Democratic incumbent Katie Stewart and Republican challenger Naomi Riess, candidates for Colorado House District 59, answered questions at a debate hosted by Indivisible Durango over the weekend.
Saturday’s questions covered unfunded mandates, infrastructure, healthcare affordability, land use and TABOR – Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.
Stewart, a fourth-generation Durangoan nearing the end of her first term, and Riess, who has lived in the area for three decades and is making her first foray into politics, both expressed a willingness to work across the aisle and break with their parties when necessary. Riess said she does not support Victor Marx, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, while Stewart pointed to bills she co-sponsored with Republican representatives.
On the Medicaid and healthcare budget crisis, Stewart attributed much of the problem to H.R. 1, which she said will decimate Medicaid and rural healthcare.
Riess disagreed with placing the blame entirely on the budget reconciliation bill, pointing instead to state-level mismanagement, including a $300 million Medicaid error and roughly 200 bills that added administrative costs.
The candidates also split on education funding. Stewart opposes using public money for private schools, while Riess supports public funding for public and charter schools only.
They also disagreed about TABOR. Riess supports it “in its existing form,” while Stewart opposes the current formula, saying it does not track healthcare cost growth.
Riess supports grazing and timber on public lands and is open to mineral extraction when consistent with federal land designations and good management.
“Each piece of land is probably a different conversation,” she said, adding that the country still needs resources used in everyday life, from cellphones to electricity.
Stewart said extraction “cannot (come) at the expense of our public lands,” which she described as both an economic driver and a core part of Colorado’s culture.
Asked how the Legislature can support small agricultural businesses as drought threatens the state, Riess said lawmakers should stop passing legislation that harms agriculture and called for greater support of local food production.
“I believe that we should all have a freezer full of meat that has been locally produced,” she said, calling local production and consumption critical to the economy.
Stewart agreed that local food production is important but said affordability is a barrier for many Coloradans.
“It would be wonderful if everybody had a freezer full of locally sourced meat and could spend time growing tomatoes,” she said. “Unfortunately, affordability is a large issue.”
She said Colorado needs to help agricultural producers adapt to a changing climate, including through education about drought-resistant crops and water planning.
“Agriculture is one of the largest economic drivers in Colorado, so we need to make sure our producers are not left behind,” Stewart said.
The candidates will face off at the ballot box in November.
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