I am a Texan. I love Colorado. I have had a home in the Durango area for 34 years. I do not know any member of the James Ranch family. They and other residents of La Plata County must be among the most patient people on Earth.

The James Ranch property is in a rural setting on a large tract of property. Noise level too much? When I read that it will take 14 or 15 months for the county Planning Commission to work through applications to expand a business that will obviously benefit the county, I am astounded.

I guess I shouldn’t be. Thirty years ago, I began a process to complete a residential development at Lake Vallecito. I wanted to do some lot consolidations and make the lots larger. At the time, the direction for residential lots in the county was larger lots. I correctly completed all the required paperwork and was promptly refused permission to consolidate. I had to hire and pay a local lawyer to deal with the bureaucracy. County planners obstructed my efforts at every stage. Obviously, they are still at it.

If a process such as the James Ranch expansion took more than three or four months in my home county in Texas, heads would roll.

Wake up, residents of La Plata County. Your local politicians have a rope around your neck. Shake them off and watch your county’s businesses grow.

Mike Ellington

Vallecito