Having grown up and lived in Durango a large percentage of my life, I still like to follow what’s going on in the area. I was reading recently some of the letters to the editor. I felt I would add my two cents regarding the election for sheriff. While I don’t know nor have invested time looking into Sean Smith, I did have the privilege of working with Duke Schirard, the undersheriff and fellow deputies during my time as a marshal in Bayfield. During this time, we worked jointly as departments on issues relating to drugs, robberies, wildfires and more. I was impressed with Duke’s professionalism and the quality staff he had in place. While I could solely focus just on Duke’s qualities, I think it shows a lot of a person to see whom he surrounds himself with, and during my time, it was all quality. I know some will say he’s been in there forever, but there is nothing wrong with keeping quality. I wish Duke the best of luck and would vote for him if I was still located in La Plata County. I urge all residents to get out and vote.
Matt Cutter
Monte Vista
