La Plata County Commissioner Clyde Church resigned Monday, saying he is stepping down to spend more time caring for his wife.
“There’s no ax to grind. Everything has gone quite well,” Church said. “I’ve enjoyed the service to the community and constituents and look forward to staying, somehow, involved in community activities – but at a reduced level.”
Church, was first elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022 as the District 1 representative.
District 1 includes western La Plata County – Redmesa, Kline, Marvel and Hesperus – as well as the southern areas like Bondad and northern areas such as Hermosa and Purgatory Resort.
Because Church is a registered Democrat, La Plata County Democratic Party Chair Teal Lehto will convene a vacancy committee July 1 to appoint a replacement to serve on the Board of County Commissioners until the next election in 2026.
“My role as chair is really to just run an impartial process that allows the people within the vacancy committee to choose whoever is best going to serve them,” Lehto said.
The committee will include about 50 people, including members of the County Central Committee, which includes all precinct organizers; all of the county’s Democratic elected officials; and all of the county’s party officers, Lehto said.
A meeting will be held at 6 p.m. July 1. It is open to the public, but only committee members are eligible to vote. The meeting will be held on Zoom. Those interested in attending can RSVP by visiting www.laplatadems.org/bocc.
Three candidates have already expressed interest in the position: Elizabeth Philbrick, Erica Henner-Max and Robert Logan.
- Philbrick moved to La Plata County in 2017 with her husband to open EsoTerra Ciderworks. She has a masters in Landscape Architecture from Colorado State University, and worked for a U.S. senator before going back to school. As county commissioner, she would be focused on building a more resilient local economy and reducing barriers for small businesses.
- Henner-Mas is a former Wall Street trader and the first female member of the London Commodity Exchange. After she moved to La Plata County in 1997, she transitioned into more agricultural work, and community volunteering. She has led school bond campaigns, worked on reviving The Powerhouse Science Center, and during the pandemic, she launched “Shopping for Seniors,” a grocery delivery program that earned national recognition. Henner-Max is currently involved on developing workforce housing in the community.
- Logan is a fifth-generation La Plata County resident. He graduated from Durango High School and Fort Lewis College before serving in the U.S. Air Force, after which he returned home to teach Social Studies at Durango High School for 27 years. In 2022, he ran for Colorado University reagent. As a commissioner, his priorities would be the diversification of the local economy, improvement of the land-use code and encouraging investments in local infrastructure.
Others who are interested may nominate themselves up to and during the meeting, Lehto said.
For more information, visit www.laplatadems.org/bocc.
jbowman@durangoherald.com
