Political change can be violent, as history teaches us.
It can also come about peacefully.
We saw a few changes implied at three government meetings yesterday. Some of the implied changes were financially significant. Other changes were socially significant.
Let’s begin with the Archuleta Board of County Commissioners’ meeting, yesterday afternoon.
But where to start? So many peaceful changes, during one 3 1/2 hour meeting.
How about… the decision to reverse the BOCC decision, made last month, to spend $314,000 on design and engineering for a new Administration Building? That expenditure had been approved by Commissioners Warren Brown and Veronica Medina on September 16, with Commissioner John Ranson voting against the expenditure.
According to a presentation by interim County Manager Mike Torres, the RFP (Request For Proposals) that elicited responses from three out-of-town architecture firms produced two “incomplete” responses (priced at around $300,000 each) and one “complete” response (priced at $1.3 million). With the ongoing turnover in the County administration staff, the fact that two of the RFP responses were “incomplete” had not been apparent when the BOCC voted to accept one of those “incomplete” bids.
With this new understanding — that a complete design and engineering product was likely going to cost $1.3 million — the three commissioners agree to move the administration building project onto a back burner, and take another look later on, when the financial outlook for Archuleta County (and America) is more settled.
This decision aligns with the recommendations that the BOCC heard from constituents during public testimony on September 16.
So then, a change for the better, it would seem. Done peacefully.
Another change at the BOCC meeting: the commissioners convened into executive session and when they returned to public session, Commissioner Ranson moved to announce Longinos Gonzalez Jr. as the sole finalist for the Archuleta County Manager position. The BOCC is legally required to wait 14 days, after announcing a finalist, before making a formal contract offer.
Longinos Gonzalez Jr. was a member of the El Paso County Commission, in Colorado Springs, from January 2017 through January 2025, serving two terms. He’s also a former teacher in Harrison District 2, an Air Force veteran, and a graduate of the Air Force Academy.
Colorado Public Radio did an interview with Mr. Gonzalez when he ran for mayor of Colorado Springs in 2023. You can read that interview here.
From the interview:
What different approach would you take, if any, to help address housing affordability?
Addressing housing costs and long-term growth is one of my stated top three priorities. I have already called for stakeholder meetings that includes the city, county, and residents to develop a city and regional strategic growth and water plan. I also have the experience with my time on the County Housing Authority of promoting strategies and programs for entry level housing, such as grants, turnkey programs, and sponsoring private activity bonds that cuts the cost of construction. I will cut the red tape that slows the building process. That will save time and cut costs. I will also be a voice that opposes state bills that would add costly regulations to housing and result in increased housing costs.
What is the number one challenge facing the next mayor of Colorado Springs, and how would you address it?
I believe addressing rising crime is our number one challenge. Public safety is government’s #1 job, and that every resident should feel safe and be safe in their home and in their neighborhood. And I have the hands-on experience working side by side with law enforcement during my military career and locally on the city’s Public Safety Sales Tax Oversight committee for 6 years with the police and fire chiefs to best address concerns. Our community deserves excellence in meeting critical service needs such as police and fire, and emergency response… We can do better, and I WILL ensure that we do.
Mr. Gonzalez received about 9% of the vote in the 2023 mayoral election in Colorado Springs.
(If he is hired, he will be, in effect, the second “Jr.” in a row to serve as County Manager. Jack Harper “II” resigned as Manager this past summer.)
A third peaceful — but controversial — change unfolded at the BOCC meeting. From the agenda:
Public Hearing for Consideration of Approval of PLN-BCUP-24-189, 84 Ranch LLC, Wilderness Lodging, Board Conditional Use Permit
Brian Wattier, representing 84 Ranch LLC, has applied for Approval of PLN-BCUP-24-189, a Wilderness Lodging, Board Conditional Use Permit (BCUP) to operate an agriculturally based lodging establishment. 84 Ranch LLC plans to install five (5) mobile cabins for guest accommodation. These are studio units, ranging from 200-400 square feet with a bathroom in each. 84 Ranch LLC aims to offer hands-on activities for the guests to learn the intricacies of ranching and farming in Archuleta County. The parcel is zoned Agricultural Ranching (AR).
Presenter: Melissa Ryan Planning Manager
About half the people who testified at this Conditional Use Permit hearing were opposed to Mr. Wattier’s plan to create an “Agritourism” operation on his 40-acre ranch located about 7 miles south of town on Highway 84. The other half spoke in support.
Agritourism involves any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. The definition encompasses a wide range of activities, which can include direct-to-consumer sales such as farm stands and u-pick, agricultural education through school visits, hospitality services like overnight farm stays, and entertainment events like hayrides and harvest dinners.
These activities provide an additional source of income for farmers — and help sustain small-scale farms.
Let’s consider the word “sustain”.
Mr. Wattier raises hogs on his farm, as he explained to the BOCC yesterday, but farming and ranching in Archuleta County does not typically provide a living wage. According to the USDA, in 2022, we had 396 farms in Archuleta County, supporting 742 farmers, and the average farm income — net, after paying expenses — was $2,418 per farm.
Only a dozen farms in Archuleta County sold more than $50,000 worth of products…