Letters to the Editor

Brown, Petersen, Parmenter for school board
Letters to the Editor

Brown, Petersen, Parmenter for school board

October 18, 2021

I’m voting for Erika Brown, Rick Petersen and Andrea Parmenter for the Durango School District 9-R board for three reasons. First, the Durango Education Association and Durango Education Support Professionals…

Helicopter rescue showed compassion
Letters to the Editor

Helicopter rescue showed compassion

October 18, 2021

La Plata County Search and Rescue has for years provided valuable services to our Durango community devoted to hiking and outdoor activities. Recently, they showed a special depth of empathy…

Mewmaw the independent, smart choice for 9-R
Letters to the Editor

Mewmaw the independent, smart choice for 9-R

October 18, 2021

As a past Durango School District 9-R board president, I urge you to vote for Cathy Mewmaw. Cathy is the only candidate who has knowledge based on her recent teaching…

Nature deals a colorful royal flush
Letters to the Editor

Nature deals a colorful royal flush

October 18, 2021

Extremes of drought and monsoon have given us a truly unique leaf-peeping season. Our leaves haven’t failed to stun us with their dazzling colors this fall. The yellows, reds and…

Don’t vote for Hill for 9-R school board
Letters to the Editor

Don’t vote for Hill for 9-R school board

October 17, 2021

I understand that Richard “Dean” Hill is running for the Durango School District 9-R board. Wow! In my opinion, the absolute worst thing that could occur would be for the…

These candidates can make a real difference at 9-R
Letters to the Editor

These candidates can make a real difference at 9-R

October 17, 2021

Colorado’s woeful underfunding of our public schools, attributable mainly to the restrictions of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights amendment, has had harmful effects across the state’s educational system, weakening the…

Mercy must address loss of staff members
Letters to the Editor

Mercy must address loss of staff members

October 17, 2021

I was blessed to relocate to La Plata County in 1980 and have now lived here for over half my life. As a Community Bank CEO, I was asked to…

Don’t be fooled by Building Durango’s Future
Letters to the Editor

Don’t be fooled by Building Durango’s Future

October 17, 2021

Shame on the slate of school board candidates marketing themselves as Building Durango’s Future. They are trying to con you into voting for them by falsely claiming that Durango’s schools…

Brown has proved value to District 9-R
Letters to the Editor

Brown has proved value to District 9-R

October 16, 2021

When Erika Brown was appointed to fill the vacant school board seat in February 2020, the pool of volunteers was tiny, and the workload was enormous. Lucky for us, Erika…

Sod at Mason Center a mistake
Letters to the Editor

Sod at Mason Center a mistake

October 16, 2021

My office is located near the Mason Center, so I frequently walk by there and have watched the development over the summer. A few weeks ago, I was walking across…

9-R candidates pursuing right-wing agenda
Letters to the Editor

9-R candidates pursuing right-wing agenda

October 16, 2021

I write to help “unmask” the extremist slate of three candidates (Richard “Dean” Hill, Donna Gulec and Kristine Paslay) seeking to take control of the Durango School District 9-R board.…

Move ahead with Brown, Petersen, Parmenter
Letters to the Editor

Move ahead with Brown, Petersen, Parmenter

October 15, 2021

I am writing this letter in support of Erika Brown, Andrea Parmenter and Rick Peterson. I have been a long-term substitute in the district and have had many conversations with…

Candidates will serve interests of students
Letters to the Editor

Candidates will serve interests of students

October 15, 2021

I am writing as a former La Plata County commissioner, who worked hard to represent the best interests of all our citizens. Durango School District 9-R needs a school board…

Petersen, Brown, Parmenter best qualified for board
Letters to the Editor

Petersen, Brown, Parmenter best qualified for board

October 15, 2021

Elections for school board candidates often receive too little attention, but they are among the most important offices on our ballots. Homeowners know that good schools are a top factor…

Hill best choice for voters in District C
Letters to the Editor

Hill best choice for voters in District C

October 15, 2021

This year voters are fortunate to have highly qualified candidates to fill vacancies on the Durango School District Board of Education, and 9-R certainly needs the wide range of skills,…

School board elections are not reality TV
Letters to the Editor

School board elections are not reality TV

October 15, 2021

The candidates featured on the “Building Durango’s Future” website are better suited for reality TV than they are to serve on an actual school board. The candidate from District E…

Support Brown, Parmenter and Petersen
Letters to the Editor

Support Brown, Parmenter and Petersen

October 14, 2021

I am writing to voice my support for Erica Brown, Andrea Parmenter and Rick Petersen for 9-R School Board. The past two years have been the most challenging in history…

Vote for inclusion, achievement, public health
Letters to the Editor

Vote for inclusion, achievement, public health

October 14, 2021

Erika Brown, Rick Petersen and Andrea Parmenter have been endorsed by the Durango Education Association and Durango Education Support Professionals Association. They have this endorsement because these three independent candidates…

Don’t vote extremists onto school board
Letters to the Editor

Don’t vote extremists onto school board

October 14, 2021

Across the country, school boards are being politicized and taken over by extreme conservatives waging culture wars. The movement is fueled by anger over mask mandates and a claim that…

We need to hear more from 9-R candidates
Letters to the Editor

We need to hear more from 9-R candidates

October 14, 2021

As someone new to the Durango area (no, not from California or Texas) and having school-age children, I am interested in the upcoming Durango School District 9-R elections. Not knowing…

Vote for Paslay, Hill and Gulec
Letters to the Editor

Vote for Paslay, Hill and Gulec

October 13, 2021

I’ve been going to the Durango School District 9-R school board meetings, and I’m discouraged. It’s because the community has had a limited voice in those meetings. They find all…

Railroad has made positive changes
Letters to the Editor

Railroad has made positive changes

October 13, 2021

Regarding the recent letter to The Durango Herald, I would like to offer my opinion of our local railroad. The 416 Fire was a disaster, no objective person would deny…

Lack of information about candidates a concern
Letters to the Editor

Lack of information about candidates a concern

October 13, 2021

Regarding the current Durango school board election, it appears to be extremely acrimonious and rife with disinformation, misinformation and/or lack of information regarding the three candidates running as a slate:…

I support these three 9-R school board candidates
Letters to the Editor

I support these three 9-R school board candidates

October 13, 2021

One of the critical challenges in beginning this school year was the vital importance of getting our students back into the classroom safely in the midst of a pandemic. With…

Vote Petersen, Parmenter, Brown for Durango school board
Letters to the Editor

Vote Petersen, Parmenter, Brown for Durango school board

October 11, 2021

I’m writing to support the three candidates running for the Durango School District 9-R school board who have been endorsed by Durango teachers and professional staff. They are Rick Petersen,…

Vote Brown, Parmenter, Petersen
Letters to the Editor

Vote Brown, Parmenter, Petersen

October 10, 2021

We are now extremely fortunate to have a magnificent new 9-R superintendent in Dr. Karen Cheser. It will be the new board’s responsibility to give her the support she needs…

Use 9-R building for employee housing
Letters to the Editor

Use 9-R building for employee housing

October 8, 2021

Why sell the Durango School District 9-R Administration Building to the fire department? Why don’t they build employee housing for teachers and other employees? They might be able to retain…

Don’t like the train? Feel free to move
Letters to the Editor

Don’t like the train? Feel free to move

October 8, 2021

As pointed out in a letter to the editor Oct. 1 from Julie Meadows, yes the train is loud, attracts tourists all year, most likely is responsible for the 416…