Flume_Lake_George_Meets_Candidates

Lake George meets the candidates
Libraries, roads top priorities
By Jennifer Mortimeyer. Correspondent

CANDIDATES VISIT LAKE GEORGE
Republican candidates for county commissioner communicate with Lake George residents on Aug. 2. From left to right are Doug Tamminga, Lillian Wissel, Richard Hodges, Mark Dowaliby and John Tighe. (Photo by Jennifer Mortimeyer/The Flume)

On the morning of Aug. 2, a Republican “Meet the Candidates” gathering was held in Lake George at the community center so residents could get to know the candidates for three Park County commissioner seats.

Republicans John Tighe, Doug Tamminga, Richard Hodges, Lillian Wissel, and Mark Dowaliby were all present to speak to a very small crowd of locals. No Democrats, independents, or third-party candidates were present at the Republican-sponsored event.

John Tighe is running for District 1 commissioner as the incumbent, having been a commissioner for the past three and a half years. He took the time in his introduction to refute certain accusations.

Tighe maintained that county employees have gotten raises, he has not violated any rules of the Internal Revenue Service, he does not receive a check from the Park County Sheriff’s Office, and the county was found to be in the right regarding land use regulations.

Doug Tamminga is also running for District 1 Commissioner. He said that he stands behind everything he wrote in a letter about Tighe.

He is running for commissioner because he believes funds are being misappropriated and more money needs to go to the Road and Bridge Department so that people will invest in the county. He wants to see economic growth in Park County in both commercial and residential areas.

Dick Hodges is running for the District 2 commissioner seat. He moved to Park County in 2005, and took an interest in the government when he began attending county meetings. Hodges is retired and has a background in the corporate world. He is interested in the Park County budget and finding ways to benefit the county with his business expertise. Hodges believes that the roads are a main priority, but he thinks they should be worked on after the internal issues affecting the county budget and management are worked through.

Lillian Wissel is the appointed incumbent for District 3, filling in the seat vacated when Doc McKay died last spring. She decided to run for the District 3 commissioner seat because she felt that there had been very little representation by the commissioners, particularly in District 3. She also emphasized the fact that the positions she has held in her 15 years of experience with the county were not temporary positions, and they were management positions.

Mark Dowaliby is running for the District 3 seat as well. He is mayor of the Town of Alma, and is also the vice chairman of the Park County Planning Commission. He pointed out that the town of Alma has seen a good deal of business growth under his leadership. Dowaliby fee1s that the county needs more businesses in order to attract revenue, and he would like to see towns like Lake George, Guffey, and Hartsel incorporate in order to help with economic development.

Republican and Park County Assessor Dave Wissel, who is the husband of Lillian Wissel, stood up and spoke in support of Jeff Crank, the District 5 candidate for U.S. Congress, saying that he would be good for the mountain counties. He also spoke in support of Mark Scheffel, candidate for District 4 of the state Senate.

One resident expressed concern about the possibility of a cut in library funding.

Tamminga said that he does believe libraries are important, but there are specific needs such as roads that are more important for funding.

“The library is a good thing, but at this time, a new library in Fairplay is not needed,” she said.

She went on to say that the county has a lot of things that it needs and wants, and she believes that libraries are important. However, since there is already one, a new one is not a priority at this time.

Hodges said that he, too, believes that libraries are important, but he does not want to have to cut essential services.

Dowaliby said that he would like to see the libraries receive funding because he sees the benefit that the libraries can have on not just the residents, but also the businesses, which he feels will help bring growth.

Tighe said that libraries are required by statute. He said that a $150,000 donation has been given toward the Fairplay library; and he feels that that will open doors to grants and other funding for the library

One resident expressed his concern that Lake George roads. suffer when the Lake George Road and Bridge employees are pulled to other areas such as Bailey.

Tighe said that employees are pulled from wherever necessary in order to handle emergencies that arise. He also said that employees in the Lake George area have more experience than other areas, making their knowledge and training very beneficial to other areas. Wissel said that when Doc McKay was alive, he had made a deal with the Bailey area to let them use Lake George employees for a special project last summer under stipulation that Lake George was paid back for their use. Tighe said that the new equipment purchased for the Lake George area is the fruit of that deal.

Dowaliby said that each area needs to fight for itself in order to get things done. He feels that tax incentives and incorporation would help bring in revenue from businesses, which in turn could be used on roads in that area.

Hodges said that communication is key to getting needs met. The residents of each area need to make sure that they are communicating their needs and priorities. He also felt that a master plan needed to be formulated and communicated.

One resident expressed concern that land use regulations are prohibitive to business growth. He cited Mountain Shadows Inn as an example.
Wissel said that she agrees that LURs are indeed prohibitive.

Tighe said that land and water use tax revenue is still going up, showing that growth is still occurring. He feels that by seeking heritage designation, tourism could be used a a main source of revenue, which would in turn help businesses.

Tamminga said that he feels tourism is too slow right now, and it would not be beneficial to concentrate on bringing more in.