WEEK OF MAY 9, 2024
VOLUME 129 | ISSUE 10
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Our newsroom wants to know what matters to you this election year BY MEGAN VERLEE AND CCM STAFF
Hall in Elizabeth the morning of April 24. Invitations to the meeting were only extended to a select few. Word quickly spread among Elbert County residents and members of the Elbert County Environmental Alliance (ECEA), a group opposed to what Xcel calls the “Colorado Power Pathway.” The ECEA organized a group to picket and hopefully introduce themselves to Kenney. Elbert County residents have been generally opposed to Xcel’s proposed Power Pathway, which would run along a portion of Highway 86 and cut through many Elbert County private properties.
One month ago, newsrooms across the state, including ours, launched an ambitious project: invite the people of Colorado to tell us what they want politicians to talk about in this election, and use their answers to help guide the stories we tell. So far, more than 3,100 people from around the state have responded to that call and filled out the Voter Voices survey. About 100 of the respondents are readers of Colorado Community Media’s two dozen metro area newspapers. What should candidates for public office focus on this year? “Their integrity, work ethic, and vision for our country or the entity they will be representing,” said Mindy Mohr, a reader from Arvada. Mohr listed “democracy and good government” as a top concern, with abortion and the economy/cost of living as important issues as well. The Coloradans who filled out our survey so far make it clear they want politicians to discuss issues like the environment, housing affordability, immigration, health care and education. In Walsh, on the southeastern plains, a shortage of health care workers is a driving concern for Rita Hetrick. She runs the long-term care facility in the town of roughly 540 people. Instead of drawing on a local workforce, she relies on pricey staffing agencies. “We don’t have a stream of cash that’s just available when you’re a small, rural facility.” Hetrick told Voter Voices that state and federal regulations exacerbate the problem and it’s something she wants to see politicians tackle. Many have also written about their concerns for our democracy itself. “I want candidates to discuss wholesale reform of our country’s and Colorado’s constitution,” wrote Juan Manuel
SEE POWER LINES, P8
SEE SURVEY, P9
About 30 protesters with large signs organized early on the morning of April 18 outside the Elizabeth PHOTO BY NICKY QUINBY American Legion Hall ahead of a meeting with Xcel representatives.
Xcel, residents talk but don’t connect Colorado Power Pathway proposal will go to Elbert County officials in June BY NICKY QUINBY SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Amid controversy over a proposed electrical transmission line through Elbert County, Xcel Energy’s Colorado Operating Company President Robert Kenney, Vice President of Xcel Energy Transmission Sandra Johnson, and Siting and Land Rights Manager Jen Chester met with a small group of Elbert County residents at the American Legion
VOICES: 14 | CALENDAR: 19 | PUZZLES: 24
ELBERTCOUNTYNEWS.NET • A PUBLICATION OF COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
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