We are city, county and state officials from across La Plata and San Juan counties, and we agree that Michael Bennet has always been a staunch friend and ally of our corner of Colorado, has listened to us and has delivered real results. As governor, he’ll do the same – and that’s why we support him.
Michael often comes to southwest Colorado when he’s not fighting for all of Colorado in Washington, D.C., but the truer measure is what he does when the cameras aren’t on. Time and again, he’s taken our priorities to the center of power in this nation and won.
First, our public lands. Michael led the effort to protect Hermosa Creek and banned oil and gas development around Durango, including Animas Mountain and Perins Peak. He led the fight to establish Chimney Rock National Monument. He brought every side together to craft a Dolores River National Conservation Area bill, and through the pending CORE Act, he’s fighting for Ice Lakes Basin and another 60,000 acres in the San Juans. When President Donald Trump tried to sell off our public lands, Michael brought Colorado’s voice to the forefront, and we won.
On wildfire, he led the effort to secure funding for fire prevention and mitigation around Durango, bringing home millions of dollars for those efforts. During the 416 Fire in 2018, he had our back and pushed the federal government for recovery money. When that money was delayed, he forced a fix – then introduced a bill to make sure those funds move faster next time.
On water, Michael responded immediately to the 2015 Gold King Mine spill. He brought our leaders to Washington to testify, supported a Superfund designation to clean up the Animas River basin and secured a temporary water treatment plant near Silverton within weeks, a plant that still runs and keeps toxic heavy metals out of our water. As governor, we know he will support our push to complete an expanded permanent water treatment plant for the Animas watershed to improve water quality from Silverton through Durango to the New Mexico State line. When federal agencies balked at opening Lake Nighthorse to recreation, he refused to let bureaucracy win, and now we can all enjoy the lake.
Michael solves problems no one else will touch. He rewrote federal law so we could petition for Denver TV broadcasts, then expanded that access during COVID. He secured federal broadband funding to Silverton – the last county seat in Colorado to get it but not forgotten thanks to Michael. In October, when a family was separated in Durango, Michael publicly demanded that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement release them – and condemned agents’ violent response to the protesters calling for the family to be reunited.
The investments he’s secured are everywhere you look. Through congressionally directed spending, he has delivered $15.2 million for La Plata County alone, including millions for affordable housing at the Residences at Durango, the Bayfield Early Childcare Center and Fort Lewis College’s new rural nursing program – and these are just the highlights. He led congressional efforts to secure hundreds of millions for Highway 160, our airport expansion, the Southern Ute Tribe’s Pine River Indian Irrigation Project and drought mitigation water projects.
His national record reflects the same values. He passed the expanded Child Tax Credit, a policy that cut childhood poverty in half nationwide.
Michael has fought Trump for years, and he understands what it actually takes to defeat Trumpism: proving that democracy can deliver real, tangible economic results for everyday people. If we can’t build an economy that works for everyone, our whole nation will continue to be susceptible to con men pushing a dangerous narrative: only an authoritarian can solve our hardest problems. That’s why Michael’s campaign is about bold, ambitious plans on affordability, housing, healthcare and climate change. As governor, he’ll fight for a Colorado public option – an insurance plan we can actually afford, one that forces the insurance companies to lower their rates to compete.
Michael has always been a champion for Southwest Colorado, and he’ll be one as governor. He’ll continue to be a regular visitor, and he’ll make sure we’re at the table when decisions are made in Denver. We know him and the real results he delivers. We’ve worked with him. And we’re proud to ask you to join us in supporting him. Please vote for Michael Bennet in this primary election.
Marsha Porter-Norton, La Plata County commissioner; Katie Stewart, State Rep., House District 59; Dave Woodruff, mayor of Durango; Scott Fetchenhier, San Juan County commissioner; Christina Rinderle, former mayor of Durango; and Dean Brookie, former mayor of Durango, authored this column.
