DemocratPlatform: Hick-enlooper would focus on attracting businesses in aero-space, energy, agri-culture and tourism. He would continue Gov. Bill Ritter’s tax

credits for companies that hire workers. He thinks all areas of the state budget will need to be cut next year, includ-ing education and health care, but he would rebuild support for colleges as soon as possible. Hickenlooper would look to private businesses and donors to invest more in the school system through scholarships and arts educa-tion. He believes that carbon emissions cause global climate change and sup-ports a greater use of renewable energy. He also thinks that the 2008 environ-mental rules for the gas and oil industry work fairly well, but he is open to some revisions.

Experience: Hickenlooper was laid off as a petroleum geologist from Buck-horn Petroleum in 1986. He cofounded the Wynkoop Brewery, Colorado’s first microbrewery, in 1988. Hickenlooper helped start several other microbrewer-ies and restaurants in Colorado and na-tionally. In 2000, he led an unsuccessful campaign against selling the naming rights to the new Denver Broncos stadium. In 2003, he won election as mayor of Denver.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Eng-lish and master’s in geology, Wesleyan University.

Age: 58Family: Wife Helen Thorpe, one son.Top donors: The bulk of Hicken-

looper’s $3.6 million in donations come from individuals. More than 1,100 individuals have given Hickenlooper $1,050 each, the most allowed by law. He also got contributions from several unions, including $20,000 from the Service Employees International Union. Hickenlooper also raised $10,600 from Realtors and nearly $100,000 from the state Democratic Party.

Running mate: Joe Garcia. Garcia is on leave as president of Colorado State University-Pueblo.

Quote: “If you’re in the restaurant business, you learn within a few months that there’s no margin in having ene-mies. No matter how unreasonable that customer is, you’ll do whatever it takes to make sure they feel respected. ... Too often in politics, people are trying to put down their opponents because they think it raises themselves up.” – Hicken-looper, at the Colorado Water Congress in August.

Website: www.hickenlooperforcolorado.com

John HickenlooperDan MaesRepublicanPlatform: Maes aims to cut state government jobs and eliminate or consolidate departments, although he has

not identified which agencies he would eliminate. He would give tax incentives to any business that hires at least one new employee in 2011.

He would seek to repeal laws pushed by Gov. Bill Ritter that eliminated tax breaks, froze school mill-levy rates and imposed higher auto-registration fees. Maes would try to reorganize the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and its rules to make them friendlier to the gas industry. He would seek a limit of three bills per legislator per year, down from the current five.

Experience: Maes founded and owned Amaesing Credit Solutions, a credit reporting business, and he operated it from 2005-2009. Prior to that, Maes worked for small- to medium-sized telecommu-nications companies. He began his business career as a sales manager for Voice-Tel, a voice mail company, in Denver in 1990, and he was a manager for the company in western New York and Chicago. In the early 1980s, Maes was a police officer for two years in Liberal, Kan.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Age: 49Family: Wire Karen, three

children.Top donors: Nearly 80

people from around the state have given Maes $1,000 a piece.

Running mate: Tambor Williams, a Republican former state legislator from Windsor.

Quote: “Where’s the support? Where’s the unity? I went through the system. I did exactly what I was supposed to do.” – Maes, at an Oct. 15 forum, on Republican leaders defecting from his campaign to support Tom Tancredo.

Website: www.danmaes.com

Dan MaesTom TancredoAmerican Constitution PartyPlatform: Tancredo would reinstate 11 tax exemptions that Gov. Bill Rit-ter and legislative Democrats sus-

pended in 2010. He would eliminate the business personal property tax, which is paid mostly to local and county governments. He would push for a rewrite of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission’s envi-ronmental rules and appoint people to the commission who would be friendly to the gas industry. He would push for a tough law against illegal immigrants and require Colorado employers to use a federal database of legal workers. Tancredo would try to cut spending by contracting out government functions to private companies. He wants to convert the Public Employees Retirement Associ-ation from a pension-style plan with guaranteed payments for retirees to a plan that bases its benefits on how well its investments do. Tancredo would refuse federal funding if it came with mandates to the state.

Experience: While teaching his-tory in junior high school, Tancredo was elected as a Republican to the state House of Representatives in 1977. He was a leader of the “House crazies,” a group of conserva-tive Republicans. He ran the regional office of the U.S. Department of Edu-cation for presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. From 1992 to 1998, he led the Independence Institute, a conservative think tank. He served in Congress from 1999-2009, representing Denver’s southern suburbs. He ran for president as a Republican in the 2008 election.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in political science, University of North-ern Colorado.

Personal: Wife Jackie, two sons, five grandchildren.

Top donors: Tancredo’s $680,000 comes from individual donors throughout Colorado and the country.

Running mate: Pat Miller, an anti-abortion activist and former Republi-can state legislator.

Quote: “Let’s not squander this opportunity to beat Mayor Hicken-looper just because the Republican Party is saddled with an unfit and accidental nominee.” – Sept. 1 letter to supporters.

Website: www.tancredoforgovernor2010.org

Tom TancredoLibertarianPlatform: Brown would end the income tax and replace it with a sales tax. He also would ask voters to repeal Amend-ment 23, which

sets the minimum funding levels for education, and the constitutional ban against state-levied property taxes. He would fund government spending on schools, prisons and other requirements through a property tax, and other government services and infrastruc-ture through a sales tax. He wants to empower third parties through voting reform that lets people vote for multiple candidates in order of preference. And he would create a state central bank to compete with the Federal Reserve.

Experience: Brown works as a real estate agent. He also sings in a band and promotes industrial hemp under the name Jaimes Douglas.

Family: Wife Eirika, two children.Top donors: Brown is partially

paying for his own campaign. He has raised less than $2,500 total from a handful of individual donors.

Running mate: Ken WybleWebsite: jaimesbrowncolorado-

governor2010.com

Jaimes Brown

Unaffiliated, write-inPlatform: Carr would revise un-employment laws so people could accept benefits while working part-time. He

would dispatch representatives on “trade missions” to other states to try and increase economic ties in order to boost business.

Experience: Carr is an over-the-road trucker. He founded an online magazine, Chatmag.com, which he still runs. He also hosts an online radio talk show every week. Carr describes himself as a “global nomad.” His father served in the U.S. Army, so Carr lived overseas as a child.

Age: 58Family: Engaged to Antoinette

Schaeffer, who is also his running mate.

Top donors: Carr has not reported any fundraising.

Running mate: Antoinette Schaeffer

Peter Carr

Democrat, write-inRunning mate: Ed Coron, a Republican

Willie Chambers

UnaffiliatedPlatform: Clark would cut the budgets for health care, higher educa-tion and K-12 schools, and cut pay for teachers

making more than $40,000. He would seek a repeal of the 2008 environmental rules for the gas and oil industry. He would legalize and tax marijuana.

Experience: President of Clark Brothers Investments, an investment adviser company.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in business/finance, U.S. Military Academy at West Point, 1992

Age: 41Family: SingleTop donors: Clark is mostly

paying his own way; he loaned his campaign $100,000. He has also raised more than $5,000 from individual donors.

Running mate: Clark’s running mate, Victoria Adams, resigned from the ticket after criticizing Clark. Clark will be able to pick a new lieutenant governor if he wins.

Website: www.jasonclarkforcolorado.com

Jason Clark

UnaffiliatedWrite-inPlatform: Cre-meens is running a campaign based on her Christian-ity. “I recognize sovereignty of God and will use

His biblical instruction as the basis for all decisions to bring prosperity to all Coloradans,” Cremeens says on her website. Cremeens says taxes are too high, and business regulations are too strict. Government should not have a role in social services, which are a job for the body of Christ, she says.

Experience: Cremeens runs a Grand Junction trucking company with her husband. In 1986, she started a T-shirt printing business and sold it in 2000.

Family: Husband Mark, three adult children, four grandchildren.

Top donors: Cremeens has reported no fundraising to the Secretary of State.

Running mate: Stephanie MercerWebsite: www.hollycremeensforgov

ernor2010.webs.com

Holly Cremeens

UnaffiliatedPlatform: Fiorino makes

education a priority, especially arts and physical education. He also proposes “creative policy-making” to solve concerns about health care, growth, water and quality of life.

Experience: Fiorino is a dance instructor and a member of a Denver musicians union.

He has been on the faculty at Colorado State University and Colorado College.

Age: 55Family: Single, two

adult children.Top donors: Fiorino has raised

$101, all from donations he made to his own campaign.

Running mate: Heather McKibbinWebsite: www.fiorinoforcolorado.com

Paul FiorinoUnaffiliatedWrite-inPlatform: Moore’s top priority

is to reduce illegal immigration. Moore would let citizens and a multi-partisan board propose legislation, which he would forward to the Legislature. He would decide whether to sign legislation based on the way Coloradans vote on his website.

Experience: Moore is a Navy vet-eran and now works as a utility con-tractor in Eagle.

Age: 46Family: Divorced, two adult daugh-

ters.Top donors: Moore has reported no

campaign donations.Running mate: Sherry CussonWebsite: www.cogovforthepeople.com

Michael Moore

GovernorThis election guide provides a glance at candidates and ballot issues in Colorado and La Plata County. Only contested races are covered here. In La Plata County, the treasurer, assessor, sheriff and coroner are not challenged offices. These summaries were written by Herald staff writers Joe Hanel, Shane Benjamin, Heather Scofield, Emery Cowan and Garrett Andrews.

Precincts Polling place Address

1 & 27 Sacred Heart Parish School 255 East Fifth Ave.2 & 3 La Plata County Courthouse 1060 East Second Ave.4 & 10 Frontier Baptist Church 2201 Forest Ave.5 & 6 Needham Elementary School 2425 West Third Ave.7, 8 & 9 First United Methodist Church 2917 Aspen Drive11 Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary 11274 Hwy. 14012, 16, 29 Animas Fire Station (Trimble) 31263 Hwy. 55013 Grace Church 1440 Florida Road14 Animas Fire Station (Florida) CR 240 and 23415 Vallecito Church 17576 CR 501 (Bayfield)17 & 28 Colorado Dept. of Transportation 20581 Hwy. 16018 Florida Mesa Elementary 216 Hwy. 17219, 20, 26 Bayfield Town Hall 1199 Hwy. 160B21 Sunnyside Elementary 75 CR 21822 Faith Community Church of Nazarene 1400 Hwy. 17223 Oxford Grange Hall 8018 Hwy. 172 (Ignacio)24 Ignacio Schools administration building 315 Ignacio St. (Ignacio)25 Allison Community Church 2724 CR 32930 Fort Lewis College Concert Hall 1000 Rim Drive

Not Sure which precinct you’re in? Call the County Elections Office at 382-6296.

Polling places

Source: La Plata County

DURANGO DETAILLA PLATA COUNTY

Page 2 b Sunday, October 24, 2010

Voter’s

State Treasurer

U.S. Congressional District 3

U.S. Senate

Democrat, incumbentPlatform: Kennedy takes credit for keeping Colorado’s finances sound dur-

ing the recession. The state has earned positive returns every quarter since she took over. Kennedy says she avoids the type of risky investments that led to the Wall Street crash and backs greater investment in public education. Prior to becoming treasurer, she wrote

the education-funding Amendment 23, which passed in 2000. As treasurer, she helped write the bill that pro-vided the state’s first investment in public school construction. She also has posted the state checkbook on her website and installed a program so taxpayers can see where their money is spent.

Experience: State treasurer, 2007 to present. Her previous jobs include policy director for House Democrats, a job at the Colorado Children’s Campaign, fiscal analyst for the state Department of

Health Care and Financing and an analyst in former Gov. Roy Romer’s budget office.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, St. Lawrence University; master’s in public administration, Columbia University; J.D., University of Denver law school

Age: 42Family: Husband Saurabh

Mangalik, two children.Top donors: Kennedy

has raised $865,000. Her top contributors include several unions and a Realtor small donor committee.

Cary KennedyRepublicanPlatform: Sta-pleton thinks the treasurer should do more to speak out against spending at the Legisla-

ture. He opposes the minimum funding mandates for education of Amendment 23 (which Kennedy wrote). He would push for further changes to the Public Employees Retirement Association to shift it to a 401(k)-style program, instead of one that provides guaranteed pension payments. He touts his

private-sector investment experi-ence and says he will be able to produce better returns for the state’s portfolio.

Experience: Since 2005, Stapleton has been president and CEO of Sonomawest holdings, which owns two light industrial parks in Northern California. Prior experience: Director of acquisi-tions, The Lamar Companies, Aurora, 2003-2004; Founding principal, Converge Capital Part-ners, Czech Republic, 2001-2003. Director of marketing and manager of business development, Live365.com, San Francisco, 1999-2001; Investment banker, Hambre CHT &

Quist, New York, 1997-1999.Education: Bachelor’s degree

in political science, Williams Col-lege; graduate diploma in busi-ness economics, London School of Economics; master’s in business administration, Harvard.

Age: 36Family: Wife Jenna, one son.Top donors: Stapleton has

raised $619,000 and loaned his campaign another $250,000. He donated an additional $115,000. His other fundraising comes from individual donors; notable donors include former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura.

Walker Stapleton

Democrat, incumbentPlatform: Salazar touts his role, along with other conservative Democrats, of getting Con-gress to pass

“pay-as-you-go” rules that require new spending to be paid for with either cuts or taxes. He advocates for more resources for veterans and more spending on veterans’

health care, and he sponsored an act that made it a crime to falsely claim to have won military medals. (A federal judge recently struck down the act.) He speaks up for funding for farm and ranch pro-grams, and he pushes for opening foreign markets for U.S. beef.

Experience: U.S. Congress, 2005 to present. He serves on the House Appropriations Committee. From 2003-2005, Salazar served in the state House of Representa-tives. He is a seed potato farmer and rancher and continues to work

on his farm. He served in the U.S. Army from 1973 to 1976.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, Adams State College in Alamosa.

Age: 57Family: Wife Mary Lou, three

sons, one grandson.Top donors: Salazar received

more than $600,000 in political action committee funding. The top donors are the Blue Dog PAC for conservative Democrats and the PAC from Oxbow, a coal mine company. Salazar has raised $768,710 from individual donors.

John SalazarRepublicanPlatform: Tip-ton opposes the health- care bill that Congress passed this year. He has put forward

a “three 10” plan: First, he would cut 10 percent from the part of the federal budget that pays for everything except Social Security, Medicare and the military; it would amount to a cut of about

1.4 percent in federal spending. Second, he would cut the corpo-rate tax rate to 10 percent and eliminate deductions corporations can claim. Third, he would cut the capital gains tax for investors to 10 percent.

Experience: Tipton is serving his first term in the state House of Representatives.

He serves on the House Agri-culture and House Local Government committees. He ran unsuccessfully for Con-gress against Salazar in 2006. He

cofounded and owns Mesa Verde Indian Pottery in Cortez. Tipton has been active in Republican politics since 1976.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in political science, Fort Lewis College.

Age: 53Family: Wife Jean, two daugh-

ters.Top donors: Tipton has raised

$788,744 from individual donors and $69,500 from political action committees, according to the Fed-eral Election Commission.

Scott Tipton

LibertarianPlatform: Gil-man endorses the Libertar-ian-affiliated Downsize D.C. agenda. He would require members of

Congress to sign a sworn affidavit that they have read a bill before they vote on it. He would limit bills to a single subject. He would require members of Congress to write their own bills, and require each bill to cite

its specific Constitutional authority.

Experience: Gilman has worked in engineering and management his entire career. He never has held political office. He lives in Custer County.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. He completed an engineering fellow-ship at Stanford University.

Family: Single.Top donors: Gilman has report-

ed no fundraising to the Federal Election Commission.

Gregory GilmanUnaffiliated, write-inPlatform: Hargis would vote on legislation based on feedback he received from vot-ers on his website. He thinks Con-gress should work

to expand employment, which should increase the government’s tax revenue. He envisions a financial security bill in which the government deposits $10 into an account for every citizen at birth. People and their parents could

add to the savings accounts, and the government could use deposits to buy down foreign debt and phase out So-cial Security by 2070.

Experience: Hargis has held a variety of jobs, including general contractor, commercial driver, private investigator, bar bouncer, repo man and restaurant manager. He served in the U.S. Navy and has no previous political experience.

Age: 53Family: Single, three sons, one

granddaughter.Top donors: Hargis has reported

no fundraising to the Federal Election Commission.

John Hargis Sr.UnaffiliatedPlatform: Segrest is critical of both Democrats and Republicans in Congress or running for Congress. He opposed the bank bailout, the stimulus bill and the “cash for clunkers” program, all passed by Congress since 2008. He calls for federal spending cuts and a steady

rate of taxation, not necessarily tax cuts. He supports increased use of natural gas and nuclear power, and less use of imported oil.

Experience: Segrest has founded and operated sev-eral small businesses in the Grand Junction area.

Top donors: Segrest has self-financed his campaign’s entire $11,000 budget.

Jake Segrest

Democrat, incumbentPlatform: Bennet seeks economic growth through the promotion of renewable energy, biotechnology, science and technology. He wants to reform public education by using

data to track the performance of students and teachers and paying high-performing teachers more. He supports plans to reduce carbon emissions and fund federal sci-ence on climate change. Bennet proposed changes to U.S. Senate rules to require dis-close of earmarks, limit budget deficits and restrict the power of the minority to block action. Bennet supports abortion rights.

Experience: Bennet was appointed U.S. senator in January 2009 by Gov. Bill Ritter. He was Denver Public Schools superinten-dent from 2005 to January 2009, and chief of staff to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper from 2003-2005. Before that, he was a managing director for Anschutz Investment Co. (1997-2003).

Education: Bachelor’s degree, Wesleyan University; J.D., Yale Law School.

Age: 45Family: Wife Susan Daggett, three

daughters.Top donors: Bennet has raised more

than $1.4 million through ActBlue, the Democratic online fundraising tool. He has taken more than $1.3 million from various political action committees.

Little-known fact: Bennet’s brother, James, is editor of The Atlantic.

Michael Bennet

RepublicanPlatform: Buck’s dream is to amend the Constitution to require Congress to balance the national budget. Short of that long-term goal, Buck seeks cuts to federal spending.

He would raise Social Security retirement age for younger workers, but he pledges no benefit cuts for retirees or older work-ers. Buck wants to increase the domestic production of coal, oil and natural gas. He opposes legal caps on carbon emissions. He would address illegal immigration by in-creasing work permits for legal immigrants, but sending illegal immigrants home to apply for visas. He opposes federal assis-tance to car companies and banks. Buck opposes abortion rights, except to protect the life of the mother.

Experience: Buck has served as Weld County district attorney since 2004. He worked at Hensel-Phelps Construction Co. from 2002-2004. He worked for the U.S. Department of Justice from 1986-2002 and was an assistant U.S. attorney in Colorado.

Education: Bachelor’s degree Princeton University; J.D., University of Wyoming.

Age: 51Family: Wife Perry, two children.Top donors: Buck has raised more than

$122,000 from South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint’s Senate Conservatives Fund. Most of his fundraising comes from individual donors, including his former colleagues at Hensel-Phelps.

Ken BuckGreen PartyPlatform: Kinsey seeks an end to U.S. involve-ment in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He seeks global nuclear disarmament and wants to cut the military budget by 75 percent.

He would also end the war on drugs, fully legalize marijuana and release all non-violent drug offenders from prison. He would raise taxes for the wealthy by removing the limit on income taxed by Social Security and restoring the income tax system to its 1950 levels, when the top earners paid much more of their income to taxes. Kinsey supports single-payer health insurance, a system in which the government functions as the main insurance company.

Experience: Kinsey worked 25 years as a public-school history teacher, and he won the International Teacher of the Year award from the Denver Council on Foreign Rela-tions. He has served on several boards and participated in activist groups. He served three years in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in history, Dartmoth University. Master’s degree in guid-ance and counseling, Colorado State Univer-sity; Master of Divinity, Chicago Theological Seminary.

Age: 73Family: Widowed, seven children.Top donors: Kinsey has not reported any

campaign contributions to the Federal Elec-tion Commission.

Website: www.kinseyforsenate.org

Bob KinseyUnaffiliatedPlatform: Miller touts his unaffiliated status as a way to help him resolve the partisan divide in Washington. He would vote to end corporate bailouts, in-crease tax credits for

businesses, not raise taxes and balance the federal budget within four years.

Experience: Miller worked in the bank-ing industry in the late 1980s. He spent many years recovering from a severe brain injury he suffered in 1991. Since then, he has started several small businesses and a nonprofit agency. Miller served six years in the Air Force as an enlisted man.

Education: Two bachelor’s degrees, the University of Arizona; master’s degree in history, University of Northern Colorado; J.D., University of Denver law school.

Age: 53Family: Two adult children.Top donors: Miller has not reported

any donations to the FEC.Website: charleymiller2010.wordpress.com

Charley Miller

Green (write-in) Top donors: Lohmiller has reported no fundraising to the FEC.

Bruce Lohmiller

UnaffiliatedPlatform: Moromi-sato promotes his “Denver Plan” as a solution to the financial decline. The plan would seek “bal-anced trade agree-ments” with trading

partners and raise tariffs on imported goods if other countries refuse to sign the agreements. He seeks higher taxes on the wealthiest taxpayers.

Experience: Moromisato retired in 2004 after a career as a teacher and researcher in high-energy physics. Mo-romisato was born in Peru and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1985.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, Univer-sity of San Marcos (Lima, Peru); master’s degrees in physics and economics, North-eastern University in Boston.

Age: 69Family: Wife, three children.Top donors: Moromisato has reported

no donations to the FEC.Website: www.jmoromisatoussenate.com

Jorge H. Moromisato

Independent Reform PartyPlatform: Napolitano opposes government bailouts for banks and other companies, and he opposes the health-insurance bill that Congress passed

this year. He supports a balanced budget, and he would vote for higher taxes if Con-gress could not balance the budget exclu-sively by cutting spending. He opposes the Arizona immigration law because it could unfairly single out American citizens who are Hispanic.

Experience: Napolitano is chief fi-nancial officer of Heska Corp. a Loveland company that makes equipment and medicine for veterinarians.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in engi-neering, Yale University.

Family: Wife Amy, two daughters.Top donors: Napolitano has self-

financed his campaign with $4,947.Website: www.napolitanoforcolorado.

com

Jason Napolitano

Unaffiliated (write-in)Platform: Newman believes the country should cut foreign aid and military interven-tion to a minimum and focus on helping its citizens at home. She would start with improv-

ing schools and helping the unemployed find jobs. Newman criticizes the health-in-surance bill that Congress passed because of its mandate to buy insurance, which she said does not guarantee good health care. She believes better financial education for

citizens is the best way to solve the country’s debt problems.

Experience: Newman has held a wide variety of jobs in graphic design, business consulting and technical writing. She vol-unteers for the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition and volunteered for the Obama campaign.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in geogra-phy, Arizona State University.

Age: 55Top donors: Newman has reported no

fundraising to the FEC.Website: www.newman-senate-co.com

Michele Newman

Republican (write-in)Top donors: Rank has reported no fund-raising to the FEC.

Robert Rank

LibertarianPlatform: Stringer seeks lower federal spending through an end to “corporate wel-fare.” He thinks federal employees making at least $75,000 a year should have to take a

30 percent to 40 percent pay cut (except for military members). He wants individuals to be able to invest their Social Security payments in the private market. Stringer wants major reorganizations to several federal programs and policies that he says

are not working, including the Department of Education, health and welfare programs, and the war on drugs.

Experience: Captain, U.S. Air Force (re-tired). Stringer has been involved in several small businesses and start-up companies.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in political science, Colorado State University; master’s in business administration, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

Age: 41Family: Wife Michelle, one child.Top donors: Stringer has raised just

$1,000.Website: macforcolorado.com

Maclyn “Mac” Stringer

Sunday, October 24, 2010 b Page 3

Voter’s

Attorney General

Secretary of State

University of ColoradoRegents At-Large

DemocratPlatform: Garnett pushes for more action on consumer pro-tection from the attorney gen-eral’s office, and he pledges to double the consumer unit’s resources within two years. He would involve the office more in environmental cases, and

he would give the highest prosecution priorities to violent crime, business crime, “serious” drug deal-ing and public corruption. Garnett supports the right to buy and sell medical marijuana through dispensaries. He opposes opponent John Suthers’ intervention in “political” cases outside Colorado borders, and he entered the campaign after Suthers joined the Republican lawsuit against the health-care bill.

Experience: Boulder County district attorney, 2009 to present. Before his election, Garnett was a trial lawyer at the Denver firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber and Schreck for 22 years. From 1981 to 1986, he was a prosecutor in Denver. Garnett has served as president of the Boulder Valley School Board.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of Colorado; J.D., CU law school.

Age: 54Family: Wife Brenda, two sons.Top donors: Most of Garnett’s largest dona-

tions ($1,000 or more) come from other lawyers. Garnett has spent $50,000 on his own cam-paign.

Little-known fact: Garnett represented John and Janet Elway in a winning civil case that went to the state Supreme Court in 1995.

Stan Garnett

Republican, incumbentPlatform: Suthers believes Colorado must reform its con-stitution to resolve conflicts that simultaneously require low taxes and high spending, and he offers his office’s legal expertise to help the new governor find a solution. He pledges to continue the work

he has done so far as attorney general – preparing for an interstate legal fight over the Colorado River, cracking down on Internet sexual predators, and tar-geting white-collar crime. Suthers opposes the sale of medical marijuana through dispensaries, but he says he will defend the new state law that legalizes and licenses pot shops. Suthers has joined a multistate Republican lawsuit to overturn the health-insurance bill that Congress passed this year.

Experience: Colorado attorney general, 2005 to present. He was U.S. Attorney for Colorado – the top federal prosecutor – from 2001-2005. He served as Gov. Bill Owens’ executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections from 1999-2005. He was elected district attorney in El Paso County in 1988. Before that, he worked in private practice for seven years and as a deputy district attorney for four years.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of Notre Dame. J.D., University of Colorado law school.

Age: 59Family: Wife Janet, two adult daughters.Top donors: Most of Suthers’ donations of at least

$1,000 come from individuals – led by finance and investment professionals, payday lenders, lawyers and real estate agents.

Little-known fact: Suthers has written five books on the law.

John Suthers

Democrat, incumbentPlatform: Buescher has backed bills to allow voters to register online and to combat alleged fraud in the ballot petition pro-cess. His office installed a statewide voter registration database and eliminated thousands of duplicate

voter registrations this year. Buescher also points to his efforts to make the office run more efficiently, though cross-training employees and not filling vacant senior man-agement positions. He supports the increased use of mail ballots. Buescher says he will push for increased powers for the secretary of state to investigate campaign finance viola-tions.

Experience: Buescher was appointed secre-

tary of state in late 2008. He served in the state Legislature from 2005 to 2008 and was chairman of the Joint Budget Committee. Former Gov. Roy Romer hired him to reorganize the State Fair and to lead the Department of Health Care Policy and Finance. He served as president of West Star Aviation in Grand Junction for nearly a decade, and he practiced law from 1975 to 1986.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Notre Dame University; J.D., University of Colo-rado law school.

Age: 61Family: Wife Mary Beth, four adult children,

two grandchildren.Top donors: Buescher has raised more than

$300,000, mostly from individuals. His top do-nors are unions, led by the Service Employees International Union, at $10,600.

Bernie Buescher

American Constitution PartyPlatform: The secretary of state

should defend the rights of citizens to petition for ballot measures, Campbell says. The secretary of state should testify against bills in the Legislature that are unconstitutional and sue the Legislature to block such legislation, she says.

Experience: Campbell is the membership secretary and treasurer for Colorado’s American Constitution Party. She has served on the party’s executive committee for seven years and is active in her church. She ran for the state House of Representa-tives in 2008.

Top donors: Campbell has not reported any fundraising to the secre-tary of state’s office.

Amanda Campbell

RepublicanPlatform: Gessler supports a requirement to make voters show photo identification before they vote and to prove their U.S. citizenship before they register to vote for the first time. He opposes con-ducting elections only by mail. He said he would display more of a “can-do” attitude than Buescher in complying with a federal law to get ballots to military voters before the election.

Experience: Gessler is a lawyer who specializes in election law. His clients have included several Republican and conservative campaigns. Gessler began his career as a federal prosecutor. He also was a con-struction company manager. He served 16 years as an officer in the Army Reserve and was deployed to Bosnia.

Education: Bachelor’s degree from Yale University, J.D. from Univer-sity of Michigan, M.B.A. from Northwestern University.

Age: 45Family: Wife Kristi, one daughter.Top donors: Gessler has raised $255,000, almost all from indi-

vidual donors.

Scott Gessler

Republican, in-cumbentPlatform: Bosley touts his experi-ence dealing with the University of Colorado’s bud-get woes. As an incumbent, he

said he is familiar with the budget crisis and is a proven budget-cutter. He said he has made hard deci-sions without compromising educational standards. It is not the time for “on-the-job training,” and not the time to trade “proven financial expertise” for a fourth lawyer, he said.

Experience: University of Colorado Regent, 2004 to pres-ent. Chaired past two presidential searches for the university. Worked in Colorado’s banking and finance industry for more than 30 years. Founded the Bolder Boulder 10k running race.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration, CU. The university awarded him an honorary doctorate degree in 2003.

Family: Five children, 11 grandchildren.

Steve BosleyDemocratPlatform: Hart believes the Uni-versity of Colorado needs to stop funding educa-tion by raising tuition and cutting programs. As the

state’s largest public university, CU should advocate for equal opportu-nity and equal access to education for all communities across Colorado. She said the work done by CU fac-ulty and graduates helps keep the state at the forefront of the global economy, and the regents must sup-port that work.

Experience: A law professor at CU Law School for the last 10 years. She has served on numerous com-mittees while at CU. She worked as a law clerk for a judge of the Second Circuit and for Justice John Paul Ste-vens on the U.S. Supreme Court. She practiced law with a private law firm in Washington, D.C. and with the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, also in D.C.

Education: Bachelor’s degree from Harvard College; J.D., Harvard Law School.

Family: Married, two children.

Melissa Hart

LibertarianPlatform: Wallace pledges to uphold academic freedom, lower tuition and balance budgets. He said the University of Colorado has a bloated budget and is overly dependent on dwindling money from the government. He said existing leaders talk about going through the budget with a fine-tooth comb, but what is needed is a chain saw. The campus needs leaders, not political social climbers, he said. He said the university violates the federal and state constitutions, and tax

dollars should not be used to undermine the constitution.Experience: Wallace did not respond to an e-mail requesting information,

and no experience is listed on his website.Education: Bachelor’s degree in communications, CU.Family: Married.

Jesse B. Wallace

State House District 59

State Senate District 6

RepublicanPlatform: Smaller government. Indi-vidual freedom and personal respon-sibility. Environmental regulation that won’t scare away energy producers. Brown believes reducing the size and scope of government will increase business activity and create jobs in Southwest Colorado.

Experience: A rancher by trade, Brown has long been active in state and local politics. He was a La Plata County Commissioner for four years, a county planning commissioner for three years and an Ignacio School Board member for 12 years. He has served on the boards of the Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado Wool Growers Association, Pine River Southwest Ditch Company, Region 9 Economic Development District and Club 20.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, New Mexico State University

Age: 57Family: Wife Debbie, and sons Joshua, Luke, Levi and

Abraham.Donors: Brown has raised $46,732 in campaign contri-

butions. Notable contributors include Ben Nighthorse Camp-bell ($100). His largest donors are the Care Small Donor Committee ($2,125), CACI Prosperity Fund ($1,000) and himself ($1,000).

Little-known fact: Brown is a song leader and Bible school teacher at the Bayfield Church of Christ.

J. Paul Brown

DemocratPlatform: O’Donnell has portrayed himself as an open-minded indepen-dent Democrat who will represent the diverse interests of the 59th District. He wants to phase out the business personal property tax and expand the Colorado Credit Reserve Program, which provides loans to small busi-

nesses. He thinks renewable-energy development could spur job growth in the area.

Experience: O’Donnell has worked in nonprofit man-agement since college. His career includes stints at the Sierra Club, the Alaska Wilderness League and the Wilder-ness Society. He was public lands director for the local office of Trout Unlimited. He is currently executive direc-tor of the Conservation Lands Foundation, which aids in the management of Bureau of Land Management conservation areas.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, Rollins College.Age: 40Family: Wife Melyssa, and 2-year-old daughter

Kara.Donations: O’Donnell has raised $108,428 this

election. His largest contributors are the United Food and Commercial Workers Committee in Wheat Ridge ($4,250), the Colorado Professional Firefighters Small Donor Fund ($4,000) and himself ($6,500).

Little-known fact: His first job was pumping gas at a filling station off an interstate highway in Milford, Penn.

Brian O’Donnell

Democrat, incumbentPlatform: Whitehead, a former state water engineer, has worked to establish himself as the state Senate’s expert on water and natural resources. He’s running on what he achieved in his busy first ses-sion, including carrying legislation on job creation, government efficiency, energy development, water and agriculture.

Experience: Whitehead was an employee of the Colorado Division of Water Resources for 25 years, working as division engineer in Durango. He was appointed by the governor to the Colorado Water Conser-vation Board. He was executive director of the Southwest-ern Water Conservation District, where he still works four hours a week as program director. He was appointed to the Senate when Sen. Jim Isgar vacated the seat.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Colorado State University

Age: 52Family: Wife Becca, daughters Isabel, 11, and Risa, 9.Donations: Whitehead has raised $114,908. His larg-

est donors include the Service Employees International Union ($4,250), the State Democratic Senate Campaign Fund ($9,555) and himself ($8,644).

Little-known fact: A self-confessed gearhead, White-head rides a BMW R1150R motorcycle, and is currently refurbishing a 1950 Chevrolet pickup truck.

Bruce Whitehead

RepublicanPlatform: Roberts believes government should be limited to that which a citizen cannot do alone. She’s running for the state Senate on her knowledge of the district and continuing her work reform-ing health care and the criminal justice system. She would look to build jobs and move the state away from its reliance on

foreign energy through established and emerging industries. Experience: Roberts took on a diverse clientele as a

Durango lawyer in private practice for more than 20 years. She sat on the boards of Mercy Regional Medical Center, Alternative Horizons, Durango Children’s Museum and the Community Foundation Serving Southwest Colorado. She has represented Durango in the Colorado House of Repre-sentatives since 2006.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, Cornell University; J.D. Uni-versity of Colorado

Age: 51Family: Husband Rick, daughter Caitlin, and son Ben.Donations: Roberts has raised $131,147. Notable

donors include Molson Coors Chairman of the Board Pete Coors. Her largest donations include $4,250 from the Real-tor Small Donor Committee and $4,000 from Homes for All Coloradans Committee.

Little-known fact: If elected, Roberts would be the first woman to represent the Colorado 6th Senate District.

Ellen Roberts

All voters must provide some form of identification when voting. If you are voting by mail for the first time, you may also need to provide a photocopy of your ID. The Clerk & Recorder’s Office accepts several forms of valid IDs. Some of them are: Colorado driver’s license; state ID card, U.S. passport; government employee ID card; or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement or paycheck. A Social Security card is not a legal from of ID for voting in person.

WHAT TO TAKE TO THE POLLS

DemocratPlatform: Connol-

ly hopes to continue as county surveyor in protecting constitu-ents in land-survey issues. If elected, he wishes to address concerns surrounding

some historic survey documents that have become illegible during the process of converting the documents to digital form and properly preserve them for the future.

Experience: Connolly is president and co-owner of Animas Surveying & Mapping Corp. and has been the elected county surveyor since 2000. He has worked in the surveying business locally and around

Colorado since 1984.Education: Associate’s degree in

civil engineering, Idaho State University. Licensed surveyor in New Mexico and Colorado

Age: 53Family: In a committed relationship

with one adult childContributions: $700

Page 4 b Sunday, October 24, 2010

DemocratPlatform: Bai-zel hopes to focus on the development of a workable and balanced land-use code and wishes

to ensure elected county leadership is fair and easily accessible to the public. He also hopes to bring a rural perspective to the post and help keep agriculture viable in the county.

Experience: Baizel is a staff attorney for Earthworks’ Oil & Gas Accountability Project. Since 1986, he’s worked in environmental law and as a university instructor for the College of Santa Fe, Utah State University and Colorado State University.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in biology, Earlham College; master’s degree in international relations, University of Denver; J.D., University of Denver.

Age: 53Family: Married with

two childrenContributions: $20,293

Bruce BaizelRepublicanPlatform: Lieb hopes to tackle the county’s ongoing revenue shortfalls and budget chal-lenges while build-ing more certainty into the county’s

new land-use code to better define locals’ property rights. He would advocate for higher-paying jobs for residents in the area.

Experience: Lieb most recently worked as a project manager for Durango Commercial Development, LLC. Since 1980, he’s worked for and managed family-owned businesses, in-cluding serving as vice president of Durango Threadworks Inc. He also worked as the executive director of the La Plata Economic Development Action Partnership and the Durango Chamber of Commerce. Lieb has served on a number of public, private and nonprofit boards.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in international marketing, Arizona State University.

Age: 45Family: Married with three childrenContributions: $23,420

Bobby LiebUnaffiliatedPlatform: Root touts his unaffiliated status as a po-tential measure of balance to the three-member board of county commissioners, on which a Republican and Democrat are already seated. He would work to

simplify the county’s land-use code and re-duce its design costs while providing incentives for clustered development near business parks and public transportation. He would seek to maintain good working relationships with the gas and oil industry and seek to encourage economic development in the area. Root also aims for income growth in technology and health-care industries.

Experience: Root is a professional engineer for Kunert/Root LLC. Since 1987, he’s worked for the Colorado Department of Transportation and on projects of a residential, commercial and public nature. He has also served on the La Plata County Planning Commission and Durango’s Design Review board.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in civil en-gineering, University of Colorado; professional engineer licensed in Colorado and New Mexico.

Age: 57Family: Married with one adult childContributions: Root self-funded his cam-

paign

Kenneth Root

Voter’s

La Plata County Commission District 1 La Plata County ClerkTiffany Lee

RepublicanPlatform: Lee touts her experi-ence and hopes to ensure a smooth transi-tion in leader-ship, if elected. She said she

would be cautious about making immediate changes. Lee also in-tends to push forward with projects already under way in the organiza-tion and hopes to make the pro-cess of searching for and obtaining public records more user-friendly.

Experience: Lee has worked in the La Plata County Clerk and Re-corder’s Office off and on over the last five years. She also spent nine years working for the Deschutes County Clerk and Recorder in Bend, Ore.

Education: No academic de-grees. Specialized professional training in elections and records management.

Age: 34Family: Married with three

childrenContributions: $7,685

Karen PhelanDemocratPlatform: Phelan hopes to focus on improving cus-tomer service and commu-nity relations within the

clerk’s office and envisions more electronically available services and information to provide “one-stop shopping” for locals. She also hopes to keep modernized the county’s record keeping and servicing procedures with greater connectivity between county de-partments.

Experience: Phelan has worked for La Plata County for the last 11 years, as a property records technician and as an appraiser. Since 2001, Phelan has worked for the county’s Geographic Infor-mation Systems department as a technician.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in sociology, Fort Lewis College

Age: 53Family: In a long-term commit-

ted relationshipContributions: $8,950

La Plata County SurveyorLawrence “Larry” Connolly Thomas Au

RepublicanPlatform: Au’s bid for the elected

post of county surveyor is driven by a desire to become more involved in government and politics.

Experience: Au has worked in the surveying business since he was 21 and has owned Pinnacle Surveying since 2001. He also is a

member of the Bayfield town board.Education: Associate’s

degree in land surveying, Denver Institute of Technology. He is licensed as a land surveyor in Colorado and Nevada.

Age: 49Family: Not providedContributions: $1,280

Referendum P: Bingo regulation Referendum Q: Emergency state capital Referendum R: Possessory interest tax cutsWhat it does: Currently, the

secretary of state regulates char-ity bingo games. Referendum P transfers the responsibility to the state Department of Revenue.

Arguments for: The Depart-ment of Revenue already regu-lates all other forms of gambling, like casinos and the state lottery.

Arguments against: Current regulation is enough, and the

move to oversight by the Depart-ment of Revenue might result in higher fees for charities that run bingo games.

Who supports it: No orga-nized campaign. It was placed on the ballot by the Legislature.

Who opposes it: Save Our Nonprofits is the official anti-Ref P campaign. It has not raised funds.

What it does: During a widespread disaster, the governor could declare an emergency and designate a city other than Denver as the temporary seat of government. The state constitution designates Denver as the capital.

Arguments for: The author-ity to move the capital would

allow the government to re-spond faster to a disaster that affected Denver.

Arguments against: No serious opposition emerged to the referendum when the state Legislature put it on the ballot.

Who supports it: No orga-nized campaign.

Who opposes it: No orga-nized campaign.

What it does: This amend-ment to the constitution eliminates taxes on possessory property interests for any interest valued at less than $6,000. It mainly affects ranchers who pay possessory interest taxes on the grazing rights they lease from the federal government.

Arguments for: Possessory in-terest tax bills are often so small

that they are more of a hassle to collect than they are worth for lo-cal governments.

Arguments against: The pre-dicted tax cut of $160,000 state-wide will put a greater burden on other taxpayers.

Who supports it: No organized campaign.

Who opposes it: No organized campaign.

Colorado Referendums

Proposition 101: Taxes

Proposition 102: Bail bonds

What it does: If passed, the income tax rate would be cut to 4.5 percent from 4.63 percent and then to 3.5 percent over 10 years or more. Vehicle registration, title and license fees would be cut to a com-bined $10. Sales taxes on vehicles would be cut. All telephone taxes would be eliminated, except for the 911 fee.

Arguments for: Proponents say taxes are too high, and Proposition 101 will make taxes lower and fairer. The proposition will undo the increase in vehicle registration fees that Democrats in the Legislature passed in 2009.

Arguments against: Oppo-nents point to the projected tax cuts of $1.4 billion in the first year and say that state and local governments will have to cut their services, like education. The vehicle registra-tion fee is raising around $250 million a year, less than half the amount that an expert panel said is needed to main-tain Colorado’s roads. Proposi-tion 101 would reverse the registration fee and cut even more from auto fees and taxes.

Who supports it: Same as Amendment 60.

Who opposes it: Same as Amendment 60.

What it does: Currently, judges can release defendants awaiting trial to a pretrial services program without requiring them to put up money for bail. Proposition 102 would require a monetary bond for anyone arrested for a violent crime or with a previous criminal re-cord. Pretrial services programs are mostly on the Front Range. There is no such program in Southwest Colorado.

Arguments for: Defendants are more likely to appear in court when they post a monetary bond, propo-nents say. Pretrial services programs amount to “tax-funded baby-sitting programs,” proponents say.

Arguments against: Proposi-tion 102 is an attempt by bail bond agents to get more business, opponents say. Pretrial services workers monitor defendants much

more closely than bail bond agents, maintaining frequent contact and administering drug and alcohol tests.

Who supports it: Bail bond agents. Safe Streets Colorado is the official campaign. It has reported only $5,555 in donations, mostly from proposition author Mike Dono-van. But online discussion groups for bail bond agents discuss spend-ing much more.

Website: www.voteyesto102.com

Who opposes it: Citizens to Protect Colorado Communities is the official anti-102 campaign. It has reported almost no fundraising. Police and sheriff’s officials, district attorneys, public defenders and a national group for pretrial service agencies also oppose it.

Website: www.votenoto102.org

Colorado Propositions

Keep up to date on election resultsFor ongoing coverage and updated results on election night, visit the Herald’s website

at www.durangoherald.com.

Election calendarTuesday: Last day to apply for a mail-in ballotFriday: Last day for early votingNov. 2: General election

LINDSAY EPPICH/Herald

Linda Daley, La Plata County clerk and recorder, discusses voting logistics with office manager Sarah Jacobson Friday afternoon at the La Plata County Courthouse.

Sunday, October 24, 2010 b Page 5

Three judges are standing for reten-tion this November in La Plata County. All three were recommended for reten-tion by a local judicial district perfor-mance review commission.

Chief District Judge Gregory Lyman, 60, oversees divorces, criminal cases and water court cases. He was appointed June 1, 1996, by former Gov. Roy Romer. He received high marks from the perfor-mance review commission in every category, including knowledge of the law, communication, demeanor and diligence.

District Judge Jeffrey Wilson, 55,

oversees civil, criminal, probate and child-custody cases. He was appointed in July 2002 by former Gov. Bill Owens. A survey of attorneys and non-attorneys scored Wilson slightly below average in all categories. The commis-sion voted 7 to 2 in favor of retaining Wilson.

La Plata County Judge Martha Minot, 53, oversees civil cases and criminal cases. She has the largest caseload of any judge in the 6th Judicial District. Attorneys and non-attorneys scored Minot below average in every category.

Amendment 63: Federal health care

Amendment 60: Property taxesWhat it does: This amendment

repeals all former elections in which voters gave their local governments the power to keep extra property tax revenue. It allows property owners to vote on property taxes even if they do not live in the district. It requires many school districts to cut their property tax revenues in half over a decade, with the expectation that the state will make up for the lost money. It requires government-owned enterprises, like colleges, to pay property taxes.

An analysis by the Legislature’s staff predicts a property tax cut of $376 per year for the average home-owner after Amendment 60 takes full effect. The state would have to make up $1.5 billion in lost funding for schools. Amendment 60 is part of a package with Amendment 61 and Proposition 101. Together, the mea-sures will cut state and local taxes by $1.7 billion in the first year and $5.5 billion when they take full effect, according to the Legislature’s staff.

Arguments for: Property taxes are regressive because they are based on property values, not the ability to pay. Amendment 60 would reverse actions the Legislature took to collect more

property taxes.Arguments against: Amendment

60 tramples the will of local voters by overturning their past votes. The amendment would require large cuts to state and local services, and the state can’t make up the lost revenue to local schools.

Who supports it: CO Tax Reforms is the official campaign for Amend-ments 60 and 61 and Proposition 101. It has raised less than $18,000. The Hasan family, a Pueblo family active in Republican circles, gave $10,000. Opponents have filed a campaign finance complaint against anti-tax activist Douglas Bruce and his nonprofit group, Active Citizens Together, alleging that they are the true force and money behind all three initiatives.

Website: www.cotaxreforms.comWho opposes it: Coloradans for

Responsible Reform is the official campaign to fight the three initiatives. It has raised $6.7 million from various businesses and unions. Hundreds of governing bodies around the state have passed resolutions opposing the three tax measures.

Website: www.donthurtcolorado.com

Amendment 61: Public financing

Amendment 62: Abortion and birth control

What it does: Amendment 61 restricts or ends the government’s ability to borrow money. The state government would not be able to borrow money in any form, no matter how short or long the term. Local governments could take out debt with voter approval, but the money would have to be repaid within 10 years. Taxes would have to be reduced after the debt is paid back, even if taxes were not raised to make the debt payments.

Arguments for: Government’s use of financing tools is illegal al-ready because the state constitution bans public debt. Money currently spent on interest payments could be better used for other things.

Arguments against: The state could not build any projects if it cannot borrow. A 10-year payback term is too short – most people would not be able to pay back their home mortgages in 10 years. If a public building or highway is built to last for 50 years, then the payments should be spread over multiple decades so current taxpayers don’t bear the entire burden.

Who supports it: Same as Amendment 60.

Who opposes it: Same as Amendment 60.

What it does: The term “person” would apply to any being from “the beginning of biological development,” for the purposes of defining individual rights in the state constitution. Support-ers want it to lead to a ban on abortion and any form of birth control that de-stroys a fertilized egg.

Arguments for: Proponents say abortion is wrong and should be banned. Birth control pills are actually a form of abortion, proponents say.

Arguments against: The amendment would lead to bans on abortion in nearly every case and ban common forms of birth control. It could create legal chaos because the word “person” appears thousands of times in Colorado law. It is based on religious belief and does not belong in the state constitution, opponents say.

Who supports it: Personhood Colorado. The group has raised about $48,000, mostly in small donations and from its national affiliate, Person-hood USA.

Website: www.personhoodcolorado.com

Who opposes it: No on 62 is the official campaign. It has raised more than $480,000, mostly from Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains and NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado.

Website: www.protectfamiliesprotectchoices.org

What it does: Amendment 63 adds the right to health-care choice to the state constitution. It forbids the state from requiring any citizen to buy health insurance, and it affirms that patients can pay their doctors directly for medical services.

Arguments for: Passing Amend-ment 63 would send a message that Coloradans oppose the federal health-insurance bill, although it would not prevent its enforcement. If the federal bill is overturned in court, it would block a potential back-up plan by national Democrats to get the states to impose a mandate to have health insurance.

Arguments against: The amend-ment’s language could have unin-tended effects on the complex health- care system, and it is unclear what

the right to health-care choice would mean in a legal sense. A symbolic statement against federal health care does not belong in the state constitu-tion, opponents say.

Who supports it: The Indepen-dence Institute, a conservative/ libertarian think tank in Golden. The group provided the bulk of the pro-63 campaign’s $300,000 in funding.

Website: www.amendment63.orgWho opposes it: Colorado

Deserves Better is the official campaign, with $163,000 in fundraising as of Oct. 4. Major funding comes from the Service Employees International Union, National Education Association, AFL-CIO and Colorado Hospital Association.

Website: www.coloradodeservesbetter.com

Voter’s

Colorado Amendments

La Plata County Judges

Durango BID tax renewal and increaseWho it affects: The Business Im-

provement District encompasses roughly 800 commercial property owners in downtown Durango that opted into the district when it was created in 1997.

What it does: District property owners are taxed for efforts such as economic research, creating busi-ness directories and buying items and equipment for special events. The district has also used the money for “branding,” promotional items and marketing. The tax also could be used to build a conference center, but such

plans are not under way now.The cost: District officials say they

need $58 per $100,000 of actual property value to ensure the district’s annual revenue compares to that of years past. That’s compared to the $43.50 for every $100,000 of as-sessed property value property own-ers in the district currently pay. That assessment generated more than $200,000 annually in recent years, officials said. The renewal would last 15 years.

Arguments for: District officials

say a membership survey conducted earlier this year showed overwhelm-ing support for a renewal of the tax. Proponents say the district’s work has helped keep downtown Durango vi-brant and continues to be needed as the area recovers from the reces-sion.

Arguments against: Opponents of the tax increase say local businesses are already struggling to deal with plummeting profit margins and in-creased costs. Some business owners want the tax eliminated.

Ballot issue 3ABoard is asking voters to approve

a mill-levy increase to pay for smaller class sizes, quality teachers and in-novative programs and technology. The tax increase – ballot issue 3A – would raise $3.2 million per year for edu-cational improvements the district no longer can afford.

Arguments for: The district has a General Fund budget of just under $37 million. It had to cut $2.5 million from the budget for the 2010–2011 school year due to declines in student enrollment and cuts in funding from the state.

Because the state faces a deficit of almost $1.1 billion in the next fiscal

year, the district is expecting continued cuts to its funding.

The district’s specific goals for the money include expanding the advanced classes and international education offered by the International Baccalaureate program, into the mid-dle and high schools and increasing Internet speed in elementary schools. The money also would go toward offer-ing teachers more competitive salaries.

Arguments against: Opponents of the mill-levy increase say the district needs to make more efficient use of the money it has instead of asking tax-payers for more. Many business own-

ers are wary of another tax increase during difficult economic times.

The cost: If the ballot issue passes, property taxes for a home valued at $400,000 would go up by $60 a year, or $5 a month. The higher tax would be collected in 2011 on property valu-ations from 2010.

Who supports it: The IDEAS cam-paign has organized in support of the ballot issue. So far, the campaign has raised $55,000, said school board member Julie Levy.

Website: ideasdurango.org. Who opposes it: No organized

campaign.

Business Improvement District Tax

Durango School District 9-R Mill Levy

Join us to see the results

The Durango Herald will host a party for the public to see updates of election results as they come in throughout the night.The party will take place from 7 to 11 p.m. Nov. 2 at 1275 Main Ave.

Where and when to drop-off mail-in ballots

Mail your ballot or return it to any of these places:

La Plata County Clerk & Recorder Bodo Park, 98 Everett St, Suite C, DurangoMonday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.Saturday: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.Election Day 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

La Plata County Courthouse1060 East Second Ave., DurangoMonday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.Election Day 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Bayfield Town Hall, 1199 U.S. Highway 160B, BayfieldMonday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30-5 p.m.Election Day 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Voting hoursPolls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day. See map of polling places on Page 1.

Page 6 b Sunday, October 24, 2010

Voter’s