Southwest Colorado residents are fortunate to have a remarkable slate of women running for office – Gwen Lachelt and Julie Westendorff for county commissioners, Barbara McLachlan for the state House and Gail Schwartz for the U.S. Congress. All of these women have demonstrated strong capabilities and an enthusiasm for public service.
Lachelt and Westendorff are seeking re-election and are well known for the excellent work they have done for La Plata County. They have received national recognition for their efforts to provide clean air and clean water for the region. They have managed the county well, controlling costs during a period of falling revenue from gas and oil, and receiving quick agreement for EPA funding for Superfund status for the mining districts.
Barbara McLachlan has been an enthusiastic and awarded teacher in District 9-R for 20 years, as well as taking an active part in community affairs. In addition to water, she is especially concerned about education. Colorado ranks 47th among the 50 states in per-pupil funding for education and Western Slope schools are among the most poorly funded in the state. McLachlan has witnessed the impact these funding deficits have had on the students and schools in our region. She has vowed to make sure our schools have a strong voice in the legislature unlike our current do-nothing representative, J. Paul Brown.
Gail Schwartz has been a strong representative for Western Colorado in the Colorado Senate and on the Colorado Board of Regents, where she chaired the Capital Development Committee, analyzing the needs of the state and authorizing funding where it will do the most good. In addition to her passion for education, Schwartz, with a lifetime in outdoor recreation, will to ensure that public land will stay in public hands – these public lands are a huge driver in our Colorado economy. Schwartz is running against Scott Tipton, the 3 percent environmental achievement winner, who has been fighting to see these lands privatized.
It is important to elect these women who have demonstrated their intelligence and their dedication to our region.
Jim Wallace
Durango
