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Oct. 24, 2000 By Janelle Holden
The Libertarian candidate for House District 59, William Zimsky, said he is running for the state House not only to win, but to expose the public to the Libertarian party platform. "I love to go to the candidate forums and talk about Libertarian issues," Zimsky explained. "When people hear ‘Libertarian’ they usually think ‘liberal’ or ‘radical ideas,’ and we’re not either of those, unless you believe the Constitution is radical." Zimsky said the Republican and Democratic parties have become the parties of "big government" and stressed the Libertarians’ belief in private property rights, limited government and a free-market economy. "To make a difference you have to vote different; you have to think different," he charged. As an attorney who practices in Durango, Zimsky has put his Libertarian beliefs into practice by defending clients whose property rights have been infringed upon. Zimsky represented Wal-Mart several years ago when the discount challenged the City of Cortez’s proposed "Gateway Ordinance" that woud have required landowners along the city’s entrances to landscape their property according to strict regulations. In January, he will be representing Animas Valley Sand and Gravel in front of the Colorado Supreme Court to argue the firm’s right to mine gravel in La Plata County. Zimsky, 46, said one issue that separates him from incumbent Mark Larson is his stand on gun control. Zimsky said he would not vote for any further restrictions on gun sales or ownership, but would support stiffer penalties for crimes committed with guns. Both Larson and Zimsky oppose Amendment 22. But Larson said he is for background checks at gun shows, but he believes Amendment 22 would violate the Brady act by keeping records of gun transactions longer than Congress has stipulated. "There are people who shouldn’t have a gun, but I don’t think that new laws are going to prevent them from getting a gun. They’re just going to get guns from somewhere else," Zimsky explained. He also believes in decriminalizing drugs such as marijuana and cocaine, except for those used during a violent crime. "Making them illegal has corrupted our justice system, and has been used as a pretext for destroying our civil rights." Libertarians also support privatizing the public school system. Although Zimsky admits that this is unlikely to occur within the present political system, he would take baby steps toward privatization by supporting a statewide voucher system which could be applied for home-school families as well. However, he said he might be able to support increased funding for rural public schools. "If you showed that they didn’t have the funding, then I wouldn’t be opposed to them having more funding from the state," he said. Zimsky said, if elected, he would take a "realistic" Libertarian role."I would vote for any measure that reduced the size of government or its role in society, or decreases taxes," Zimsky said.He would propose legislation that "moved the ball down the road a little," toward eliminating welfare. "In a Libertarian world, yeah, you can sit on your couch, drink beer, and watch TV, but you’ve got to pay the consequence for that," he said. Zimsky
article corrected - Oct. 28 In a profile of William Zimsky in the Oct. 24 Journal, Libertarian candidate for the House District 59, the reporter incorrectly wrote that Zimsky was representing Animas Valley Sand and Gravel in a case before the Colorado Supreme Court to decide whether the company had a right to mine sand and gravel. Animas Valley Sand and Gravel has conceded the government's regulatory authority to ban sand and gravel operations. The issue before the Supreme Court is whether the company should receive compensation for the loss of value in the property, even if the property retains some economically viable use. In this case, the value of the property has decreased from more than $2 million to less than $10,000, more than 99 percent of its value, according to information cited in the appeal. The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that Animas Valley is entitled to no compensation under such circumstances, just as long as the property retains some value, reading that Zimsky believes would effectively destroy the takings clause of the Colorado Constitution. "I believe that the interests of fairness and justice are better served if property owners were entitled to be compensated for the loss of the value of their property when a government regulation devalues their property by more than 50 percent," Zimsky said. House
District 59 three-way race: Zimsky - Oct.
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