During this 2022 General Election campaign, Ark Valley Voice (AVV) asked candidates running for the District 3 Chaffee County Commissioners seat five initial questions to explain their reasons for running, and what they want to accomplish.
On Sunday, AVV received these answers from Adriane Kuhn, running as an unaffiliated candidate:
Adriane Kuhn is running as an unaffiliated candidate for Chaffee County Commissioner. Courtesy photo.
Q. Why are you running for Chaffee County Commissioner?
A. I didn’t like my choices in the primary. Instead of complaining, I decided to run. We need a leader who will seek out fresh perspectives and solutions. One willing to listen to and collaborate with, not just their chosen group or old friends, but to every voice. I’ve been here long enough to become deeply attached to this place. There is nowhere else my husband and I would rather raise our children. I care about the future of this county. At 43, I have the experience and wisdom to see different sides of an issue. I’m strong enough to ask tough questions and make tough decisions. I have the energy and commitment to work hard for all of Chaffee County.
Secondly, I’m not happy with our two-party system. We don’t need it in local government. In many ways the two-party system has failed our nation. I speculate this is why 47 percent of Chaffee voters are registered as unaffiliated. People are expected to have blind loyalty to a party platform, some of which they may not agree with. I take every issue as it comes. I am registered and am running as unaffiliated. I will represent my constituents, not myself. If I determine that the majority of my constituents feel strongly about an issue, I will vote for what they want, even if it does not match my personal opinion on the matter. There are usually multiple right ways to do things, just as there are many wrong ways. I can compromise on details that fit within a workable framework. But I will not vote for something I think is unworkable just to pretend there is a consensus. I know it is impossible for everyone to be happy with every outcome. But I can make sure that those who want to be heard have someone to listen to them.
In addition, I have a strong sense of integrity. It’s crucial to know your government is working for you and that your elected officials are not out for personal gain or for the benefit of friends and allies. Lastly, our lack of recycling is an important topic to me and I’ll address that in a further question.
Q. What is your strongest qualification as a candidate; what makes you the best candidate at this time for this role?
A. I would bring a fresh voice to the role of county commissioner. The last woman elected as commissioner was in the 80’s. No one should vote for me solely because of my gender, I have much more to offer than just that. But because I’m a woman, I bring a different perspective and life experiences. I will ask different questions and offer an alternative viewpoint that will help tailor our discussions and solutions to the benefit of all people of the county. In addition to being a mother and owning a local business, I was a successful realtor and certified master negotiator who understands complex land issues and contract law. I believe it’s important to be relatable and listen, to not be condescending and to be able to explain reasons for decisions made. As a business owner, I look for my employees’ strengths and listen to their perspectives and ideas which helps me find better ways to run the business. I’m not interested in dictating the rules but instead working together to create best practices. Open communication with other agencies is important to find out how we can help each other, avoid redundancy, and build a strong county together. It’s not about already knowing people and promoting the same group but finding the best ideas and working with everyone.
Q. What do you want to accomplish should you be selected as a county commissioner?
A. A major priority I have is to bring back public recycling. Without a place where people can bring their own recycling people are either hauling it to another county or just throwing it away. Too much recyclable material is choking our county landfill and shortening its lifespan. There are doable solutions that can be put in place. I have been meeting the department heads of Chaffee County and one of the first I met was Shannon Wilcox, the landfill manager. He kindly showed me around, explaining what is working well and what isn’t. I also met with Chris Lyons, owner of Shamrock Disposal Service, and learned so much about what could be done through the private sector and his perspective on what the county can do. Between just those two meetings I can already see a pathway to sustainable recycling in the county. Of course, land use codes are important, as is housing. These are ongoing issues that will need a multi-pronged approach that will never be “solved” but will need constant work that I look forward to being a part of.
Q. What is the greatest challenge facing Chaffee County, and what solutions are you
proposing to address it?
A. The growth and the change that occurs because of that growth. There are new land use codes going into place that I hope to be a part of enacting to keep growth in the towns and preserve our open rural lands. Housing prices are going up not just in Chaffee but all over the country. We need a comprehensive approach to our needs. There is no perfect solution to solve housing but using the resources that our county already has will help to stabilize the division that is growing between locals, second homeowners, and short-term visitors. Making sure we pay our county employees appropriately will help to ensure not only that our county is maintained and jobs are filled but that the people that work here can afford to live here.
Supporting our public health services such as dental and breastfeeding support will help our locals be successful in their jobs, advance their careers, or simply be able to continue working, pay the bills, and keep their home. Expanding programs like early childcare will help working parents keep, or fill, well paying jobs instead of employers looking to fill those positions from outside the area. In all the upcoming issues that we face in Chaffee often there is not one easy solution to a “fix”. I am someone who will research different ideas, see what works and doesn’t in different communities, and consider many perspectives to find balanced solutions.
Q. What is your position regarding the Chaffee County (via the Chaffee Housing Authority and the Multijurisdictional Housing Authority) ballot question on raising county property taxes to fund workforce housing? Do you support it, or do you support another alternative, and if so, what is it?
A. I have reservations about it. Implementing workforce housing is crucial. The problem I have with the ballot question is raising property taxes to do so. Taxes and valuations have risen quite a bit in the last few years and I’m certain there will be a tax question on the ballot for the south part of the county about a new school in Poncha Springs in the near future. Many people already are living on the brink of being priced out of their homes. The tax will be passed along to renters; both residential and commercial renters. Won’t this squeeze workers and local businesses further? I am for CO Proposition 123: Dedicated State Income Tax Revenue for Affordable Housing Programs. This at least is not a regressive tax that would get passed down to those who could least afford it.
Another possible solution, and this is an out-of-the-box idea that needs more work, would be starting a housing utility. A vehicle where community investment can be made to build housing. When net rent receipts exceed a required predetermined maintenance fund,a dividend can be paid back to the investors. Again, not a refined idea, but a different way to get to the same end without raising taxes.
Editor’s Note: Since its founding in 2018, Ark Valley Voice has never endorsed candidates and will not do so in this election. We present information about candidates to ensure that Chaffee County voters have information to make their own decisions. In the race for the District 3 Board of County Commissioners seat, we have covered PT Wood, and he has answered these questions. Republican candidate Brandon Becker has not yet chosen to answer any question.
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