A pediatric dentist who teaches residents at Children’s Hospital Colorado has written against Amendment 83, the measure on the Nov. 3 ballot that would put a right to hunt and fish into the Colorado Constitution. She is studying for a doctorate in bioethics, and her letter, offered to The Independent for publication, turns on the […]
Category: Opinion
Posted inOpinion
The Commissioners Will Write Their Own Limits
El Paso County is rewriting the code that decides how much discretion its commissioners have over land use. The five commissioners will adopt it. Residents have no ballot measure to reach for; what they have is the November ballot, and the right questions to ask on it. The first round of written comments on El […]
Posted inOpinion
Ask Your Local Officials for Help
Letter to the editor: Danielle Lightsey writes that when a long administrative problem left her stuck, a message to the Monument mayor and Town Council got a quick reply — and explains how other residents can do the same.
Posted inOpinion
What Made Each Place Distinct
El Paso County retired all ten of its small area plans in 2021. Douglas, Larimer and Boulder counties still plan place by place.
Posted inOpinion
An Open Letter to Chair Carrie Geitner
Letter to the editor: Marti Zehr-Breedlove writes to El Paso County commission chair Carrie Geitner about how residents who spent months preparing for the P261, P262 and Buc-ee’s hearings were addressed from the dais.
Posted inOpinion
An Open Letter to Buc-ee’s Leadership
A group of Tri-Lakes residents has written to the chief executive of Buc-ee’s asking the company to abandon its Monument Hill site — not because the travel center is unwelcome, but because they believe it is a poor investment.
Posted inOpinion
The Comment I Filed on the Buc-ee’s Appeal
Filed with El Paso County as a resident of Monument, not on behalf of this newspaper. The full text, exactly as submitted.
Posted inOpinion
If Evidence Matters, Let the Public Present It
Opinion: El Paso County’s chair says the board’s job is to evaluate evidence. An El Paso County resident asks why the public is being given less time — and fewer tools — to present it as the Buc-ee’s appeal approaches.
Posted inOpinion
The BOCC Hearing Story Isn’t the Vote, It’s the Community
Opinion: When the county cut their speaking time at the last minute, dozens of Tri-Lakes residents rewrote their testimony over lunch and showed what civic engagement looks like at its best.
Posted inOpinion
Why We Won’t Put up a Paywall — and What We Ask Instead
The Monument Independent is owned by people who live here, answers only to the people who read it, and gives its work away for free. If the reporting you’ve read here is worth something to you, here’s how to help keep it coming.