Soapbox

Restore character to White House

To the editor,

The November election is about leadership. This year confronts the nation, communities, families and individuals with unprecedented crises. The COVID-19 pandemic ravages health, undermines the economy and inspires fear. The unconscionable police murder of George Floyd, yet another Black American, laid bare the unhealed wound of racism in America. So, the Black Lives Matter movement has joined the tense national conversation, even as we celebrate the centennial of women’s suffrage.

We need a leader to bring all Americans together: people of every color and heritage; women and men; LGBTQ and straight. Joe Biden is that leader. He has long experience in public service, 36 years in the Senate and eight years at the side of President Obama in the White House. He manifests compassion learned from the loss of family members and from publicly helping to lead the nation through economic recovery from the Great Recession. His selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate exhibits commitment to gender and racial equality, as well as to the needs of public safety.

The contrast with the sitting President is stark. President Harry Truman famously said, “The buck stops here.” The man in today’s White House instead lays blame everywhere but on himself, his policies, his actions, or his incessant self-serving words.

The most egregious example is the pandemic. Simulations that sought to prepare leaders for it did not conceive a scenario in which the U.S. President would marginalize medical scientists and promote untested remedies. He ignored months of warnings about COVID19, denied the threat, refused to lead a national response and broadcast divisiveness to the nation instead of unification. Measured by the world average COVID-19 death rate, his words and his actions – or lack of them – have already cost close to 200,000 American lives.

The differences go deeper: integrity vs. corruption, truth vs. lies, policy knowledge vs. seat-of-the-pants ignorance –in short, character. Of course, there also are deep differ

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ences over such issues as climate change, growing economic inequality and the role of America in the world.

America needs regime change. Vote Biden-Harris. – Dick White, Durango ... moreSoapbox4

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SoapBox

from p. 5

Jack thinks bigger, better

To the editor,

I met Jack Turner when I was on the Board of Governors for the ABC Network and served as GM for the Salt Lake City affiliate. We were tasked by then-Gov. Bangerter to bring the Olympic Winter Games to Utah – a feat that should have been impossible because Anchorage, AK, was already the U.S. Nominee.

It was Jack who conceived a unique plan to win the Olympic nomination. He convinced everyone on the Organizing Committee that traditional bid tactics would never work. Instead, he created a three-prong approach that would appeal to local communities, athletes and the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Central to the plan was organizing the largest, most diverse, winters sports festival of the time, the Utah Winter Games. Jack was named the first executive director and built it from the ground up. He convinced hundreds of volunteers to host events for athletes of all ages and abilities in all the winter Olympic sports. World Cup competitors, nationally ranked athletes, kids, seniors and Paralympic athletes were all included. It was the largest, most diverse event of its time.

Towns, cities and resorts across the Wasatch Front participated. Jack brought us together and brought out the best in everyone. His organizational and management skills were a key factor in Salt Lake City’s success in hosting the 2002 Games. Most important, however, is that success was achieved through the encouragement of others and dogged perseverance.

Jack Turner made us think big and be better. He’ll do the same as a La Plata County Commissioner. – David Woodcock, Puerta Vallarta, Mexico

Marsha brings the skills

To the editor,

We are pleased to endorse Marsha Porter-Norton for La Plata County commissioner. With deep roots in rural Southwest Colorado and a range of meaningful leadership experiences in La Plata County, Marsha is uniquely qualified to serve as our commissioner.

As long-term residents, we know the impact a skilled county commission can have. Now, as we work to live through and beyond the profound challenges to our health and economic wellbeing stemming from COVID-19, we will rely upon strong leadership to help guide our efforts.

Fortunately, we have a candidate in Marsha who can draw upon recent-relevant-hands-on leadership experience. A review of Marsha’s work highlights both the breadth of her involvement across a range of issues as well as the depth of her engagement in the details of successful initiatives aimed at improving health, promoting economic development and addressing environmental concerns. Perhaps most significantly, Marsha has demonstrated her skills in organizing diverse groups of people with different and often conflicting points of view and facilitating their work towards achieving durable solutions.

We encourage you to join with us and vote for Marsha Porter-Norton. – Carol and Scott Wallace, Durango

Deserving of the endorsements

To the editor,

When Marsha Porter-Norton decided to run for county commissioner, there was not one individual with knowledge of her work who was not excited by the possibility of her serving. That knowledge immediately translated to firm support; which sadly has been disparaged by her opponent who continues to call into question the number and timing of endorsements she has received. He shouldn’t; she is quite deserving.

No candidate for the office has had better preparation for what the office will demand than Marsha. Her local roots run deep, and her experience as a mediator bringing disparate groups together to forge sound agreements which address the concerns of all parties is the perfect background to bring to such a job.

The primary skill of a good mediator is listening. After listening, being able to critically analyze what has been said and how to make sense of different takes on the same subject and be able to offer sound advice or solutions is critical. The third skill is putting forth sound recommendations and establishing favorable outcomes based on the information received. These are rare skills that few I have known actually possess. Marsha has the entire skill set and they are sharply honed. Marsha’s commitment to fairness in mediation has resulted in agreements all have felt met the needs of their organizations. This is the type of leadership that translates well to being a member of the BOCC.

Running for office is difficult, and we should thank both Jack Turner and Marsha Porter-Norton for giving us a choice. But in making that selection, a strong local record of accomplishment should be the foundation. In this race, the strongest record of accomplishment in the public sphere is Marsha, without question!

It is clear. Marsha Porter–Norton is the better choice for District 2 La Plata County Commissioner. Please join me in marking the ballot for Marsha!

Ballots and blue books will be distributed in the next few weeks. Study the blue books and don’t let your ballot sit on your counter; fill it out and return it to a ballot pick-up box as soon as you get it. There is too much risk in not making certain your ballot is cast and counted! After you return it, you can check and see if your ballot was received.

And if you believe that the Republicans deserve the same fate as the Whigs, vote blue! – David Black, Bayfield

Prop 115 another abortion ban

To the editor,

The “No on 115” campaign has launched to fight another abortion ban that Colorado voters will have to decide on this November. As our state continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, this is no time to throw roadblocks in the way for hard-working families on the Western Slope and throughout the state – but that’s exactly what Proposition 115 will do.

Proposition 115 is a one-size-fits-all ban on abortion later in pregnancy that leaves absolutely no room for the complexities of pregnancy or personal health-care needs. There are no exceptions for rape and incest or if there is a lethal fetal diagnosis. This is unfair and impossibly cruel. Families in Colorado deserve more. They deserve to have access to all of their medical options, especially if something goes wrong.

As voters, we’ve already weighed in on this issue and have decided over and over again that the government shouldn’t play a role in these personal decisions. We have already said “no” to three abortion bans in Colorado: in 2008, 2010 and 2014.

Coloradans have enough on their hands right now. We do not need politicians getting in the way of our health care and the ability to choose what is best for ourselves and our families. Abortion should be accessible to all, no matter who they are, what they look like, or how much money they make. – Olivia DiNucci, Durango

Jack cares for the community

To the editor,

With the 2020 election upon us, I wanted to write about one of our candidates for county commissioner, Jack Turner. Growing up in Durango, I have been able to experience Jacks’ kindness first hand. When I was young, my family started the Durango BMX track in town, but unfortunately their health declined pretty quickly after. My dad is now in a nursing home and can’t do as much as he used to, but Jack saw this as an opportunity to change someone’s life by spearheading a campaign to make June 21st “Danny & Sandy Myers BMX Day in Durango.” He ended up pulling together an event to show appreciation for them and even got an official proclamation from the mayor.

I can’t begin to tell you how thankful I am to Jack for doing this for my parents, but I also can’t tell you how long it’s been since I’ve seen my parents’ eyes light up like that. He brought so much joy into our lives and gave us a memory that we will never forget. Jack received nothing for this and no one told him to do it. He did it out of the kindness of his heart, because he felt it was the right thing to do. This is why he would make a great county commissioner. We want someone who looks out for our community, not because it is their job, but because they actually care for the people in it. Jack is that person. – Dakota Myers, Durango