Candidates for Montezuma County commission, sheriff, and clerk gave short presentations and took questions at a recent forum sponsored by the Farm Bureau.

A crowd of 75 attended to listen and participate in the back-and-forth session.

Sheriff Race

Sheriff candidates Steve Nowlin and Mike Steele fielded a variety of queries.

Question: What should be done to prevent graffiti?

Nowlin said better communication with law enforcement departments, including the BIA and Towaoc, is needed to identify taggers and prevent vandalism.

Steele said law enforcement needs to be more involved with parents and kids to prevent vandalism.

Question: If elected will the new sheriff bring back a Student Resource Officer at Dolores Schools?

Steele said he’d rectify that immediately because it’s important for safety and to create a positive bond between youth and law enforcement.

Nowlin said he’d post officers at the Dolores School campus and pay for them through grant funding. He also has security plans for Lewis-Arriola and Pleasant View schools.

Question: What will the candidates do to control the increase in vagrancy, squatters, meth labs, and panhandling?

Steele said suspects can be contacted and questioned. If squatters don’t have permission to be on the property they’d will be asked to leave. Homelessness is a societal problem, Steele said, and needs our attention.

Nowlin said contact can be made with individuals that may be involved in criminal behavior. Information on an individual’s law enforcement history can be obtained by officers to see if there is a pattern of bad behavior. On homelessness, Nowlin said there is the Bridge Shelter for overnight stays only, but he would like it to expand to a full-time shelter. He said homelessness is often accompanied by mental illness. He added that legalization of marijuana in the state is going to draw more people here that will add pressure to law enforcement offices.

Question: Will the sheriff specifically assign officers to handle water disputes?

Steele said he’d train all officers on water law, and increase personnel as needed.

Nowlin said he’d assign two agricultural officers for water and livestock disputes and train others on the issues as well.

Question: How will the candidates ensure civil rights are protected?

Both candidates said additional training on the civil and constitutional rights of citizens, and proper use of force, is the answer.

County Commission race

Republican James Lambert and Independent Bill Utrup are vying to replace Montezuma County Commissioner Steve Chappell, whose term ends January.

Question: An audience member asked Lambert if his religious beliefs would interfere with him fairly representing different races in the community.

Lambert said he believes in the Bible and lives by the Golden Rule – “to do unto others as you’d have them do unto you.”

Question: Do the commission candidates support zoning and special use permits?

Utrup said “zoning is lax in the county” and says special-use permits work well.

Lambert said current zoning laws are sufficient and that “people should have the freedom to do what they want with their property as long as it does not impose on somebody else.”

Question: What will be your top priorities as commissioners?

Lambert said that CO2 producer Kinder Morgan needs oversight from the county. He feels the development pressure is impacting Pleasant View and Goodman Point, and affects road quality. Other priorities for Lambert are reigning in federal government overreach, more development of natural resources, and overall road maintenance.

Utrup said his priorities would be more transparency in county government. He also favors evening meetings for important issues to allow convenient access for the working public. Utrup also wants to strengthen the local economy by encouraging new industry.

Question: What are the commissioner’s views on protecting water quality in the Dolores River Valley? Utrup said he feels the minimum 10-acre plot to develop, and the 100-foot setback rule, is effectively controlling growth and protecting water quality. He said he said he did not necessarily have “any qualms” with the Transferable Development Rights system.

“I don’t know why it was retracted in the first place,” Utrup said, adding he would wait to see if the courts decided on whether it should be reinstated. (The TDR program was canceled this year by the current commission, triggering a citizen’s lawsuit.) Utrup said that heavy development in the valley isn’t likely, but if it did become a problem a solution would be a centralized sewer system to handle increased density.

Lambert responded that water quality is a No. 1 one concern for all waterways in the county. He feels the 10-acre minimum for development in the Dolores Valley, along with engineered septic systems, are sufficient for protecting water quality. He said as development increases the water quality issue needs close monitoring.

Question: Will the commissioner candidates spend taxpayer money to claim jurisdiction of Forest Service and BLM roads, and if so how will they pay for their upkeep?

Lambert said it is a misnomer to say they are BLM or Forest Service Roads. He believes they do not belong to government agencies but to the people.

“Taxpayers pay for the upkeep of the roads one way or another,” he said.

When pressed about his views on the validity of the Forest Service and BLM, Lambert said “the Constitution does not authorize the federal government to own land except for certain things. The fact that we do have (those agencies) does not mean it is the right thing to do.”

Utrup said as commissioner he would enforce Constitutional rights. However, he added that taking the federal government to court is not always advisable.

“The Forest Service is basically saying, Sue us if you don’t like our position,” Utrup said. “But I’m not in favor of spending a dime against the federal government to enforce what we feel are our rights in this county.”

County Clerk race

There are two candidates for Montezuma County Clerk, Republican Kim Percell and Independent Judy Marquez.

When asked what her priorities would be, Marquez said she would foster a more professional and friendly office.

“More cross-training of staff to handle customer questions from different departments is needed,” Marquez said.

Percell said her top priority is customer service, and that as the deputy clerk in the office she is certified in different departments, cross-trains her team, and has the experience to handle the job.

“I’ll always keep an open door for questions, concerns or complaints,” Percell said.

jmimiaga@cortezjournal.com