KVNF's Lisa Young spoke with Cole Buerger Democratic candidate for Colorado Senate District 5. Buerger says he's focused on regional issues and personal rights as he prepares to face Republican Marc Catlin in November. Buerger and Catlin have agreed to a debate on September 21, 2024 sponsored by Club 20.
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Lisa Young: Cole Buerger is the Democratic candidate for Colorado Senate District 5, which includes all or parts of Montrose, Delta, Hinsdale, Gunnison, Pitkin, Garfield, and Eagle counties. Cole is a fifth generation Coloradan, a small business owner, and a policy expert. His calling card is bringing an innovative mindset to the state legislature. Cole lives in Glenwood Springs. Welcome to KVNF.
Cole Buerger: Thank you so much, Lisa. It's good to talk to you again.
Young: I'm curious about where your campaign is at this moment, what you're doing and what topics you're focused on.
Buerger: I feel like our campaign's in a really good spot. We have been doing what we have continued to do this whole campaign, which is showing up, listening and making sure that we are getting the full spectrum of beliefs and viewpoints from all across our very large district. You know, when we are talking to people, it's really about four buckets. Making sure that Colorado, we're addressing the affordability prices here, whether that's housing or healthcare or childcare. Whether we're protecting our public lands and our water, keeping it in its home basin. Whether we're ensuring that we have strong local economies and communities and we're getting the dollars and resources we need from Denver back to our side of the mountain. and whether we're protecting rights, whether that's reproductive rights, the right to vote. Those are the things that I hear every single day.
Young: I would like to talk a little bit about the abortion issue. Your opponent, Marc Catlin, opposes abortion.
Buerger: You know, this is one of those big differentiators between Marc and myself. I do not believe that the government has a role in telling people what to do. And that's certainly true of reproductive care. I am supportive of choice and for every woman to make their own decisions.
Young: Colorado has a big initiative coming up on the ballot in November. Initiative 89 could change the Constitution to allow abortion.
Buerger: I really supportive of Initiative 89. I think it's important that we enshrine those protections of individual rights in our Constitution. So I have certainly signed. I was, you know, a signatory to getting that on the ballot. and I think it's a very good policy. Going forward, I think that there's a lot of other protections that we can do. We should solve some of the rural healthcare deserts, particularly around reproductive health, and we should make sure that we are being a state where others can come from who don't live in states where their rights are protected.
Young: You know, one of the other big issues I think that we have in some of the CD5 (correction SD5) is the transition in energy going from coal and going to more renewable energy solutions. I noticed that you attended the Jolt Convention in Montrose. Can you tell us a little bit about that and what your thoughts are about energy transition for the future?
Buerger: Yeah, a lot of these energy transitions are just going to be driven by market forces. That's certainly been true of. coal in western Colorado. You know, the transition is something that we should make sure that we're doing correctly, that we're respecting communities and ensuring that they have the resources they need to make that transition and diversify their economies. I don't believe that it's a just transition if you're trying to replace a well-paying job at a coal mine with an $18 an hour rafting guide job. That's not just and we have to ensure that we are doing the work ahead of time and we're being proactive to make sure that these communities are able to thrive and diversify their economy.
Young: Have you had an opportunity to talk to some of the residents who live in some of those impacted areas and what are you hearing from them?
Buerger: I have had the opportunity to talk to some people in the North Fork, in places like Craig, Colorado. What they're saying is that they have to be the lead in these conversations, that we have to do a better job of listening to the needs and desires of local communities rather than having policy come from a top-down approach from Denver or elsewhere. Before we decide what that transition's going to look like or what the solution is, we should absolutely be talking to the people who are most impacted and who are closest to the issue.
Young: If elected, what would be one of the first pieces of legislation that you'd like to work on?
Buerger: One of the first bills that I would like to work on is around rural infrastructure, both roads and bridges, but also agriculture, like water infrastructure. Obviously, when we have US 50 over Blue Mesa go out, if that bridge had gone out in Denver, it'd have been a five minute, 10 minute detour. It's five hours for us. We've seen the closures in Glenwood Canyon on I-70, on 133 when it washed out last year.
So my first priority bill in the state Senate will be making sure that we are being proactive about inspecting our infrastructure and our bridges. Coming up with plan B’s ahead of time, having alternative routes ahead of time, but also getting money to our side of the mountain to make sure that we are fixing our roads and our bridges, doing the work ahead of time so that we can be prepared for more water conservation and protecting our ag communities.
KVNF continues to reach out to Marc Catlin for an interview but has not heard back.
