The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Discussions of TAPP, affordable housing, fossil fuels and more
By Katherine Nettles
Gunnison County commissioner candidates gathered with community members last week in Crested Butte to debate the topics most important to attendees and each other. The event, hosted by the Crested Butte News and KBUT was held on Thursday, October 10 at the Crested Butte Center for the Arts and will be rebroadcast by KBUT.
There is an open seat for both District 1 and District 2 county commissioners this election season, and District 2 incumbent Jonathan Houck is being challenged by Steve Bathje while District 1 incumbent Liz Smith is being challenged by Lisa Henry. Houck and Smith identify as Democrats and Bathje and Henry as Republicans.
Community members were given the opportunity to ask questions of the candidates, and candidates were given the opportunity to introduce themselves, their priorities for Gunnison County and to ask a closing question of one another as well. Some of the recurring issues of the evening centered around managing new construction in the valley, support for the business community, public lands initiatives, how to approach affordable housing and how to mitigate the rise in costs of living.
Priorities
Candidates were first asked to identify their two main priorities for the county if they were to be elected. Houck opened, identifying his priorities as affordable housing and public lands management. Smith said affordable housing was a priority for her as well, and in addition she would focus on short-term rental regulation and human services to create a more inclusive and equitable experience for people. Bathje said he did not believe housing should be handled by government, and Henry said her top priority was to address the high costs of living in the valley.
When asked if they would alter the amount of Local Marketing District (LMD) dollars used for housing and tourism, perhaps increasing the amounts used for affordable housing and childcare as allowed recently by the state legislature, candidates had a range of answers. Houck and Smith both said they were comfortable with the balance as it is currently, and that they are using LMD funds to leverage more housing and childcare funds at the state and federal level without needing to siphon off more Tourism and Prosperity Partnership (TAPP) dollars that are needed to strengthen local tourism and economic development. Smith said the additional funds they could take from the LMD, up to 90% would not make a big enough difference to fund more housing. “And we need to keep investing in tourism,” she stated, noting the state-wide dip in tourism last winter and summer.
Henry and Bathje were more interested in seeing marketing efforts over housing. Henry said that more marketing of the valley, particularly at the south end, would have been beneficial last summer with the Highway 50 bridge closure and a sense that “Gunnison is closed for business.”
Bathje said that hunting is under marketed in the valley and undervalued for its economic potential, alleging that it brings in more tourism dollars than Crested Butte Mountain Resort during its short season compared with a similar amount of time during the ski season.
Whetstone project
Responding to a question about the county’s Whetstone Community Housing project and other major impact development along the Highway 135 corridor, candidates again had differing views according to party lines.
Smith and Houck spoke of their support for the Whetstone project, defended their reasoning for allowing a building height and mass exception within the corridor viewshed and stating that it would not have lasting negative impacts or set a new precedent on other future developments within the viewshed. Both noted that the county works hard with other partners to conserve open space while putting housing and commercial density close to town centers and utility infrastructure. “The corridor is going to be protected. But areas close to Crested Butte and Gunnison will have density,” said Houck.
Bathje and Henry were not as enthusiastic about government providing housing or development within the corridor. “We are losing the open corridor,” Bathje said. “Let’s not overbuild our community right now.” Henry questioned whether the roundabouts planned for the North Valley would be functional with snowplows, and questioned the affordability of Whetstone. She said protecting the view corridors were important.
When asked after the forum if both were elected to the board and they became the majority of the BOCC, if the Whetstone and Highway 135 roundabout projects would proceed or be pulled back, both Bathje and Henry indicated they would pull the county away from the projects.
GORP and coal mining
Local environmental activist Sue Navy asked candidates what they thought about the Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection (GORP) Act recently introduced to the US Senate by senator Michel Bennet. Bathje said it seemed like, “As a project it was sprung on us,” and from what he had learned so far, “It seems like a land grab.”
Houck responded, “I would hardly categorize a public process that went on for more than 10 years as ‘sprung on us.’” He reviewed his deep involvement with the initiative’s evolution over the years and its widespread support from many different organizations in Gunnison County, from the Gunnison County Stockgrowers Association to winter and summer motorized groups to recreation and conservation groups and the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservation District. “This thing has been deeply vetted and the community widely supports it…and it isn’t to the whim of what people want to do…it would provide additional protections for public lands and the values of the people in Gunnison County.” Finally, he said, “it cannot be a land grab when it already belongs to the citizens of the United States.”
Smith also spoke in support of the GORP Act, and Henry said she didn’t know much about the proposal, but she looked forward to learning more and that her initial impression was also that it might be too restrictive for public lands.
Some of the final points of the night came from a question about the role of fossil fuels in the county, and when candidates had the opportunity to ask a question of their opponent. As for fossil fuels, Bathje said simply that their role in people’s lives was not going away. Henry said she agreed and recognized that fossil fuel production in western Gunnison County was important economically as a part of the local tax base.
Smith said she views the present time as a period of transition, in which fossil fuel use is de-escalating and the county is trying to also mitigate the negative environmental impacts of fossil fuel with innovations such as methane capturing. Houck said he wants to see the county get to a “complete clean energy” future, and in the meantime the balance is nuanced. “I stand by the level of water and air protection that we have in place here,” he concluded.
Bathje then asked Houck why he has chosen to run for a fourth term as commissioner, after a long tenure with the county already. Houck said he has been an effective leader, has gained extensive expertise and achieved some great steps through his collaboration and work, and he has more work to do and the energy and ability to take more on. He also said this would likely be his last term if he were re-elected. The county commissioner position has no term limits in Gunnison County.
Houck in turn asked Bathje how he has been preparing for his potential role as commissioner, since he has not been to any county commissioner meetings or met with any of the county’s department heads. Bathje said he prefers to listen to the workers, who give a more authentic account of their workplace and issues than managers, so those are the people with whom he has been meeting. He said he is a curious person who is ready to learn more but wants to bring a fresh approach to county governance.
Henry asked Smith what brought her to the Gunnison Valley, and why she has stayed. Smith answered that she found it to be a special place with community, recreation, a strong university and it has become home to her and her family. She said she wants to help make it more welcoming and keep advocating at the state level for senior property tax relief and other important social services to support mental health, diversity and inclusion. She then asked Henry what specific policy changes she had in mind as a potential county commissioner, and if she was familiar with the county’s Strategic Plan and Land Use Resolution. Henry responded that she hasn’t read it completely and has more to learn but that in general she wants to make it less restrictive to improve the county’s affordability. She reiterated that she is a face of “Main Street,” and that she has seen too many friends have to shutter their businesses and move away due to the rising costs of living in the valley. She said she hears from a lot of people who are struggling, and she wants to find ways to support small businesses and the hard-working middle class.
The forum recording is available online at KBUT.org. Candidates will take part in one last round of Q&A with the Crested Butte News in the October 25 issue. The election will end on November 5. For more information, visit gunnisoncounty.org/136/elections-office.