Curry and Suckla make their cases in League of Women Voters forum
By Owen Perkins, Planet Contributor
In two weeks, ballots for the November 5 election will go out to all registered voters. There are four contested elections for office on the ballot — U.S. President, State Senator District 6, State Representative District 58, and San Miguel County Commissioner District 3.
[Editor’s Note: This is the first story in a two-part series on HD58 candidates Kathleen Curry and Larry Don Suckla. Part one focuses on Curry’s positions.]
The candidates for State House District 58 (HD58), Democrat Kathleen Curry and Republican Larry Don Suckla, participated in a virtual forum Tuesday, Sept. 24, hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Uncompahgre Valley. They addressed issues such as affordable housing, water, immigration, mental health, climate change, and education. The Daily Planet caught up with both candidates individually on Wednesday for some follow-up questions focused on Telluride and San Miguel County.
The district covers eight counties — Delta, Dolores, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray and San Miguel, with the largest municipalities including Montrose, Gunnison, Telluride, Olathe and Crested Butte.
Curry is seeking a return to the state capitol, where she served for three terms from 2005 through 2010. She lives in Gunnison, comes from a ranch family and has spent 25 years working in water, including the last six years as an advocate at the capitol for Western Slope water districts, sportsmen and women, and the agricultural sector.
“I care deeply about the Western Slope, and I wanted to make sure that we had a strong and effective voice on our behalf at the Capitol,” Curry said in the forum, noting that only six of the 65 state house districts cover the Western Slope.
“I have spent some time going to the Telluride town council meeting about a week ago, and I’ve gone to some of the county commissioner meetings to try to make sure I had some idea of what people were working on, what they are concerned about,” Curry said of her efforts to understand a widely diverse district.
“Affordable housing is mentioned by a lot by voters,” Curry said. “Telluride has obviously been really active on that front for a while. You’re kind of a model for the rest of us because we aren’t quite as advanced, don’t have as many units.”
Curry also reported spending time in Norwood.
“I heard a lot about the proposed installation of the solar farm on Wright’s Mesa,” she said. “I hear about the [proposed Dolores Canyons National] Monument quite a bit.
“I could help [Telluride] with senior care services, behavioral health and regular health care costs, affordable housing, and of course, water because that’s kind of my bailiwick. My understanding is that there are some water challenges facing the town. We also are likely to see more bills about short-term rentals and about accessory dwelling units, so probably some land use questions are going to come up as well.”
There are many differences between the two candidates, and though the forum’s structure didn’t allow for rebuttals, the Planet did.
“We’re on different pages with regard to behavioral health and mental health,” Curry said of Suckla. “He gave an example based on thoughts from his high-school-age daughter about the kids she was interacting with. I don’t think he really acknowledged the extent of the problem, especially for our younger people. What I’m seeing is our mental health challenges are literally leading to people taking their lives, so I don’t think that should be discounted.”
Suckla took issue with his daughter’s reports that friends at school were being told “there’s something wrong with them and that maybe they need to be put on medication.”
Questioning the credentials of those making assessments at the school, Suckla said, “I ain’t so sure that there’s as many people that have mental health problems as what the people are trying to tell them that they do.”
Curry also noted significant differences in their views on undocumented immigrants after Suckla said, “It is a huge impact on the citizens of Colorado, and I say don’t let any more in,” citing 42,000 immigrants in Denver who he said were taking affordable housing away from legal immigrants.
“We have a different view on our obligation to try to help people in need,” Curry told the Planet. “I don’t see all of the undocumented immigrants as being people that commit crimes. That’s a broad generalization. It’s not justified. There’s a big difference between people who are here already contributing to society, paying taxes, helping us address our workforce challenges… versus the incoming people that have arrived in Denver, primarily.”
Though both candidates have ranching backgrounds, their perspectives on water in the West and how the state should address climate change differ.
“The climate changes every day, and there’s nothing that I believe we can do about it,” Suckla said in the forum.
“The weather changes every day, but overall, there is a reduction, especially in hydrologic factors, that is temperature driven, and it’s a reality that we can’t ignore,” Curry told the Planet, citing the reduced inflows in the Colorado River and calling for action to “slow the rate” of change.
For a more personal perspective, the Planet asked each candidate about a public figure whose leadership qualities they admire and aspire to. Curry cited former Colorado Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“What I loved the most was [Romanoff’s] respect and support for the legislative branch,” Curry said. “And Zelenskyy’s level of courage is hard to measure. I’ve never encountered an individual so committed to bettering the lives of his people.”
A video of the League of Women Voters HD58 candidate forum is available at youtube.com/watch?v=RH67ZEolp88
The full Daily Planet interviews with each candidate are at telluridenews.com.
