‘People over Politics’

Greg Lopez has announced his third run at the Republican Party nomination for governor of Colorado. He is the former mayor of Parker, Colorado, former director of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Colorado office, former president and CEO of the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and served briefly as U.S. representative from Colorado’s congressional district 4. 

Lopez was in Gunnison on July 25 ahead of the Gunnison County Republicans Lincoln Day dinner and fundraiser. The Times sat down with him to discuss his candidacy — and what he sees as key priorities for Gunnison County.

(Editor’s note: This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.)

Your campaign slogan is “People over Politics.” What does that mean to you?

What it means to me is that government should always be looking at how are decisions impacting the lives of people? Because you're making long-term decisions, you're not making decisions based on the next six months. So you should always look through the lens of visionary glasses. Whatever decision you make today, it impacts people's lives. And it's not about politics, because the political winds will shift. But if you're looking to help the quality of life of people, then you will always pause and ask yourself, “How is this helping small business owners? How is this helping the younger generation? How is this helping seniors?” I'm not going to play politics. I'm going to make decisions based on what's in the best interest of the people of the entire state of Colorado.

Politics is another word for how do you spend a limited pool of money? As governor, how would you prioritize the needs of rural Colorado alongside urban areas?

I don't see the urban corridor as being more important than rural Colorado.They both bring something unique to the state, and we need to be respectful of that. I'm sick and tired personally of seeing the urban corridor take advantage of the fact that they have the most numbers. When you play politics, what are you doing? You're counting votes for the next election. That's why you will spend most of your money in the urban corridor. A lot of people won't even come out into rural Colorado because they say there's only 7,000 people that live in a particular county. That's one subdivision in Douglas County. It's catering to the vote, not catering to the needs of the people. When I was mayor of Parker, I was also the city manager. All the department heads reported directly to me. I was responsible for putting the budget together for the community. From that experience I learned how to prioritize funds.

What “quality of life” issues that you mentioned would you speak to voters here about?

One of the things I noticed as I was driving in is that Main Street is dying. There's a lot of open storefronts. Gunnison needs to have a vibrant economy. If you have a vibrant Main Street, there's an excitement about living in Gunnison. There's a pride that comes from living in Gunnison. I'm concerned with the economic vitality of communities across the state, the cost of living. Everywhere I travel throughout the state, everybody's talking about the cost of living. Everybody's talking about housing. You know, the younger generation, they don't truly believe that they can live the American dream, and that's not what America is all about. I've talked to builders, I've talked to developers. I understand land use. I firmly believe there are ways to bring down the cost of living.

One of the things people are upset about right now is the perception that federal funding cuts are putting additional pressure on a rural health care system that was already struggling. What’s your position about how to get in there and help solve that?  

When I was in Congress, I sat on the Budget Committee. America is $37 trillion in debt. We can't pay our own bills. We're living off a credit card. Some of these costs that are being brought down, you have to evaluate, how did these costs get up there so high to begin with? When we did the expansion of Medicaid that added a whole bunch of additional people onto Medicaid, we should have been asking, why is it that they can't afford health care? Are there not enough jobs? Is the economy not doing what it needs to do? Let's talk about why do they need subsidies in the first place. 

Just like the state is going to have another budget deficit this next cycle, the federal government is facing a deficit, and so we need to recognize government right now, financially is struggling. Every city is struggling because the sales tax revenues are not where there were. We're going to have to readjust and re-evaluate how we're going to address those needs. And I think this just takes conversation. Because when the health care provider knows the government is going to pay for it, I don't think there's an incentive for them to evaluate if their cost is reasonable or not.

Another thing on the minds of people in rural counties like Gunnison is how to keep our roads and bridges from crumbling to dust because funding is falling further behind every year. What are your ideas for fixing that at the state level?

Stop spending all this money in the urban corridor. Stop spending money on bike trails. Stop spending money on sidewalks. This money is for transportation. Every good, every service we receive gets delivered by truck. So our infrastructure is crucial to the economy. You cannot ignore it. Rural Colorado has been ignored for probably the last 40 years, if not longer. Rural Colorado is a stepchild. We'll get to you when we get to you. No, that's just wrong, and as governor, I'm going to make sure people understand that. And you know what? There's nothing wrong with the Urban corridor suffering with a little bit of pain while we're helping rural Colorado.

Residents of Gunnison County care a lot about protecting public lands. Given recent efforts to sell some public land in the west, what is your position?

There's a lot of struggle right now about public lands. What should it be used for? What is the most important use of public lands? I'm not sure that everybody understands the value of the public lands has to do with our economy, it has to do with funding schools, that it has to do with funding roads. There's a huge outdoor industry that is coming to Colorado every year to enjoy what we have to offer. They leave their money here, which is one of the best things that could happen in the state. You have tourism, they come and they leave, but they leave their money, and we can use it. I believe every Coloradan wants to protect it. I don't think anybody wants to see our public lands go to waste.

You’re a Republican running for governor in Colorado. What do you think it would take to win this state?

Here's what the average Coloradan is seeking: They want someone that will fight for them. That's why it's people over politics. They're sick and tired of the politics. They're sick and tired of one side pointing the finger at the other side and saying it's their fault. Unaffiliated voters number 1.9 million in the state of Colorado, and when you talk to them, they say, “We're sick of it.” We want someone that will bring solutions to the table. I will always be outspent. I don't come from money, but it's not about the money. People want someone that truly understands their struggles, understands every day what they're dealing with, and has an option or a solution to make their lives better. A lot of people think I'm a Democrat. You know why? Because of my ethnicity. I'm not offended. It works for me, because I can sit down with people and have a conversation. I want to understand how they see the world, because perhaps we're not seeing it correctly. Maybe I'm not seeing it correctly. I'm a spiritual man. I believe we're all brothers and sisters. I have brothers that I don't agree with. We're still family. That's the way I look at people. I'm here to do the best that I can do. I'm only one person, but as long as I can fight and speak for the masses, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to represent not only those that vote for me, but those that didn't vote for me, because that's what we are supposed to be doing.

(Alan Wartes can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or publisher@gunnisontimes.com.)