Think Radio: Kathleen Curry

(Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from an interview on a current episode of Think Radio, a Gunnison Country Times podcast. It has been edited for length and clarity. To listen to the entire conversation, follow the link below.)

Kathleen Curry is the Democrat candidate to represent Colorado’s House District 58, which includes Gunnison County.

How did you get into politics?

First off, I don't really think of myself as a politician and prefer the term public servant. But I do understand that that might be how it looks to folks. So I got on this road to public service back in 2004 and decided to throw my hat in the ring and run for the House. Having absolutely no background in politics — I was managing the water district in Gunnison — and I thought, okay, how could I make the most difference? I could be an elected official. I could go down to the Capitol, and I could defend Western Slope water that way and have the most impact for the people at home. I had not ever set foot in the Capitol building. I hadn't attended a committee meeting. Lo and behold, I got elected and went down to the Capitol, and it wasn't at all what I thought it was going to be. You don't get to just work on the one issue that you might care about the most. And found out after three terms how spread thin the members are. You have to cover so many different bases and build relationships and figure out how to get things done. And I learned a lot. I absolutely love the legislative process. I'm policy oriented, and I got to work on issues that impacted people at home in their daily lives, and I truly loved serving. 

Why did you take such an interest in water policy?

I love that question, and it's going to sound a little bit corny, but when I was a kid in the fourth grade, I think, and … we had Sunday school, and we were cleaning the trash out of the stream behind the Sunday school. And I was so upset about all the trash that had been thrown into this little creek that I thought, you know, I want to work on protecting things like this, and that's never wavered. I've cared about the welfare of our rivers, streams and oceans since that day. I decided then that that's what I would do with my life and still love it as much.

What role does the assembly play in helping to set policy where Colorado water is concerned?

The General Assembly's role right now is to support the efforts of our Colorado River Commissioner, Becky Mitchell, and the Attorney General's Office, because they are the ones doing the heavy lifting on renegotiating the operating plan for Lake Powell and Lake Mead. So as you know, the Colorado River Compact itself is not on the table. It's this operating document that is up in 2026 and needs to be renewed. So there we have really capable people at the state level that are at the table doing that work, but the General Assembly is in a position to support that financially, to make sure the Colorado River office is adequately staffed, that the Attorney General's Office is adequately staffed, that we have a reserve so that if the state goes into a litigation mode, that there are funds there to defend our interests.

One of your stated priorities if elected is “land use.” What exactly do you mean by that?

The issue in the district that I hear the most about is affordable housing and local control, and how on earth to wrap our arms around this issue and come out ahead with something positive. So, down at the Capitol the last two years, there have been a number of bills related to land use and land use planning. Not this past session, but the session before, the governor had pushed a bill forward that was a kind of a top down approach that actually instructed counties and municipalities to take certain steps. And it didn't go over well. It ended up not passing, but it got broken up into individual pieces this past session. Instead of a mandate, the bills turned into an incentive driven approach. And what I love to learn from people about is how, how could the General Assembly not stand in the way? How can we incentivize or be supportive of land use planning and management at the local level?

What are your ideas about education funding in Colorado?

This is such a tough question, because there was good progress made last year. The negative factor was erased, and that debt that had been carried for a number of years was canceled out, and so we did make headway on a debt. But that doesn't mean that we've met the needs of our teachers, for example, in terms of salary … It seems like all roads lead to affordable housing, but [teachers] can't make it on those on the salaries they're being paid, not to mention the stress of the job. There's a lot more work to do. And I what I would do is identify people I trust and and can learn from people, both here at home and at the Colorado General Assembly, and try to follow their lead, and then check in with people here to say, what does this make sense for you guys, for the school districts in in House District 58 and if not, let me carry that forward and see if we can address those concerns. 

To listen to the whole conversation, click here.

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