Even before the COVID-19 Pandemic, many residents of Garfield County faced increasing challenges to our ability to make ends meet–myself included. Stagnant wages, rising prices, and limited access to healthcare, mental health care, and childcare continue to eat away at household budgets. As County Commissioner, I will seek partnerships to expand access to healthcare, mental health care and childcare to more residents in the community to help offset the increased cost of living where we can.

Rising rent and mobile home fees combined with limited availability of affordable housing make it difficult for residents of Garfield County to have access to the housing that we need to get ahead. Too many residents are being forced out of their homes and communities into longer commutes because affordable housing isn’t available where they work. As County Commissioner, I will prioritize the voices of people affected by the housing crisis and work across all levels of government to find solutions that people need.

Western Colorado offers some of the most incredible outdoor activity in the state, but rising temperatures, increased wildfires, bad air quality days, and frequent drought conditions threaten our health and outdoor way of life. The challenges of maintaining a household in 2023 as well as barriers to entry too often limit the ability of working families to access the outdoors. Garfield County is rich in community partners who are working to correct these problems. As County Commissioner, I will commit to fostering those partnerships and promoting expansion of outdoor access programs into Western Garfield County

Our leaders must be realistic about our need to diversify our income base, our need for stable jobs, and the need to work together to identify and mitigate the ongoing threats of climate change in order to build a resilient community. We simply cannot afford to stick to the old ways and hope for the best. While oil and gas remain central to county revenue, now is the time to explore pragmatic solutions to take care of our health and our way of life, while working to ensure both a livable future and robust economy. As County Commissioner, I will explore opportunities to bring new industries and technology into the county while prioritizing programs that provide the necessary training to meet these opportunities with our existing workforce.