<\/p>\n
Arn Menconi, the Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate, talked about the change he would like to see in Washington, D.C. on a visit to Durango on Sunday in the middle of the holiday weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing that brought people here on a bright summer Sunday is moral integrity,\u201d Menconi<\/a>, 57, told the group. \u201cWhy are we doing what we\u2019re doing? There are 65 million people living in refugee camps, with most of them there because of war. America\u2019s the superpower on the planet, and we\u2019re not even willing to bring in the 10,000 we agreed to?\u201d<\/p>\n Six voters met with him at the Steaming Bean to discuss his platform and issues on their minds.<\/p>\n Root Routledge, who will be a delegate to the Democratic Party Convention in Philadelphia at the end of the month, wanted to know where Menconi\u2019s positions fall compared with those of his preferred presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m more progressive than Bernie Sanders on foreign policy,\u201d Menconi said. \u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019s spoken against the drone program, which is an assassination program, and he hasn\u2019t said enough to release Edward Snowden or Chelsea Manning. And I would not vote for the military budget in any form without an audit.\u201d<\/p>\n Menconi served as an Eagle County commissioner from 2000 to 2008 and founded SOS Outreach<\/a>, which provides funding and activities for at-risk youth.<\/p>\n \u201cThe key to success with kids is building long-term relationships, finding an intellectual basis for communication,\u201d he said, \u201cand encouraging them to take action in finding what is wrong in their community and making it right.\u201d<\/p>\n Menconi has attended protests and demonstrations with Black Lives Matter<\/a>, Code Pink (Women for Peace)<\/a> and with anti-fracking groups.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m using civil unrest as part of my campaign strategy,\u201d he said with a bit of a smile. \u201cI\u2019ve gotten a crash course in the injustices going on in the country. And the kids have pushed me to do what we tell them to do.\u201d<\/p>\n