Thank you, Gunnison

Editor:

I want to extend my deepest thanks to everyone who supported me throughout this campaign — to those who lent their time, their encouragement and their faith in the vision we shared for Gunnison’s future.

Last week I came up just short by only a single percent, but I couldn’t be prouder of the campaign we ran together. We stayed true to our values: respectful, community-minded and focused on the issues that matter most to the people who call this valley home.

This result does not mark an end, but rather a beginning. The conversations we started about housing, growth, opportunity and preserving what makes Gunnison special will continue. I will keep doing my part as a citizen, a neighbor and a lifelong member of this community to see those goals through.

I’ve learned so much through this election and I know I have much more to learn. I’m young and my story in public service is just beginning. I’m certain this won’t be the last time you see my name on the ballot. 

With the hope being that I will be able to once again ask for the honor to serve the good people of Gunnison in the 2027 election for Gunnison City Council.

To Loren Ahonen, Audrey Zahradka and Matt Schwartz, I offer my sincere congratulations, best wishes and my full support in the work ahead. Gunnison belongs to all of us and I believe we are at our best when we move forward together.

Thank you again to everyone who stood beside me, thank you Gunnison. I’m grateful beyond words.

Tristen Coleman

Gunnison

Shout out for service

Editor:

We wish to give thanks to Tyler Martineau for his long and deep engagement with the Gunnison Watershed School District. As Tyler’s term as a school board member wraps up in November, we want to take this moment to thank Tyler for his leadership, expertise and dedication. 

Over the years, Tyler has been a member of the school board, as well as a key player in the mill-levy override, bond election and current construction project. Tyler is also a parent of two students who went through Crested Butte Community School from kindergarten through graduation. It really is tremendous how much time and energy Tyler put into our school community before and long after his children graduated. 

Tyler has been a member of the school board for more than seven years, from 2018 to 2025, and served as president in recent years. He has been a member of the Crested Butte Community School Accountability Committee for 24 years, from 2001 to the present, serving as its chair from 2004-2017. He also served on the Gunnison Watershed School District Accountability Committee from 2009-2017. 

In 2014, he served as treasurer for the school district mill-levy override campaign, which was approved that year by local voters and has made possible the delivery of much-needed educational services for students throughout the school district.

From 2017-2022, he participated in planning efforts for the renovation and expansion of the school district’s five campuses. In 2022, he served on the campaign committee that supported the school district’s successful construction bond election and subsequent school district construction project.

Thank you, Tyler, for everything you have done for this community.

Sean McCune, CBCS principal

Sally Hensley, CBCS principal

Dalila Fairchild, 

CBCS PTA president 

Jennie Reithel, 

GWSD incoming board member

Disturbing events

Editor:

I write with deep concern for the safety and well-being of our community after witnessing disturbing events in Gunnison County.

Over the summer, my 70-year-old parents were campground hosts when they were attacked by a man more than 25 years younger than them over a forestry fee to dispose of a bag of trash. My mother was pushed to the ground and beaten. When my father came to her defense, the man turned on him, leaving my dad with a fractured femur and torn shoulder that required weeks in the hospital and ongoing recovery. The assailant was arrested and held on a $25,000 bond for about a month.

More recently, our community was devastated by the fatal crash near the Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery that took the life of 38-year-old Crested Butte resident Heather Cooper. According to the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office, 18-year-old Dylan Blessing-Garcia of Seattle was charged with vehicular homicide after attempting to pass in a no-passing zone. His bond was set at $5,000, and he was released shortly thereafter.

While we may not know every detail of that tragic morning, the facts are clear: a driver’s poor judgment cost a life. Whether caused by fatigue, distraction or impatience, such choices have devastating consequences. The Colorado State Patrol reminds us that drowsy or inattentive driving can be as dangerous as driving drunk — after 18 to 24 hours without sleep, a driver’s impairment can mirror a blood-alcohol concentration of .05 to .10 percent. Driving while fatigued can be charged as reckless driving under C.R.S. 42-4-1401, a Class 2 misdemeanor.

These incidents, though different, share a troubling theme: disregard for the rules that keep us safe. When we allow small acts of disrespect — ignoring campground rules, speeding, passing in no-passing zones — to go unchecked, we set the stage for greater harm.

I call on all who live in or visit Gunnison County to take greater responsibility on our roads and in our shared spaces. Be respectful. Be alert. If you are tired, pull over. Slow down. Obey the lines on the road. A moment’s impatience or carelessness can alter lives forever.

I also urge our local leaders and law enforcement agencies to maintain visible and consistent enforcement of traffic laws. Presence matters — it reminds people that safety is not optional. From minor violations to major offenses, accountability saves lives.

To those who have lost loved ones, including Heather Cooper’s family, please know the community grieves with you. We must honor her memory by learning from this tragedy and preventing another.

What has our society come to when violence and reckless driving have become commonplace? We can, and must, do better. Respect the rules. Respect your neighbors. Above all, respect life.

Cori Balch

Gunnison

Housing transition continues

Editor:

As chair of the Gunnison County Board of Commissioners and president of the Gunnison Valley Regional Housing Authority (GVRHA) Board, I want to provide our community with another update on the ongoing transition of the Housing Authority and share how we are ensuring a stable foundation for housing services in 2026 and beyond.

When we began this transition process earlier this year, we said that the Housing Authority was entering a new chapter that will focus on improving service, strengthening coordination and creating a structure that better supports our residents and partners for the long term. That vision remains true today.

Over the past several months, the GVRHA board has prioritized the complex legal and administrative work needed to ensure a smooth and responsible transition. This includes transferring GVRHA’s housing loan portfolio and real property interests to the Gunnison County Housing Authority in compliance with state and federal guidelines. Simultaneously, we have continued property management, deed restriction compliance, and homeownership program operations without interruption, and we have worked with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs to maintain existing tax credits and loan programs.

Throughout this process, we have been in close communication with all our jurisdictional partners, including the Town of Crested Butte, Town of Mt. Crested Butte and City of Gunnison. I want to thank each of our partners for their steady leadership and commitment to the hard work of creating a shared vision for housing in our Valley.

As this transition unfolds, we are committed to continuing our role as the community’s affordable housing resource and to managing the properties in the GVRHA portfolio. Importantly, I’m also pleased to share that the GV-HEAT program will continue into 2026 under Gunnison County administration. We know how important this program is for helping residents improve energy efficiency and reduce utility costs, and we are committed to ensuring it continues smoothly while we evaluate where it best fits for the future. 

As we move into the final two GVRHA meetings of 2025, our focus remains on consistency, accountability and long-term strength. This transition is not about closing a chapter — it’s about building a more stable, responsive, and coordinated foundation for housing work across the Gunnison Valley.

Change always brings questions, but I want to assure our community that this process is guided by transparency, collaboration and a deep respect for the people we serve. Together, we are creating a stronger system that will continue to deliver on the promise of affordable housing for those who call this Valley home.

If you’re interested in learning more about this transition or would like to see the work in action, please feel free to reach out to me directly or join one of the final two GVRHA Board meetings via Zoom or in person.

 Laura Puckett Daniels

Gunnison County

Tax tourists, not working families

Editor:

The Colorado state legislature passed House Bill 25-1247 this year, allowing mountain communities to raise their lodging taxes. This bill allowed counties to triple such taxes and spend the money on a wider range of projects, including public infrastructure, childcare and housing for workers.

Last Tuesday, six counties voted to increase their lodging tax: Eagle, Gilpen, Hinsdale, Ouray, Routt and Park.

This measure was absent on Gunnison’s ballots. County commissioners, mayors and council members, I ask why?

Instead, there was the continued assault on working families and senior citizens to pay more taxes for the Gunnison Fire Protection District, which would have been added on to the higher taxes due to upcoming higher real estate assessments. Taxpayers voted “No more taxes” for a new fire station.

How could a tripling of lodging taxes benefit Gunnison citizens?

• A new firehouse for Gunnison

• Road infrastructure improvements

• Reducing sales tax on groceries

• Housing

• Childcare

• A YMCA in Crested Butte

How would a YMCA benefit the north end of the valley? Johnstown, Colorado officials used public funds to build a new YMCA. A YMCA offers citizens childcare; summer camps for youth; rooms for social services and mindful therapy (mental health anyone?); after school activities for students; a swimming pool and saunas for both locals and tourists (fee based for tourists).  It’s a true plus to increase tourism.

The Republican party urges our local officials to place this on the next ballot. The benefits are too great to ignore at no cost to our citizens.

Neil Watko 

Gunnison County Republicans