protected in Montezuma County to the best of our ability.”
He said the relationship with Native-American tribes, specifically the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe can be improved.
He said he has numerous friends in that tribe, people he grew up with and met in elementary school.
“I have known most of them my entire life, and I know we have cultural differences, but I think if we talk to them in a spirit of cooperation and a spirit of equality and meet them on a level playing field and (show them) we are there to treat them with respect and dignity and they are there to do the same with us, I think our relationship with the tribe should be a good one.”
PAT DeGAGNE-RULE
DeGagne-Rule said she thinks it is important to keep an open door policy with federal, state and tribal governments.
“But as a county commissioner my first concern is going to be Montezuma County, and always will be,” she said. “But we do need to keep an open line of communication with the federal, state and tribal governments.”
DeGagne-Rule reiterated that her first and foremost concern is for the safety of Montezuma County.
“That is who is going to be hiring me, hopefully electing me to the position,” she said. “They are the people I am going to be working for, so my first concern is — I will definitely keep an open door to them.”
BUD GARNER
Garner said he first wanted to address the state laws and statutes because they are merely an administrative area of state government, so state law governs.
He said the home rule counties have very little wiggle room behind that.
“The relationship with the state is the controlling factor and the county is a controlling arm,” Garner said. “Now, the state does give the county some leeway in a lot of areas, so these things are already worked out in state law.”
He said the biggest issues in federal law for the county are the public lands and road closures.
“The constitution of the United States does not allow for federal ownership of lands of that nature,” he said. “We have to live with the situation we got until we can devise a method for the federal government to uphold its obligation under the Colorado Enactment Law of 1876 which requested them to dispose of the land to the benefit of the entire nation.”
In regards to road closures, he said federal law gives a lot of power to the state which gives authority to the counties. However, Garner said only the county commission or a city council may close roads within its jurisdiction.
He also said if this action is being considered the county commission needs to hold a public hearing to make the final decision, though it would be legal for the commission to close every forest road in the county immediately.
“That would be in accordance with federal, state and local law, with the exception that these federal lands under federal law are to be held for all uses — minerals, forestry, recreational, fishing and all of those things,” he said.
He said if the road is closed, the county would not be holding to the mandate of managing these lands.
“My focus is on the law,” he said. “Either, we rule and govern and administer by law or we do it by the will of man.”
He said doing things by the will of man has gotten the government into its current mess because the law should have been obeyed.
He said the same holds true for tribal governments, as their separate treaties do not supercede the constitution.
“County commissioners have no judgment,” he said. “They have no leeway to (handle) these treaties because again we are only part of the state administration arm.”
