Impressed with Hurd

The current political reality in Gunnison County and Crested Butte is  we are an island of blue in a district of red. There are some in the valley that seem angry we don’t have a liberal Democrat representing us in Congress. That isn’t likely to happen anytime soon given the demographics of Colorado’s third congressional district. Statistical reality indicates something like a nine-point lean toward conservative policies so a Republican will nine times out of 10 be elected to that seat unless the rep overreaches. Middle school clique queen Lauren Boebert did overreach and even independent conservatives in the district tired of her mean girl antics and she was forced to carpetbag to a more conservative Front Range district. Reality.

Our current representative to the United States Congress, Republican Jeff Hurd of Grand Junction, stopped by the Gunnison County Courthouse at lunchtime Monday. He visited with our three Gunnison County commissioners, and I was impressed. 

His commitment to finding balance, protecting public lands in our region and pledging to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good — in other words, working toward productive compromise as we so often do in this valley — was heartening. It spoke to what I see as core community values. While not always agreeing on specific policies, we tend to be respectful, fight hard and find common ground. 

The genial Hurd listened, was informed, struck the right notes and while making clear his principles were more Republican red than Gunnison County blue, he was also clear there are plenty of places to work together and support common goals. He appeared on the right side of public lands policy, was empathetic to the need for a social services safety net, valued logical infrastructure the feds could help with, and pledged to uphold the Constitution of the United States. Whew.

 Hurd is certainly no liberal AOC, but neither is he a Jim Jordan jerk or MTG MAGA zombie. Hurd seemed to get us. He pledged his allegiance to the constituents of the Western Slope of Colorado and not to tinny MAGA rhetoric about eliminating waste and fraud with a chainsaw and falling in blind lockstep with Donald and Elon. 

He seemed to understand the values of independent voters and independent residents that choose to live in our neck of the woods, which is not always an easy place to live but sure is beautiful. The commissioners, local politicians all, did most of the talking Monday— and Hurd respected this was their chance to speak to power and he listened and engaged. 

And it isn’t just words. It is always good practice to watch what people do. The freshman congressman was one of a dozen Republicans to sign a letter last month urging the GOP to preserve and strengthen Medicaid, not slash the hell out of it. More impressive, Hurd was the only Republican on the Natural Resources Committee to vote last week against the horrible plan for a potential sale of public lands in Utah and Nevada that could have major precedent here in the valley and throughout this part of Colorado and the country. Kudos to his political courage. 

Thanked for that lone stand on public lands by the commissioners, Hurd said he appreciated the support and added, “It was the right thing,” while also being clear he felt there were strategic instances where some sales of small parcels of public lands might make sense. That is fair. So too is his Medicaid stance where he is empathetic to real life situations and the need for a safety net but he wants to find ways to incentivize people to not solely depend on Medicaid.

Hurd nodded when commissioner Jonathan Huck spoke about the stewardship we all feel with our surrounding public lands. When told how hard discussions and good compromises had led to a working agreement with various local stakeholders over the Gunnison Sage Grouse, Hurd appreciated the story. “Finding balance is important,” he said. 

Hurd also voiced some support for the GORP (Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection) Act being spearheaded in D.C. by senator Michael Bennet that would creatively protect nearby public lands. “This is something I’m taking very seriously and would love to support, but there are a few things giving me heartburn,” he commented. But he went on to say he had heard from a variety of people with a variety of political views about their support for GORP. “It’s something I hope I can support soon,” he said before teasing there might be coming news on the issue.

 He noted the importance of Medicaid and Medicare for rural hospitals like Gunnison Valley Health. He listened to the impacts of the potential AmeriCorps cuts to the valley. He said his style is to define a measure of success and work backward from there to devise a plan. He indicated federal dollars being used for some projects like a roundabout at the entrance to the big Whetstone community housing project could make sense.

More than once he talked about the importance of working across the aisle and finding balance. He more than once talked about not waiting for a “perfect” solution if you want to move forward. He cited the conservation ethics of Teddy Roosevelt when talking about our district and public lands management.

As time wound down, commissioner Laura Puckett Daniels pushed the idea that our representative to the U.S. Congress should uphold the U.S. Constitution, the rule of law and the need for due process for everyone in America. “The Constitution and rule of law are very important,” he agreed while adding he was a supporter “of the president’s agenda to reign in the regulatory state, but we need to follow the Constitution.” That thought would normally be low hanging fruit, but in the current national reality, not so much.

Hurd may not embody all of my or the county’s political views and I have no doubt he will cast votes in Congress I don’t support. He may even use the excuse of not letting the perfect get in the way of the good. But he seems to have a refreshing desire to work with all sides to strike the best solutions possible while doing it within the confines of the US Constitution. I’ll take that every time over what we had with our middle school clique Queen. The reality of sharing our blue island in a sea of red with someone who seems reasonable and open to good ideas wherever they come from, is a plus for all of us. 

—Mark Reaman