Yesterday in Part One, I touched briefly on the candidates campaigning for the job of Archuleta County Sheriff. I was not aware, yesterday, that Sheriff candidate Monica Medina had a campaign website, but a loyal Daily Post reader sent me a link to her website last night. You can visit it here.
Ms. Medina states on her website:
I am the only candidate with experience in Patrol, Investigations and Detention.
I have investigated minor to major crimes involving fraud, theft, burglaries, sex assaults, homicides and almost all other crimes.
I have completed hundreds of hours of law enforcement training and will continue completing more.
I have worked in all aspects of law enforcement. I was your county Patrol Woman before serving you as a detective. I’ve worked many years on the road as well as in a jail as a Detention Officer. With my experience in all of these roles, I would be able to efficiently run a Sheriff’s Office as it should be.
I AM THE MOST QUALIFIED CANDIDATE FOR SHERIFF ON THE BALLOT.
From what I know about the three Sheriff’s candidates, I would have to agree that, based on her long and varied law enforcement career, Ms. Medina is the most qualified candidate for Archuleta County Sheriff. Neither of the other two candidates have her level of experience.
Next, we can consider the two candidates for County Commissioner District 3 who will appear on your November ballot.
Last June, Republican Veronica Medina (no relation to Sheriff candidate Monica Medina) managed to defeat incumbent commissioner Alvin Schaaf during the primary election, to grab the Republican slot on the general election ballot.
Mr. Schaaf was elected to the District 3 seat four years ago, and is currently serving as the chair of the Board of County Commissioners. Apparently, he failed to make a sufficiently positive impression on the Republican voters during the primaries. My impression of Commissioner Schaaf — the most soft-spoken elected official I’ve observed in my 18 years as a Daily Post reporter — is that he was willing to serve another term, if the voters wanted him, but he wasn’t going to go out of his way to actually campaign for the job.
Ms. Medina, meanwhile, strikes me as one of the most aggressive campaigners ever to seek public office in Archuleta County. Early on in the campaign, she had her Jeep wrapped in campaign slogans and patriotic images, and the vehicle could be found at — seemingly — every public event where voters might gather. Republican voters, in particular.
We have a few Republican voters here in Pagosa.
Ms. Medina moved to Pagosa in 2014 and almost immediately involved herself in politics. From her website:
For the past 4 years I have constantly attended BoCC and Vets 4 Vets meetings. I’ve been President of [Archuleta County Republican Women] for the past 4 years. I’m the [Archuleta County Republican Central Committee] secretary, House District 59 Chairwoman, Secretary for Colorado Federation Republican Women and a Board member for Archuleta Housing. I have been a Licensed Realtor and a Human Resource Professional for 10+ years.
I’ve heard Ms. Medina speak at numerous public meetings over the past couple of years, most often from the perspective of a licensed realtor. At many of those same meetings, I’ve spoken as an advocate of government involvement in the community’s housing crisis, and for increased regulation and taxation of Short-Term Rentals — vacation rentals, STRs.
In that regard, Ms. Medina and I have been fairly consistently on opposite sides of the housing issue. For example… in a YouTube video interview with fellow realtor Matt Martin, posted 4 months ago, Ms. Medina was asked by Mr. Martin if she views STRs as a ‘commercial business’.
“I don’t think so. Personally. I don’t view it as a commercial business. I don’t. You know, a lot of us run commercial businesses out of our homes. A lot of realtors run a commercial business out of their homes. There are barber shops that run their business out of their home. So when you start to say you’re going to [define] STRs as a commercial business, what about all those other businesses?”
I run the Daily Post out of my home. But it’s actually my home. By definition, I operate a home-based business.
According to the County Planning Department, at least 80% of the STRs in Archuleta County are owned by persons or companies who don’t live here. When you convert a residential home into a small motel, and you don’t live in the motel yourself, you are no longer operating a ‘home-based business.’ You’re running a motel, and you hire employees to manage and clean the motel. At the same time, you are benefiting from a huge property tax ‘loophole’ … because you pay Colorado’s ‘residential’ property tax rate… one-quarter of the tax rate paid by all other commercial businesses in the community. I call that a problem.
Apparently, Ms. Medina doesn’t see things the same way I do. With that said, voters who hope to see housing prices and rental prices continue to climb, might do well to vote for Ms. Medina.
Running against Ms. Medina for the District 3 seat is another relative newcomer to the community, Rachel Suh. Ms. Suh is running as an Unaffiliated candidate, and is not part of the Republican Party machinery. And having interviewed her on a couple of occasions, I cannot see her ever becoming a cog in that kind of machinery.
She currently serves on the San Juan Water Conservancy District board of directors.
After graduating from Carroll University with a dual degree in Political Science and Religious Studies, I started multiple businesses and have become an experienced entrepreneur. In 2020, my husband, Michael, and I chose to raise our two small children in the tranquility of Pagosa Springs. l believe that philanthropy breeds community, and often participate in community and church volunteering, fundraising, and other charity efforts, as well as am a Trustee for Chimney Rock Interpretive Association, the nonprofit partner with the US Forest Service for Chimney Rock National Monument.
As County Commissioner, it would be my duty to use my background knowledge in Constitutional Law to reaffirm our county as following the appropriately delegated powers of government representatives in our Federal and State Constitutions, to protect Your Rights as an Individual, and to make sure your Voices Are Heard when it comes to social justice and equity issues, county development, community engagement about local resources, and other areas of concern.
Now, more than ever, we need representation that promises to put the community above personal or government interests, and I pledge that I will do that for you!
More recently, Ms. Suh has labeled herself “your official ‘No on 1A’ Candidate for Archuleta County Commissioner”. Her arguments against the proposed 1A sales tax increase were shared here in the Daily Post, in an article about ‘a graduated Lodgers Fee'(“Allow the Tourists to Help Us Meet Our Infrastructure Needs”) and another article about Colorado’s new law that allows the citizens to approve a wider range of uses for Lodgers Tax (“Lodging Tax Diversification Should Have Been on the Ballot”).
Are the Archuleta County voters ready for a Commissioner who thinks outside the Republican Party box? We will find out on November 8.
But there’s one more issue on the ballot that’s pretty damned important.