Larimer County Commissioner District 2

Bender wants to accomplish more

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

Wagner cites her mainstream views

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

Republican Tom Bender of Bellvue said he wants to continue working on issues he has supported the last four years as Larimer County Commissioner for District 2.

Bender, 65, said working with the open lands advisory board on the stewardship and management of the county-owned properties is a top priority. "I think I need to be there to make sure it carries on," he said.

The commissioner said he also wants to make changes to the land use code so there are lower review costs and less red tape for home occupations. The code still causes problems for processing agricultural products, he added, but agriculture will need value-added processing to stay in business.

Bender said he has found commissioners work best when meeting with citizens face to face. "One of the best parts is helping people get small problems straight," he said.

One successful decision, he noted, was adding a customer service representative to the planning department. "A lot of people don't know how to cope with regulations and codes," Bender said. "It did solve some long-standing problems, and I think it will continue."

As the county works to balance tight budgets, Bender said commissioners will likely cut their memberships in some state and national associations. His budget priorities, he said, are core services provided by the health and human services departments, law enforcement, roads and bridges. "There's nothing that's really least priority anymore," he added.

About new taxes, Bender said he supports going to voters to fund an overall criminal justice program that includes the jail, alternative sentencing and mental health issues. "I want to be sure we do everything possible with existing revenue first," he added.

Bender said he believes the commissioners have done what they can to get citizens involved in local government. The county has its most controversial public meetings at night, he said, and the commissioners are always available to citizens.

"We've been accused of stacking county boards," he said, "but I don't think we have. We have lots of people in between the extreme positions."

In response to the criticism that he backed out of an open lands management agreement with Fort Collins that said the county would buy the surface rights at Fossil Creek Reservoir, Bender said: "We did negotiate in good faith. I felt it wasn't worth the money."

An example of a good partnership with the cities, he said, is this year's mosquito control effort to apply larvicide and adulticide at the right times. "The county provided a lot of the money," he noted.

Regarding the county's endorsement of Loveland's tax breaks for the Centerra development, Bender said: "We're losing some money, but they're going to build roads and interchanges and upgrade county roads. I saw some benefits."

In the next four years, Bender said, he wants the county to determine what services it will strive to provide and how it will fund them. He noted that state legislators want to do away with the business personal property tax that puts $9 million in county coffers every year. "I won't oppose that if the state gives us a way to recoup the funds," Bender said.

A tree farmer in Rist Canyon, Bender has lived in the county for 27 years. He is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and former Woodward Governor employee.

The Democratic candidate for Larimer County Commissioner for District 2, Karen Wagner, said she would be a "voice of reason" on the commission. She wants to replace Republican incumbent Tom Bender, who is seeking a second term.

Wagner, 61, also said she would bring more fiscal accountability to the job. "I don't think the commissioners should be asking voters for a new tax every year," she said. "More creative thinking is needed."

She is also concerned that the county has used reserve funds to balance the budget.

She commended the county for taking time this year to thoroughly study funding and program options for the criminal justice system and criticized commissioners for the defeated tax measure they "threw on the ballot" last year.

When it comes to finding budget relief for local government, Wagner said, she would actively advocate that the state legislature amend the Taxpayers' Bill of Rights.

She also criticized the current commissioners for spending $10 million more than voters approved for the courthouse office building. "It doesn't matter where the money comes from, it's all tax dollars," she said.

Wagner said even though she is running as a Democrat, she thinks county government should not be partisan. "Decisions should be based on what's best for citizens," she said. "My decisions would not be based on politics. My agenda is better county government."

A former member of the county's environmental advisory board and planning commission, she has been observing county decisions for 10 years. "I've observed how the commissioners conduct public business and spend tax dollars, and I came to the conclusion I can do a better job than Tom Bender," she said.

The past four years "we've had what amounts to a stealth government," Wagner added. "The commissioners do the absolute minimum in terms of public notice and public outreach."

The commissioners are making critical decisions on Tuesday mornings in meetings that are not televised and inconvenient for most citizens, Wagner said. She would change the meetings to evenings and televise them, she added.

In addition, she would ask for publication of a flexible six-month schedule that lets citizens know what issues are "in the pipeline," whether they are being discussed at work sessions or decision-making meetings. She would encourage citizen participation by honoring people's opinions and being respectful, she added.

Wagner also said there needs to be more diversity on the county's advisory boards. The boards lack balance geographically, politically and philosophically, along with not having gender balance, she said.

There are enough applicants to appoint a broader base," she said, adding that she would pump up public outreach to get better geographic representation.

Wagner also wants to fix criticisms that the recent county fair was not affordable for families, and that local concessionaires and businesses had to pay excessive fees. She would also phase out the county's moniker, "The Ranch," and call it what it is - the Larimer County Fairgrounds.

Wagner has a bachelor's degree in English from Colorado State University. She has lived in Fort Collins, Loveland and rural Larimer County for 35 years. She and her husband bought and restored the Avery Building in downtown Fort Collins in 1977.