Original Release prepared by Committee to Re-elect Art Goodtimes
PRESS RELEASE
March 22, 2004
Contact Person: Liz Lance, 970.728.2944, 970.708.2944
or Art Goodtimes, 970-327-4767
San Miguel County Commissioner Art Goodtimes announced that he was seeking re-election for a third term at the Senior Lunch program held at the Norwood Community Center Monday, March 22.
“After serving eight years as the District 3 Commissioner,” explained Goodtimes, “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished in San Miguel County, especially in my second term.”
Goodtimes noted that even with the national economic downturn, the local economy has remained reasonably strong , and the County has been able to maintain a six-month emergency operating reserve, while still expanding County services into the 21st Century.
As examples, he cited:
a Planning Department that succeeded in putting thousands of acres of Idarado mining claims in the high country into public ownership and in developing a new alpine zone district that restricts private development to the region’s historic mining character,
creating a new Parks & Rec Department that maintains the Norwood Event Center, Basin Fairgrounds, the Placerville and new Downvalley Parks, works to establish new trails and open space, as well as manages the Purchase of Development Rights program that voters approved with a special mill levy,
a new regionally-recognized Geographic Information Services office with two top staffers,
our own in-house high tech computer wizard who’s hard at work on an Oracle-based interactive new County Web Site,
an expanded Environmental Health Department that’s now helping with the County’s Sage Grouse Recovery effort and staffing the Joint Towns/County Recycling Task Force,
a Sheriff and Nursing Departments that’ve been actively preparing for Homeland Security threats, health epidemics, and natural emergency situations, like the recent Tri-State powerline failure,
a County Building Department about to initiate a new Green Building Code with a one-year voluntary grace period,
oh, yes, and a Coroner that earns over $250 an hour as a public servant, thanks to another dumb unfunded state mandate from the Owens administration.
Added Goodtimes, “And this was in addition to what we already do in terms of County services including our Attorney, Road & Bridge, Social Services, Commissioner’s Office, Clerk, Treasurer, Assessor and Surveyor.”
As the Commissioner from the Third District that, under redistricting, now stretches from San Bernardo and Sawpit to the Utah State Line, Goodtimes said that he felt he’d succeeded in treating different ends of the County differently:
agreeing to local residents’ wishes not to impose county regulations on significant new oil & gas drilling in our West End Zone District,
working to reclaim Norwood’s Greager Road (40-J) access to Lone Cone after it was given away by the State Land Board, and
pushing to make San Miguel County the 6th government in the nation to pass a resolution in protest of the Patriot Act, as the Town of Telluride later did as well – in fact, to date three states, and 270 cities, towns and counties, representing 47 million Americans have done so.
But he noted, “Still, there’s a lot more that needs to be done in the way of affordable housing, transportation and environmental protection.”
Goodtimes asked, “Will Telluride go the way of Aspen? Will Norwood become a New West El Jebel? Can Egnar, Slickrock, Disappointment and Dry Creek Basin remain the last of the Old West’s open spaces?”
And concluding, he said, “I will work to preserve San Miguel County’s unique quality of life and the very different character of its East and West Ends. As a Green, a small property owner with a young family, an organic potato gardener, and a poet, I believe I can continue to do a good job serving the citizens of San Miguel County as their elected representative.”
Campaign donations can be sent to the Committee to Re-elect Art Goodtimes, c/o Liz Lance, P.O. Box 301, Telluride CO 81435. Political contributions are not tax-deductible.