{"id":106112,"date":"2016-03-21T22:59:47","date_gmt":"2016-03-22T04:59:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/mancos-trustee-mayoral-candidates-discuss-towns-future-during-forum\/"},"modified":"2016-03-21T22:59:47","modified_gmt":"2016-03-22T04:59:47","slug":"mancos-trustee-mayoral-candidates-discuss-towns-future-during-forum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/mancos-trustee-mayoral-candidates-discuss-towns-future-during-forum\/","title":{"rendered":"Mancos trustee, mayoral candidates discuss town\u2019s future during forum"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Six
Six candidates for Mancos Board of Trustees and two candidates for mayor discussed issues at a forum March 14.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Citizens of Mancos got a chance to meet the candidates for the April 5 election in a forum March 14 hosted by the League of Women voters.<\/p>\n

Six candidates have their eyes on the five available seats on the Mancos Board of Trustees. Two candidates have their sights set on the mayor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

The candidates for the board include incumbents Matthew Baskin and Lorraine Becker, as well as challengers Craig Bennally, Fred Brooks, Ed Hallam and Gina Roberts, a write-in candidate. The candidates who receive the three highest vote tallies will serve four-year terms, while the fourth- and fifth-place finishers will serve two-year terms. The five winners will join Trustee Michele Black on the six-member board. Mayor Pro-Tem Todd Kearns is not seeking another term. Current trustees Queenie Barz and Will Stone are competing for the mayoral vacancy. Current Mayor Rachael Simbeck is not seeking another term.<\/p>\n

Baskin, a long-term care ombudsman, has lived in Mancos for 12 years and was appointed to the board in 2014. Becker, a retired government worker who has lived in Mancos since 2005, was appointed to the board in January after board member Darrel Ellis passed away in November 2015.<\/p>\n

Bennally is a customer service manager for a temporary employment agency. He is a lifelong resident of southwest Colorado and has spent the past two years in Mancos with his wife and two kids, he said.<\/p>\n

Brooks worked as a registered nurse for 36 years in the Four Corners region before retiring and moving to Mancos in 2014.<\/p>\n

Hallam worked as a sales representative for Grand Junction Pipe and Supply and has lived in Mancos for almost 40 years. He previously served as mayor of Mancos from 1988 to 1999, resigning when he built a house outside town limits, he said.<\/p>\n

Write-in candidate Gina Roberts joined the race late, but has been involved in various aspects of the town. She sits on the town Planning and Zoning board and is a former Girl Scout leader. She coordinates entertainment at Mancos Valley Distillery and helps set up music acts for Mancos Days each year, she said.<\/p>\n

Mayoral candidates are current trustees Queenie Barz and Will Stone.<\/p>\n

Barz grew up in Mancos and previously worked for the Cortez Journal, as well as for car dealerships and insurance agencies. She moved back to Mancos in 2000 and now works for Hospice of Montezuma. She has served on the Board of Trustees for the last eight years.<\/p>\n

Stone has lived in Mancos since 1987 and is co-owner of Mancos Livery. He has served on the board for two years.<\/p>\n

Spectators at the forum were asked to submit questions for the candidates to answer. Following are key points the candidates made on topics during the forum.<\/p>\n

The future of Mancos<\/p>\n

What should the town look like in five years?<\/div>\n

Barz: \u201cWe need to open our doors and be welcoming. Mancos has to grow but keep its politeness and pride.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baskin: \u201cIn five to ten year\u2019s let\u2019s do more of what we do well. Improvement is a type of change. Infrastructure improvements matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Becker: \u201cWe need more paved roads, especially around the Post Office. I don\u2019t want to change the town drastically.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bennally: \u201cI want to see what I saw when I moved here. I\u2019d like to see good things that my kids can be proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brooks: \u201cWe should work on the tourist trade to bring more revenue. The southwest will continue to grow so we can latch on to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hallam: \u201cMancos is a good size. We have available space to fill in town. We need to be proactive instead of reactive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roberts: \u201cI want it to become a destination instead of a pass-through. I want to see our youth stay here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stone: \u201cThe few blocks of Old Town that we have is a gem that we should care for. That\u2019s a precious jewel that we can show off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Town priorities<\/p>\n

Should the town be obligated to appease its citizens or its businesses first?<\/div>\n

Barz: \u201cWe need to broaden our horizon. Everyone should have a voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baskin: \u201cBusinesses should be good for the town. No growth is better than bad growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Becker: \u201cWe have to listen to constituents to make the best decision for the greater good, for businesses and citizens alike.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bennally: \u201cWe should consider needs of the town. We need to be an open ear for the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brooks: \u201cYou can\u2019t take sides. If you take care of people in town, everyone can work together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hallam: \u201cWhat we do impacts some outlying areas. There\u2019s a fine balance between meeting business and citizen needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roberts: \u201cThe first job is to listen to all in the community, but it\u2019s a balancing act. Businesses should benefit the town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stone: \u201cWe need to make decisions that are good for all, but businesses pay the bills.\u201d<\/p>\n

Livestock<\/p>\n

Should livestock be allowed in town?<\/div>\n

Barz: \u201cGrowing up here, we dealt with animals, but we need to enforce codes. I\u2019m worried about the conditions some animals are living in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baskin: \u201cIt\u2019s not a zero-sum argument.\u201d<\/p>\n

Becker: \u201cI would like to see us find middle ground, but you have to realize that people around here are impacted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bennally: \u201cYou need to keep the land healthy. That has to be considered in a small area.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brooks: \u201cYou can\u2019t please everyone. You have to find some way to meet in the middle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hallam: \u201cI love livestock. They pose issues, but it\u2019s beautiful. If we allow it we need to respect our neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roberts: \u201cI moved here because it\u2019s a farming and ranching community. You have to talk to your neighbor and deal with it. You try to work it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stone: \u201cAnimals are a great success in Mancos. I would hate to see Mancos lose the way it has dealt with animals.<\/p>\n

Town improvements<\/p>\n

What is an important upkeep project the new board should pursue?<\/div>\n

Barz: \u201cThe crosswalk (across U.S. Hwy 160) will be major. Paths to Mesa Verde will take a long time. The sewer plant was a gamble and we\u2019ll have to address it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baskin: \u201cWastewater treatment is a huge project. We can\u2019t take our attention off that. Everything depends on water.\u201d<\/p>\n

Becker: \u201cWe have a hole in front of the post office. We are spending too much money filling holes in roads. That\u2019s a pet project going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bennally: \u201cPaths to Mesa Verde will be a big step for the community. Infrastructure needs to be addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brooks: \u201cThe key is U.S. 160. Development there will be a tourism boon. We should look at downtown revitalization to get people shopping there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hallam: \u201cBoards carry over lots of things. There will be a huge learning curve with the new board, but we will do great things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roberts: \u201cLivestock is important because we are a farming community. We should look at current ordinances to see what is enforceable. We need to keep things going.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stone: \u201cThe board made strides with town staff in looking at water leaks. That needs to continue, because we\u2019re leaking water that\u2019s not free. The sewer plant needs to be addressed in the next four years.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

for five board seats, two eye mayor\u2019s office in April 5 election<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":106113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5736,5735],"tags":[83,265],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-106112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","category-news","tag-mancos","tag-politics"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106112\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/106113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106112"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=106112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}