Paul Reich

Our region's elected officials recently sat down to talk about a reality that rarely makes the front page: how large-scale projects ripple outward long after they are approved. When a major development creates hundreds of jobs in one community, the need for housing, water, roads, and public services does not stay neatly within town borders. It travels. It shows up downstream in Norwood, in Naturita and Nucla, and increasingly in Ouray, Dolores, and Montrose Counties. Too often, it lands in...

Most people in San Miguel County do not follow local government closely. They have jobs, kids, and bills. They tune in when a decision hits their street or wallet, but by then it is often already made. That is no one’s fault; it is just how local government has long worked. We post notices, hold weekday meetings, and open public comment after the real work is done. We call it engagement, but often it’s just procedure. The trouble is who is left out. Midday meetings draw the same small group...

A Community Worth Fighting For I have lived in San Miguel County for 25 years, and Christine and I raised our five children here. I have owned small businesses, worked in mental health for a decade, and served on school and hospital boards. Much of that work has crossed town and county lines, because where people live, work, and feel the consequences of decisions does not always line up on a map. That is the vantage point I bring. I understand the fear I hear from others, that the community...