{"id":37612,"date":"2022-10-29T02:19:22","date_gmt":"2022-10-29T08:19:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/candidates-for-montezuma-sheriff-colorado-house-attend-forum-in-cortez\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T02:38:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:38:52","slug":"candidates-for-montezuma-sheriff-colorado-house-attend-forum-in-cortez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/candidates-for-montezuma-sheriff-colorado-house-attend-forum-in-cortez\/","title":{"rendered":"Candidates for Montezuma sheriff, Colorado House attend forum in Cortez"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The
The San Juan Basin Farm Bureau held a candidate forum Tuesday in Cortez at the Montezuma County Annex. (Jim Mimiaga\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Candidates for Colorado House Districts 58 and 59, and Montezuma County Sheriff participated in a forum put on by the San Juan Basin Farm Bureau Tuesday in Cortez. About 60 people attended.<\/p>\n

Candidates for District 58 are Republican incumbent Marc Catlin and Democrat challenger Kevin Kuns.<\/p>\n

\"Marc
Marc Catlin and Kevin Kuns<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Barbara
Barbara McLachlan and Shelli Shaw<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Montezuma
Montezuma County Sheriff Steven Nowlin and unafilliated challenger Odis Sikes<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Candidates for District 59 are Democrat incumbent Barbara McLachlan and Republican challenger Shelli Shaw.<\/p>\n

Candidates for Montezuma County sheriff are Republican incumbent Sheriff Steve Nowlin and unaffiliated challenger Odis Sikes.<\/p>\n

Candidates gave three-minute introductions then took questions from the audience.<\/p>\n

Kuns, a \u201cWestern Slope Democrat from Montrose\u201d running for District 58, worked in restaurant management as an adult and on a family ranch as a child. He said his business experience and people skills make him a good candidate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI respect and understand what farmers and ranchers are going through,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen elected, I will harder than my opponent to make sure I do everything that I can for ag.\u201d<\/p>\n

He is challenging Catlin, who has a background in water management and agriculture, and is seeking a fourth term.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here to protect the Western Slope. Colorado should keep its water in the state, California needs to work on its own problems and not look to us,\u201d Catlin said.<\/p>\n

Shaw, running for the District 59 seat as a Republican, said running for office honors veterans who fought for the country.<\/p>\n

She considered running for office after seeing problems in the area. \u201cWhen no one is stepping up to run, then you know it is your time to step up,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Shaw has met with people from agriculture, education and law enforcement to learn about issues and challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is time we have a representative who fights for our agriculture and land. If you want representation for Montezuma, I will be your voice in Denver,\u201d Shaw said.<\/p>\n

McLachlan, the Democrat incumbent in District 59, noted her district now includes the Mancos, Dolores and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe as a result of redistricting.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very excited to get to know the people, and include you,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s been fun to hear the new voices and new ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n

McLachlan said she grew up on a family farm and ranch, went to rodeos and worked at the stock show.<\/p>\n

She said Democrats and Republicans on the Western Slope work together to protect water and agriculture.<\/p>\n

Sheriff candidates<\/div>\n

Unaffiliated candidate for Sheriff Odis Sikes said he does not have law enforcement experience, but would make a good sheriff because of his life experience.<\/p>\n

He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, raises cattle, is a country musician, and has worked as an inspector in the oil and gas industry for decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think like a cop, I think like you because I am one of you,\u201d Sikes said. \u201cI\u2019m part of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Republican candidate Steve Nowlin has served nearly eight years as sheriff, and is seeking a third term.<\/p>\n

He has 45 years of law enforcement experience working for the Cortez Police Department, Sheriff\u2019s Office, and as a detective for the Colorado State Patrol.<\/p>\n

\u201cI changed the agency culture into a professional law enforcement agency that is well trained and well equipped,\u201d Nowlin said. \u201cI hire for quality and character first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Audience questions<\/div>\n

On a question about threats to ranching, Shaw cited regulation and lack of water. Cities target farmers for their water, and more water storage is needed to prevent it from flowing out of state.<\/p>\n

McLachlan agreed on more storage and added that research is needed on replacing water-intensive crops with crops that need less water but provide adequate revenue.<\/p>\n

Kuns said climate change and warming means less water, and collaboration is needed between city and rural areas on fair water use.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need farmers, we do not survive without them, cities need water,\u201d he said. \u201cI hate the divisiveness of urban versus rural. We need to look at the big picture, work together, be innovative. If we succeed, you succeed. We are tied at the hip.\u201d<\/p>\n

Catlin said a big threat to agriculture is \u201cbuy and dry\u201d where cities buy the farm, strip the water and leave in the river so it can be delivered to the growing urban areas of the Front Range. The result is fallowed farmland.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a serious threat, we need more storage. That way, we have dominion over it,\u201d he said. \u201cSouthern California is pushing hard (for water), and the Front Range is pushing just as bad. The urban-rural divide is not made up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sheriff candidate questions<\/div>\n

How will sheriff candidates defend our Constitution? asked an audience member.<\/p>\n

Nowlin responded that he feels new Colorado gun laws have constitutional issues. House Bill 1106 requires guns to be stored in locked containers in certain situations, and Senate Bill 78 requires gun owners to report a lost or stolen firearm.<\/p>\n

If a gun is stolen and the owner reports it, \u201cis it right to be charged with not having a firearm in locked cabinet? Doesn\u2019t that go against the Fourth amendment? Discretion is important on how laws enforced,\u201d Nowlin said.<\/p>\n

The Extreme Risk Protection Order, also known as the red flag law, is controversial in many counties, and was opposed by the Montezuma County Commissioners. It provides a judicial process for guns to be seized in certain situations if it can be determined a person is deemed at risk to himself or others.<\/p>\n

Nowlin said he objected to the law from the beginning, and noted it is a civil law. He has not initiated a red flag process, and there has been just one case in the county where it was used. The allegations were unfounded because the person never had a firearm.<\/p>\n

Other laws allow the firearm to be transferred to family members to temporarily hold if a situation calls for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want your guns. I want you to keep your guns,\u201d Nowlin said.<\/p>\n

Sikes said he took an oath when he went into the military to defend the U.S. Constitution.<\/p>\n

\u201cI swore to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In many ways, there are more domestic enemies, he said, and one is the government.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are passing laws against the U.S. Constitution. I will not support or enforce any law that goes against Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the pandemic, which Sikes called the \u201cScamdemic,\u201d Sikes told people the government did not have the right to tell people to wear a mask or shut down their business.<\/p>\n

It goes against Fifth Amendment language that states a person may not be deprived of life liberty or property without due process of law, Sikes said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMandates from the governor are not due process of law,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A man asked Sikes about his previous comments in a Cortez forum regarding his ideas of law enforcement involvement in what is taught in schools.<\/p>\n

Sikes said media reports that said he would put deputies in classroom to prevent teachers from teaching critical race theory are false.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did not say that,\u201d Sikes said. \u201cThat never even crossed my mind, much less say it. That is unconstitutional. From the word \u2018go\u2019 that is crazy.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Sikes said he does think a deputy or sheriff should go to the schools to regularly teach classes on the Constitution.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is the main thing in our life, it protects our God-given rights,\u201d he said. \u201cMy opinion is that the Constitution should be taught kindergarten to 12th grade.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the Aug. 12 forum, Sikes did suggest law enforcement input at school boards, but not specifically classrooms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think law enforcement, not in a bully kind of way, but I think law enforcement ought to be involved in school boards like critical race theory,\u201d Sikes stated at the meet-and-greet Aug. 12. \u201cI think we ought to show up and say look that is junk we\u2019re not going to teach this to our kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

An audience member asked the candidates how they would handle the department\u2019s budget.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know all those things, but I bet you I could find brains to help me out,\u201d Sikes said.<\/p>\n

Nowlin responded that he has \u201cthe knowledge, the experience and skills to know exactly how agency will function and its needs throughout a calendar year. That is how I build my budget.\u201d<\/p>\n

He manages the Sheriff\u2019s Office, Montezuma County Detention Center and law enforcement authority budgets, which are posted online. He also manages grant funding, which reduces expenditures from the general fund and saves taxpayer money.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is all about is to provide the best training for the professional service is performing every day,\u201d Nowlin said.<\/p>\n

Farm labor bill<\/div>\n

A farmer asked McLachlan why she voted for the farm labor bill that requires overtime pay for farmworkers. He said it doesn\u2019t help because it adds to operation costs.<\/p>\n

McLachlan said her first reaction was to oppose it, but after talking with the Farm Bureau, a proponent, she agreed to support it with amendments.<\/p>\n

She said it was needed to prevent a few \u201cbad players\u201d from mistreating employees, and noted most farm and ranchers are not doing that.<\/p>\n

Colorado\u2019s nearly 40,000 agricultural workers would begin receiving overtime in November 2022 under Senate Bill 87.<\/p>\n

According to the Colorado Farm Bureau, from Nov. 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2023, all agricultural employers are required to pay their workers overtime after 60 hours. In 2024, that changes to 56 hours for highly seasonal employers, 54 hours for non-highly seasonal employers, and 56 hours for small employers. By 2025, most farmworkers would be entitled to overtime pay after 48 hours.<\/p>\n

Catlin said he opposed the farm labor law bill, and said it would create the need for farm operators to have more crews that they can\u2019t afford.<\/p>\n

Affordable housing<\/div>\n

Proposition 123 for affordable housing was discussed by candidates. The measure would require a portion of the state budget to be spent on affordable housing initiatives.<\/p>\n

Kuns and McLachlan support it.<\/p>\n

Catlin said he helped to pass an affordable housing bill that allow communities with lodgers taxes to decide where it can be spent on, including for affordable housing projects.<\/p>\n

Shaw was against Proposition 123, and said available resources should be used to address the housing shortages. For example, she proposed turning the closed Manaugh School in Cortez into affordable, efficiency apartments for teachers.<\/p>\n

jmimiaga@the-journal.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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