Kathleen Curry is looking to reenter representative government, campaigning to fill the 58th House District seat that is centered in Montrose County and extends south to include the northwest corner of Montezuma County.
Curry served three terms in the House between 2008 and 2014 before switching from Democrat to unaffiliated. That brought a reelection loss, and, after six years as a lobbyist for water organizations, she is returning to the fray.
Republican Marc Caitlin of Montrose, who represented the 58th, is running for Senate District 5.
Curry is a native Coloradan with a graduate degree from CSU in water resources planning. She has been the manager of the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy and has been affiliated with stock growers and cattle women’s associations. She and her husband operate a cattle and hay operation near Gunnison.
She describes herself as a conservative Democrat. She is opposed to “ballot box biology” (think wolves, lions and bobcats), believes in incentives rather than mandates, and pledges to work to support local governments and rural electric cooperatives.
In her time in the House, she chaired the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, working with Durangoan Jim Isgar who chaired the same committee in the Senate.
Curry has advocated for forest health, land use, rural health care, education and affordable housing. In this election, she is opposed to taxing guns and ammunition to support mental health care, believing the additional tax will negatively impact small sporting goods businesses.
Larry Don Suckla’s family roots in Montezuma County are generations deep. He served two terms as county commissioner, and was chosen state county commissioner of the year – Colorado Counties Inc.’s award – by fellow commissioners.
Suckla repeatedly says he didn’t want to run for the House seat – and that he won’t stay for long – but that he’s troubled by the state’s direction and wants “to show that things can change.” He cites insufficient respect for agriculture, which surrounds every Colorado city, through excess regulation that threatens the energy royalty revenue that’s critical for ranchers and farmers, and overtime labor laws that have added cost to producers. Agriculture’s issues he can explain in clear terms, he says.
Suckla believes he can be a voice for “the common man,” as he was as commissioner; not having political experience is a positive, he says. As to compromise, he says he did that as a commissioner (supporting the expansion of Phil’s World – more Democrats ride bikes) and with CCI issues. A Democrat nominated him for the CCI award, he says.
Suckla is a strong believer in the First (no censorship) and Second (no limitations) Amendments, and says school choice is important. Tougher sentencing is the answer to reducing illegal gun use, he says.
Whomever voters select for the 58th will have a defender of agriculture. Suckla’s more deeply focused on ag, and on property rights, than is Curry, but Curry is stronger in water and has a breadth of legislative experiences from her previous three terms.
The Journal’s editorial board tips its support toward Kathleen Curry, but if Larry Don Suckla is victorious, citizens will have close-in hard working representation for Montezuma County’s strong agricultural heritage.
