To the Editor,
The Salida Airport is jointly owned by the City of Salida and Chaffee County. For a number of years now I have been fortunate to be a representative for the City to the Airport Advisory Board. The Advisory Board is made up of pilots and others with aviation backgrounds and we advise the County Commissioners and City Council on dealing with the FAA, airport expansion, hangar construction, and other issues.
It was in that capacity that I first met Keith Baker. Early in his first campaign for County Commissioner, Keith began attending our open Board meetings. He came to a number of our monthly meetings and explained he wanted to gain an understanding of the issues affecting the airport. Keith was not only attending Airport board meetings but also meetings for other county interests including planning and zoning, road and bridge, building, and more.
Keith’s dedication, and time investment, was considerable and all this was during the campaign and long before he was elected. When he was elected he was able to hit the ground running and quickly become a valued member of our board. He continued attending Airport board meetings and his input showed he had spent lots of personal time on his own learning the intricacies of dealing with the FAA and aviation. Our airport is a county asset that receives millions of dollars from the FAA and managing this wisely is critical. Keith’s comments and input were valuable and his quick grasp of the issues involved in budgeting and management showed his competence in those areas.
Keith is now a proven commodity. He has executed the complex job of Commissioner well and his previous life experience shows in the job he is doing.
One thing in particular that impresses me about Keith is his ability to listen to and present many sides to an issue. While our board has a vested interest in aviation, Keith is always quick to think about how our plans will affect the agriculture and ranching interests in the valley or the small businesses in town.
Keith Baker brought to his Commissioner position his 23 years of Navy service, his work on the BV town council, and Friends of Brown’s Canyon success. Now he has added one term of exemplary dedication to the job of Chaffee County Commissioner. It is in the best interest of all Chaffee County citizens that we re-elect Keith to another term serving our county.
Rob Dubin
Salida
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