|
||||
|
May 1, 2001 By
K.W. Harp La Plata County rancher Jim Isgar will be the next District 6 senator, said Beverly Rich, the chairwoman of the vacancy committee. Isgar, 49, will replace Sen. Jim Dyer, D-Durango, when he resigns at the end of the legislative session May 9 to take a seat on the Public Utilities Commission. The 18-member Senatorial District 6 Vacancy Committee voted Saturday to appoint Isgar. Dyer’s appointment to the PUC is contingent on a Senate vote. Dyer announced his intentions to resign March 21. Isgar, a fourth-generation La Plata County resident, said he was excited about the nomination and looks forward to serving residents of Southwest Colorado. "It was a great honor to be selected over such an excellent field of candidates," Isgar said. "It will be a privilege to serve the people of Southwest Colorado." He said he would start immediately on listening to the concerns of residents of Southwest Colorado. Isgar graduated from Durango High School and Fort Lewis College and attended graduate school at Colorado State University. He was a member of the State Board of Agriculture from 1988-97 and was president for one term. He is a member of the Animas-La Plata Water Conservancy District, president of the La Plata Water Conservancy District and is a member and former president of La Plata County Cattleman’s Association. Isgar said his reaction to the news that he’d won was surprise and a sudden sense of responsibility. "I think the seriousness of the job really hits you pretty hard," he said. "It will be a great task to represent the people with their diverse interests in the district." Isgar was competing with David Eppich, a Fort Lewis College administrator; John Eustis, a veterinarian from Pagosa Springs; Irma Hofmann, a Democratic activist from Durango; Joe Keck, mayor of Cortez; Doug Lashley, a four-year member of the Durango City Council; Mike McLachlan, former solicitor general for Colorado; and Bill Patterson, former mayor of Montrose. Rich said Isgar has wide appeal, a good understanding of rural and urban issues in District 6, and a good potential for re-election. Isgar will be charged with winning re-election for the Democrats in November 2002. The Democrats hold a slim 18-17 majority in the Senate in a state with a Republican-controlled House of Representatives and a Republican governor. Democrats desperately need Isgar to hold that seat, and Republicans are eager to take back control of the Senate. But that charge will not be an easy task. Isgar will need to reach across party lines to the unaffiliated voters to win this district, which has 9,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats. Dyer was elected to the Senate in 1998 immediately following a 12-year stint as the House District 59 representative. |
||||
|
Copyright © 2001 the Cortez Journal.
All rights reserved. |
