{"id":38195,"date":"2022-09-27T18:26:05","date_gmt":"2022-09-28T00:26:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/house-district-59-candidates-debate-water-and-taxes-at-la-county-fairgrounds\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T08:42:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:42:51","slug":"house-district-59-candidates-debate-water-and-taxes-at-la-county-fairgrounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/house-district-59-candidates-debate-water-and-taxes-at-la-county-fairgrounds\/","title":{"rendered":"House District 59 candidates debate water and taxes at La County Fairgrounds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Barbara
Barbara McLachlan and Shelli Shaw<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Colorado House District 59 candidates debated drug control, water usage and the Taxpayer\u2019s Bill of Rights on Monday at the La Plata County Fairgrounds.<\/p>\n

Democratic incumbent Barbara McLachlan and her Republican challenger Shelli Shaw both worked in education before entering politics. McLachlan worked as a teacher for 20 years at Durango High School before becoming a state representative. Shaw worked for almost 20 years as a 10th grade English teacher and school district administrator in Texas before moving to Durango in 2021 to start Blue Spruce BnB.<\/p>\n

This is Shaw\u2019s first time running for office. She said education is about preparing students to be productive citizens.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, I sat around wondering what was happening to our nation, state and community,\u201d Shaw said. \u201cI could only sit around for so long before it was time to stand up and do something.\u201d<\/p>\n

McLachlan said she has a track record of sponsoring bipartisan bills in the state Legislature, including working across party lines to benefit the state, rural Colorado and her voters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did about 50 bills last year, and I think 47 of them had a Republican sponsor on them, and I\u2019m really proud of that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The candidates were asked about water rights, one of the most pressing issues affecting agriculture in the state.<\/p>\n

Shaw said it is important to fight for Colorado\u2019s water rights and protect water for agricultural use.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people are saying we have enough water and some say we don\u2019t, but what everybody agrees on is that Colorado is not taking their own water,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re letting it go down into the Lower Basin.\u201d<\/p>\n

McLachlan agreed that water was the most troubling issue for agriculture. She said states from both the Upper Basin and Lower Basin are meeting to discuss the matter. McLachlan said Arizona has been struggling with its Legislature passing water policy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t want to save water, and in Colorado we\u2019ve done a remarkable job saving it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She said the Lower Basin states assume there is more water up high, but that assumption is partly a result of the Upper Basin doing a better job with water conservation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to find a way to get the Lower Basin to treat water as respectfully as I think we are,\u201d McLachlan said.<\/p>\n

The candidates were asked about their top priority if elected.<\/p>\n

McLachlan said her top priority is bringing water literacy to the classroom, including classes that would teach students where water comes from, where it goes and how it can be conserved.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people in urban Colorado have no idea where their water comes from, but we know down here how valuable that water is,\u201d she said. \u201cSo this will help kids understand water issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw said her top priority is tackling the fentanyl crisis. She wants to make possession of fentanyl a felony after a bill passed in 2019 making possession of up to 4 grams of many drugs, including fentanyl, a misdemeanor.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2021 alone, we\u2019re looking at 912 deaths in Colorado due to fentanyl overdoses,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Shaw said making possession a felony does not mean she wants to punish those caught in addiction. Instead, she advocates for finding help for addicts. It\u2019s concerning there are no long-term care facilities for addiction in Southwest Colorado, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need a way to get help. We need options for them. And right now if they go to the facility in Grand Junction, we are taking them away from their support system and families,\u201d Shaw said.<\/p>\n

The candidates were asked about their feelings toward a four-day school and workweek.<\/p>\n

Both candidates said they are opposed to four-day school weeks.<\/p>\n

Shaw said she supports local control on such issues. However, she said single parents struggle with child care when there are only four days of school a week.<\/p>\n

She is also concerned about learning retention with a four-day week. She said it is a struggle working 10-hour days as a school district administrator, and asking students to do the same may not result in academic achievement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also have learning loss between Thursday and Monday,\u201d Shaw said.<\/p>\n

McLachlan said Durango School District 9-R is the only district in the immediate area to stick with five-day weeks. She said Colorado has a drastic teacher shortage, and districts that are moving to four-day weeks are able to recruit more teachers.<\/p>\n

She thinks four days are hard because teachers are working the same number of hours but in four days.<\/p>\n

The final topic of debate between the candidates was about whether the Taxpayer\u2019s Bill of Rights should be done away with. TABOR is a constitutional amendment passed in 1992 limiting the amount of money the state can retain and spend. TABOR allows for the state to retain and spend an amount based on the previous year\u2019s actual revenue or limit, depending on which is lower.<\/p>\n

McLachlan said she does not think the state can get rid of TABOR, saying the constitutional amendment would be difficult overturn.<\/p>\n

She asked Shaw whether spending should be cut from education, prison systems or veterans.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Workers) are committing suicide in our prison systems because they are underpaid and overworked and there\u2019s not enough people to take the job,\u201d McLachlan said.<\/p>\n

McLachlan said it is not as simple as a yes or no answer and wants to modify TABOR to allow more funding to go toward schools and state infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Shaw said she would not support getting rid of TABOR, but said taxpayers should have more of a say in where taxpayer money is directed.<\/p>\n

She said the state budget for Veterans Affairs was the fourth or fifth smallest budget in the state. She compared the Veterans Affairs budget to the governor\u2019s budget.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou look at our governor\u2019s budget, which I think is at $521 million, right, while our veterans are getting under $200 million to take care of people who fought for our country,\u201d Shaw said.<\/p>\n

\n

McLachlan visits apple orchard in Dolores<\/h4>\n

On Sunday, McLachlan stopped by a neighborhood apple harvest party in Dolores which was hosted by Cap Allen. Allen said it was not a political event, just friends gathering to press apples from his orchard and she attended.\u201cI\u2019ve known her a long time. Her husband was a good friend,\u201d he said. \u201cShe took some cider home.\u201dAllen said he is not much of a political person and does not really follow the state Legislature. Regarding McLachlan, he said \u201cthe bottom line (is) she is very respected and a smart lady.\u201dIn a Twitter post about the event, McLachlan said: \u201cMontezuma County has a lot to offer, but one of the highlights this fall is their abundance of apples. I am learning so much about the industry, and happy to report the product is delicious.\u201dAllen said there was a mix of the political spectrum at the gathering. Cortez Mayor Rachel Medina also attended. In all, the group pressed about 50 gallons of juice. He gives the pulp to local cattle ranchers because the cows love it.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Jim Mimiaga, The Journal<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

tbrown@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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