Dear Editor,
Hannah Hannah lacks qualifications needed in a County Commissioner.
Having recently seen signs and other promotional information for Hannah Hannah running for County Commissioner I decided to distract myself from our divisive national politics with a good look at our local political landscape. I must say I was sorely disappointed.
Hannah Hannah circulated a poster of herself standing in front of an incorrectly hung American Flag holding a firearm with a second gun in a holster on her hip.
Hannah Hannah Facebook photo. The photo has since been removed.
The firearms clearly indicate her position on the Second Amendment and if I remotely thought anyone in our county was suggesting an assault on gun rights here, she should get their vote.
The truth is there is little threat to gun rights on a county level, but there certainly are a number of other high priority issues facing us, especially in the midst of a pandemic.
The other noticeable point to be taken from the posed photo was her red boot laces laced in ladder fashion rather than the traditional X pattern most of us use. The boots and red laces in ladder fashion are an insignia of white Supremacist groups and in my opinion, have no place here in Chaffee County.
Further research on her own Hannah for Commissioner Facebook page lists her experience as professional mountain bike racer and extreme skier, fashion and jewelry designer, and a reference to some real estate work. She states she has been in the county for just two years. Nothing on her own pages indicates she has ever owned a business in Chaffee County nor run one.
Nothing on her page indicates she has ever worked on public policy or done any sort of public service work; no indication she ever managed a large complex budget or supervised any employees. No indication she is aware of what the County Commissioner’s job entails.
Compare this to the three existing commissioners — all of them had owned Chaffee County businesses, lived here for years learning the issues, and spent years in public service.
Greg Felt has a lifetime of water public policy advocacy.
Keith Baker was a BV Town Trustee and mayor pro-tem, executive director of Friends of Browns Canyon, all after a career as a Navy Commander, including a Pentagon posting.
Rusty Granzella grew up here, ran businesses, and was a Salida City Council member.
I appreciate Hannah’s effort to throw her hat in the ring for a job that pays nearly $75,000 per year, but if she wants to contribute to Chaffee County she should be spending hours and years at no-pay volunteer positions learning what public policy and public service is all about, rather than attempting to start in a very critical decision making position for which she has no qualifications.
Chaffee County Commissioners oversee a 32 million dollar budget and 290 employees and need to be well informed on everything from wildland fires to road construction to zoning regulations and much much more.
In my opinion, Hannah Hannah is woefully unqualified for the job she is seeking and I find it insulting that she is asking us to put her in charge of our future when she apparently has so little relevant experience.
Chaffee County deserves so much more. Help re-elect Greg Felt and Keith Baker.
Rob Dubin
Salida
Editor’s note: Letters to the Editor sent to Ark Valley Voice are required to supply claim substantiation; listed below for this letter.
Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center articles on the red laces:
https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/boots-and-laces
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2015/racist-skinhead-glossary
Clarification of U.S. flag Etiquette, the U.S. rules, and regulations for displaying a flag with her violations highlighted in red:
The accompanying photo was on the Hannah for Commissioner Facebook page and Dubin says that it has recently been removed.
You might want to read the rules of hanging a flag because she actually had it the right way! My husband is a Marine and had to learn all the rules!
I’m Voting For HANNAH HANNAH. She is very QUALIFIED. I’m looking forward to a Smart Woman input in these Challenging times that are here. There’s Room for Women to be Commisioners in Chaffee County.Its about Time.
“Lacking Qualifications” is an interesting statement. If Hannah Hannah were applying to be a rocket scientist, she would obviously not be qualified, but not qualified to be a county commissioner is not an accurate statement. Hannah Hannah must meet the age and residence requirement, then it is up to the voters to decide if she is qualified to be a Chaffee County Commissioner. Obviously, Ron Dubin has decided and will cast his vote accordingly.
I disagree with the statement “the truth is there is little threat to gun rights on a county level”, in fact that is a primary reason many Chaffee County residents support Hannah Hannah. Colorado House Bill 19-1177, known as The Red Flag Bill infringes upon the inalienable rights of the citizens of Chaffee County by allowing for family or household members or a law enforcement officer to petition a court for the temporary removal of weapons without notice to lawful gun owners, contemplating search warrants that order law enforcement to forcibly enter premises and seize a citizen’s property. Understandable, concerned citizens backed Sheriff Spezze when he recommended that the Commissioners designate Chaffee County as a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary County. The commissioners did not and now many residents are concerned about their 2nd Amendment rights!
[In my opinion]The way someone laces their boots is a bridge t0o far and connecting shoelaces to white supremacy is looking for a boogie man that does not exist.
In my working career I was responsible for multi-million-dollar budgets and hundreds of employees, which required the selection and development of team players. I developed a sense for recognizing exceptional people and Hannah Hannah will make an exceptional Chaffee County Commissioner!
Dennis Heap
Buena Vista, Colorado
No one here in this county is threatening to take away your guns. That is a straw man argument at best.
I am a gun owner. I am not concerned about having my guns taken away from me, and I will not vote for a candidate that is working to sow fear where it does not exist.
Hannah Hannah has aligned herself with the image we see of the White Supremacist uprising across this country- posing with loaded weapons in front of American flags and calling it “Freedom.”
I do not see this image as synonymous with Freedom. I see this image as an alignment with the radical hatred, intolerance of anyone who is not white and rabid gun violence in this country.
I am tired of this image. I am tired of reading about shootings. I am tired of children dying at the hands of young white men armed with guns. This is not the imagery of a true leader, and a true leader would understand that.
Not to mention- this photo was taken at Doolittle Ranch, where the owner’s son has been accused of showing pornographer to children in the Pony Patch Kids program. Is that in alignment with Republicans values? Last time I checked, it wasn’t.
Also, the flag is hung improperly. And a true Patriot would know that before taking this photo.