With the November election approaching, Galena Gleason, running against Candy Meehan for county commissioner, told the Forum representing District 3 and Wright’s Mesa is her number one priority.
“As I have demonstrated as a member of the San Miguel County Planning Commission, I am a very astute listener and inform my decisions by taking in all information provided by staff, applicants, and the public,” she said. “I really trust my instincts and operate by being open to learning and listening. Strong leadership is based on one's ability to take all information and views into consideration and make decisions that will serve the greater good.”
Gleason said she has prioritized taking time to sit down and listen to her community. She’s an ambassador for the recently established West End Sustainability Plan — “which I feel is creating an inclusive, approachable format for West End residents to voice their opinions on important issues and create a unified and collaborative vision for our future,” she said.
She wants to listen to all voices and bridge any divide that exists between the West and East ends.
Transparency is something she said is “critical” and she’d like to communicate regularly with constituents if elected. She said she’ll be available in person, by phone and online to meet with the public. Public engagement, hearing all voices and asking hard questions are what she believes in.
Her stance on solar energy for Wright’s Mesa is that she’s not for large-scale development. She’s worried about wildlife, ag land, fire danger, water and more.
“I volunteered to sit on the Solar Regulations Subcommittee and ensured that Wright’s Mesa Rural Agricultural zone (WMRA) was omitted from consideration for future large-scale solar energy system development,” she said.
She added San Miguel County adopted its new solar regulations Sept. 18 and described those as “powerful” and “some of the most strict and detailed written to date in Colorado.”
“With these safeguards in place, I feel that potential medium- and small-scale projects proposed on Wright’s Mesa will be properly sited, and impacts will be mitigated,” she said. “I believe these regulations will encourage community-scale projects that help us work towards climate action goals without losing our community character, stretching our resources thin, and negatively impacting wildlife, water, and the lands that we value.”
Regarding the proposed national monument along the Dolores River, Gleason said she “personally values the wild and biodiverse nature” of the area. She said she’s not sure how to determine the best course of action going forward, but she knows the consensus is that everyone cares deeply about the river corridor.
“An aspect of the process I have not agreed with is at the beginning of the monument proposal timeline, a large sector of the local community and stakeholders were not included in the conversation and did not have an initial seat at the table,” she said. “The concerns from local communities related to lack of existing infrastructure, emergency response capabilities, and private land access in relation to the proposed monument footprint (and) are some important points that need to be heard.”
She said there was collaboration with the NCA (national conservation area), but Mesa and Montrose counties pulling out of that left an opening for what’s on the table now.
“It is my hope that Senator (Michael) Bennett and Senator (John) Hickenlooper find a means to protect the Dolores River corridor that all stakeholders can agree on,” she said. “The appropriate course of action is to find consensus and build a collaborative plan that considers all stakeholders and includes the local community’s concerns and perspectives.”
To listen to constituents’ concerns she said she would schedule weekly office hours in Norwood and in Telluride for sit-down talks. She also wants to host a bi-monthly “Coffee with Your Commissioner” listening sessions in Norwood and Placerville. She said she’d share information on her social media pages too.
