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Oct. 24, 2000 By Janelle Holden
Suzanne Garcia, a fifth-generation native of Southwest Colorado, has an unusual campaign tactic: No bumper stickers, yard signs, or other commercial propaganda — just herself. Garcia, the Democratic challenger to state Rep. Mark Larson, is the La Plata County Democratic chairwoman, and involved in numerous community organizations in Durango. "Initially, we as a party were quite satisfied with the job Mark was doing, and had no plans to run anyone against him," explained Garcia. But when someone stepped forward to run on the Democratic ticket that the party was "very uncomfortable with as a candidate," Garcia said she decided to run. "It was a total surprise that all of it happened the way it did," she explained. "I always knew that I would be involved in politics some day, I just didn’t know that it would be today." One of Garcia’s main issues is campaign finance reform. She said that many politicians "talk the talk" of campaign finance reform but very rarely "walk the walk." "When I looked at the amount of money that it cost to run a state legislative race I was blown away," explained Garcia. She said that the hundreds of thousands of dollars candidates spend on bumper stickers and yard signs is a waste of campaign funds, and a source of waste in general. Garcia and her supporters have been attending public forums and picking up trash along highways and public lands while wearing campaign T-shirts to make her point. "This is a completely grassroots effort," she explained. "I’ll be out there picking up everybody else’s signs when it’s over." Her No. 1 concern, she says, is education, both K-12 and higher education. "The one issue that Mark Larson and I disagree the most on is education." Garcia works in human resources for the Durango Public School System, and has seen the effects of creating statewide standards for education. "I do believe in assessment, but I think we are spending more money on bureaucracy then we are in the classroom," she said. In addition to supporting traditional education, Garcia also supports funding community programs that would make technological training available to the general public. "We live in the information age, and there are too many people that are being left behind," she explained. Garcia said she supports the initiative process, but that most of the amendments on this year’s ballots were "an attempt by a bunch of frustrated people to bring their issues to the people." She said the legislature was wise to hold off on a growth plan until they could make one which allowed for wide variances in policies. "The solutions they come up with on the Front Range typically don’t work for us," she said. "I am a strong advocate for local control." Garcia supports women’s preventive care, and funding for Planned Parenthood, which she says, "is often the most affordable, best place to go for preventive care for women." Keeping Colorado "beautiful and clean," is also a priority of Garcia’s. She believes in giving businesses incentives to recycle, and pollute as little as possible. "When you look at the growth we’re experiencing, we are going to have to take an aggressive approach to protect our environment," she explained. |
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