I visited the La Plata County Fair at the beginning of August and spoke with Shelli Shaw, the Republican candidate for our Colorado House seat District 59. With her past work as a school administrator, we agreed that there is nothing more important for our future than educating our children. Yet, when I pointed out how poorly Colorado’s teachers are paid foremost due to the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, she told me that she did not know about TABOR and what it stands for!

Despite a strong economy and a well-educated population, TABOR is the reason Colorado ranks 49th in teacher’s pay and has the highest pay gap in the nation, as reported in The Durango Herald on Aug. 23. While Shaw honestly admitted ignorance of TABOR, not knowing about the most important Colorado tax law impacting our state budget in so many aspects is not acceptable for someone aspiring to represent us in the Colorado Legislature.

Please vote for Barbara McLachlan who has represented us for the past six years. McLachlan has worked across the aisle, understands TABOR, water and the many other issues impacting us here in Southwest Colorado.

Werner Heiber

Durango