On Tuesday night, July 18, political candidates for county offices met in Fairplay to speak to the public and answer questions written by the audience. Newly-appointed District 3 Commissioner Lillian Wissel moderated the event for the two parties. Wissel explained the rules and time limitations at the start of Park County's first joint-party "Meet the Candidates" and directed the written questions to each election hopeful. The process was very organized, orderly and friendly.
Candidates for uncontested races who spoke to the group included Assessor Dave Wissel, Sheriff Fred Wegener, Coroner Sharon Morris and Clerk Debra Green. Green spent much of her allotted time explaining and demonstrating the new voting equipment that will be used in the August 8th primary election.
Park County Treasurer and Public Trustee
The Treasurer's race will likely be determined by the primary election as only the two Republicans are running so far. Once a candidate is chosen in the primary, that person will go on unopposed to the November general election and fill the position of Park County Treasurer, unless a write-in candidate steps forward.
In opening speeches, candidate Susan Pullman talked about her 26 years in finance, including work with budgeting and government contracts. She said she would have no trouble with the training provided for all new elected officials specific to the office they will enter. Pullman expressed her intent to bring a "new perspective" to the office including re-establishing an improved work ethic and providing better customer service. Incumbent Michelle Miller listed accomplishments in the office, including establishment of the first interactive tax payment system implemented in the State of Colorado. Miller also said that the Treasurer's office, under her direction, is working on streamlining the foreclosure process and improving computer technology in the department as far as her budget will allow.
Questions for Treasurer candidates were light. Both Pullman and Miller were asked what each considered their greatest strength and why. Miller said that her knowledge of the office and experience in her elected position were her greatest strengths. Pullman cited leadership as her strength and said that she is a detail-oriented person but her experience gives her an ability to see the entire scope of an operation. Pullman fielded an additional question asking why she thought the Treasurer's office needed a better work ethic. Her response was that she knew first hand about some of the problems in the Treasurer's Office. Pullman said that the office carries serious responsibility and needs a leader who will set a better example for the office employees. She also commented that the customer's questions are important and that there needs to be a new approach to serving the citizens who come to the office for help.
(Answers reported in this article do not reflect everything said by the candidates. Please contact the candidates for more information.)
Park County Commissioner District 3
Commissioner candidates include two Republicans and one Democrat. Republican candidates facing a primary are Doc McKay, current Chief Building Official for the county, and Mark Dowaliby, Mayor of Alma and Vice-Chair of the Planning Commission. Democrat Robert Porter is also from the Alma area and works in the water utility industry in Breckenridge. Porter previously ran for commissioner in 2002 against Jim Gardner.
In his opening speech, Dowaliby said that he had been involved in his community and the county for about a decade. He discussed accomplishments in the Town of Alma, where he is serving his second term as Mayor. "My town is the most beautiful town in the world," Dowaliby said. He would like to bring his experience with town management and county planning to the office of commissioner.
Next to speak was Democrat Robert Porter. He spoke about bringing life experience in addition to broad professional training and experience to the office. He discussed his work with the Historical Society and his experience with land development and water issues. Porter is a Colorado native and holds a BA in Environmental Science. On the subject of development, Porter said that the county needed to help developers understand the limitations they had in developing a piece of property in Park County.
Doc McKay told the audience that his experience as Chief Building Official gave him a strong understanding of the issues facing the entire county, and also kept him in touch with citizens and business people throughout the county. He spoke about the progress brought about in the Building Department under his management, and his ability to bring leadership skills to the office of commissioner. McKay stressed water issues as the county's priority and emphasized his intent to work hard to fund water protection.
Most questions put forward by the audience went to District 3 Commissioner candidates. The District 3 seat drew more candidate interest when incumbent Jim Gardner withdrew from the race in March. Gardner passed away May 19th of this year, leading to the appointment of Lillian Wissel to serve out the term which runs through January of 2007. The new four-year term will be filled by the candidate who wins the November 2006 general election.
Commissioner question - what is your greatest strength?
As with treasurer candidates, commissioner candidates were asked what their greatest strengths were.
First to answer was Robert Porter, who said that his diverse background, including work in the mining industry and education in Environmental Science, was an important strength. He also said that he could "think on his feet." Porter closed with "I have vision. That is what I can do best."
Doc McKay stressed his experience and success in dealing with the people of Park County. "I understand and deal with the people's concerns on a daily basis," McKay said. He went on to say that he has a strong commitment to teamwork and would bring that to the commissioner's position.
The third candidate, Mark Dowaliby, cited his decade of involvement in community service and elected office as his strength. He added that he had worked hard to make Alma a better place to live, including his efforts to block a Buckskin subdivision. Dowaliby said, "The most important thing an elected official does is bring outside money into the county to accomplish goals." He promised to work hard to bring outside funding to Park County.
