La Plata County Commissioner Julie Westendorff has her eyes set on a second term representing District 3.
The Democratic leader made a formal announcement at noon Wednesday in front of the La Plata County Courthouse and addressed plans for the next four years, if she retains her seat in 2016.
“When I ran for county commissioner four years ago, I said that I would work to move La Plata County forward,” Westendorff said in a prepared statement. “Three years into my term, I can say what ‘moving forward’ means.”
To Westendorff, that includes working with fellow commissioners Gwen Lachelt and Brad Blake to address the county’s finances, draft a comprehensive land-use plan, bring the federal court to Durango and keep public lands in public hands.
“I’ll tell you what’s going on, and you can talk to me or tell me whether or not you like it,” Westendorff told the gathering of about 30 residents and officials, including Lachelt.
The recent Gold King Mine spill will also factor into Westendorff’s campaign.
“Moving forward means working with our local, state and federal agencies for long-term solutions to the continued mine wastewater spill in the San Juan Mountains.”
Proud of her work to mitigate budgetary issues over the past three years, Westendorff commended fellow county officials for their response efforts in the wake of the Aug. 5 mine spill.
“I think at the local government level, we saw with the spill, we’ve gotten so many compliments on our emergency-response team, and the incident shows how susceptible our community is to big environmental problems,” she told The Durango Herald. “And the way we as a commission work together shows the citizens of the county there’s no posturing on partisan lines. There’s no dysfunction like you see in Congress.”
Westendorff was first elected in November 2012 after beating Republican Harry Baxtrom by 360 votes. In her first week in office, Westendorff said she learned just how diverse of a job she signed up for.
“I had just gotten out of a meeting about a $70 million budget, and someone came up to me and said, ‘Julie, can you call this woman? She’s got a dead pig in her yard.’”
But there’s more work to be done, Westendorff said, citing in particular the comprehensive land-use plan that a previous board of commissioners failed to adopt.
Eight-year Durango resident and La Plata County Treasurer Allison Morrissey said Westendorff got her vote in 2012 and will get it again in 2016.
“Julie is really good at listening to both sides and making a well-reasoned decision on what’s best for La Plata County,” Morrissey said. “You see that in the way the comprehensive land-use plan is being organized, having the community involved and the Long-Term Finance Committee. She listens to everyone’s opinion and bases her decisions on data.”
jpace@durangoherald.com
