Letters to Editor supporting Beatriz Soto & Leslie Robinson

Soto and Robinson will make Garfield County a better place

Here’s something to think about in the races for Garfield County Commissioner: Incumbent John Martin has been in office since 1996, and Mike Samson has been a commissioner since 2008. It’s time to get rid of these career politicians.

Beatriz Soto and Leslie Robinson have each worked hard for years to make our county a better place to live. They are in touch with our communities and the many challenges we face. The Board of County Commissioners has a huge impact on people’s lives. Soto and Robinson will serve all Garfield County residents with grace and dignity.

Allyn Harvey
Carbondale

County will be healthier, more prosperous under Robinson, Soto

We have a wonderful opportunity to elect two intelligent, caring, and practical women to represent us as Garfield County commissioners. Leslie Robinson is running in District 3 and Beatriz Soto is running in District 2. You can vote for both of them, and please do.

I had the pleasure of serving on the Garfield County Energy Advisory Board with Robinson for two years. During that time I got to witness her steadfast poise and unbridled strength to stand up for communities being negatively impacted by excessive oil and gas drilling that the current county commissioners allowed. She speaks up for the people, communities, land, animals, air, water and resources of Garfield County and will serve as a true representative for progress.

Beatriz Soto is also well versed in serving the public and standing up for the environment with her work at Wilderness Workshop. Her experience as an architect gives her the tools to see how systems work and how to improve them, including the government. She is also Latina and bilingual, finally giving the Spanish speakers that make up over 30% of our beautiful county the representation that has been long deserved.

Local government has a very direct and immediate impact on our community and by electing Robinson and Soto together Garfield County will be a healthier and more prosperous place now and into the future.

Please Vote!

¡Vota Por Favor!

A.J. Hobbs
Carbondale

County leadership has been stuck in the past

What will their world be like for our descendants? Be proactive and support meaningful change that will help today and into the future. With the power of your vote, you can make a difference. We can move past stale, nostalgic and partisan thinking to enlightened, fresh, more representative and adaptive decision-making. Our county leadership has been stuck in the past, “hitching their wagons” to fossil fuel extraction. Their support of and dependence on the natural gas industry ignores market realities and risks the health and well-being of our environment and residents. Opposing sage grouse protections and regulations on operations, to supporting the Jordan Cove pipeline to export natural gas are indicative of their single-mindedness.

Locally we survived the empty promise of oil shale and closure of two local coal mines. Other mines are closing with the move away from fossil fuels. Xcel, Black Hills Energy, Holy Cross and others are transitioning to renewable energy. Glenwood and Aspen use 100% renewable energy. Even China is committing to be carbon-free by 2060. Garfield County must adapt to these changes and not cling to being the outmoded “energy savior” for our country or Asia. We should no longer sacrifice our environment, wildlife and health of our residents nor allocate millions of dollars to fight against protections. Our region is successfully transitioning away from extraction dependency. The development of solar facilities has increased.

With the geography of Moab and Fruita, mountain biking has increased in popularity. Tourism and recreation are an increasing draw, without the demand to provide housing for service workers. The people, animals and environment should not be “collateral damage” from extraction impacts.
We are poised for greater successes working together, cooperating and identifying with entities less focused on resource extraction. Emblematic of the rigid, outdated and partisan beliefs of our incumbent commissioners is their support for candidate Lauren Boebert for, ”…her political ideology,” (Samson) and “…being the Republican candidate” (Martin). Prefer bluster, inexperience, dated, rigid and partisan decision-making or cooperative, visionary, flexible, energetic candidates? Use your power and vote for Leslie Robinson and Beatriz Soto for Garfield County commissioners and Diane Mitsch Bush for Congress.

Greg and Sean Jeung
Glenwood Springs

Future of Colorado, planet depend on you vote

Too often lately our mountains are shrouded in smoke. Our pristine air is rated at various levels of hazardous. Floods and hurricanes pummel one coast; wildfires rage up and down the other. These extreme weather events are nature’s alarm bells and they can no longer be ignored. Human caused global warming is a scientific fact. We need elected officials who will take immediate action against this urgent threat — not those who deny the threat exists.

Here in Colorado, Diane Mitsch Bush is running for House Seat CD3; John Hickenlooper is running for the Senate. Google them to learn where they stand on climate change and the environment, versus where their opponents stand. Then vote for them. The future of Colorado and our planet depends on it.

Julie Comins Pickrell
Basalt