Productive best describes Democratic state Rep. Barbara McLachlan. McLachlan re-earned the Colorado House District 59 seat over and again, accomplishing much. McLachlan continually punches above her weight, sponsoring bipartisan measures and passing 30 – count ’em – bills. She is a class act, works well across party lines and brings it all back home.
We respect what is takes to run for public office. But Republican challenger Shelli Shaw is not in McLachlan’s league.
Locals will remember McLachlan was a Durango High School teacher for 20 years and honored as Teacher of the Year, before representing the House District 59 for six years.
McLachlan serves on three committees crucial to Southwest constituents: the Education Committee she chairs, and both the Agriculture, Livestock and Water Committee, and the Water Interim Committee.
She’s delivered a range of legislation, much of it around education. The School Finance Act bumped up funding by more than $430 million – an average $545 increase per student – and put resources into reducing class sizes, increasing teacher pay. Her bills recruited and retained teachers, and backed school safety and youth mental health efforts. McLachlan helped foster youth – an oft forgotten group – to attend college. And she made it easier for students to access crisis services and work-based learning opportunities.
Small businesses held onto more sales tax revenue. Police officers can now live outside their district in affordable areas. All thanks to McLachlan.
For tribal neighbors, her bills jump-started investigations of treatment of Indigenous people at Fort Lewis College boarding schools and allocated money for a tribal behavioral health facility.
For agriculture, she incentivized food banks to buy from local producers. Her health care initiative provided more dementia training and specified that COVID-19 hospital patients may have a visitor.
With this work record, it would be tough for any challenger to measure up, even an experienced one.
This is Shaw’s first time running for office. Her website states, “It’s time We the People take back our country and our freedoms,” a common rallying cry of patriots.
Shaw worked for almost 20 years as an English teacher and district administrator in Texas before moving to Durango in 2021 to start Blue Spruce BnB.
Her priority is tackling the fentanyl crisis. She wants any possession to be a felony.
We appreciate that Shaw talked about the lack of local treatment facilities for addicts with patients having to leave behind support systems and families.
But missing the mark on the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, Shaw said the word education isn’t in TABOR, not understanding its role in state funding and spending, including for education. TABOR is the reason Colorado ranks 49th in teachers’ pay with the highest pay gap in the nation. Yes, TABOR is confusing. But any statehouse candidate must know TABOR inside and out. This shows Shaw’s lack of diligence.
We lost confidence in Shaw, though, with her stolen election convictions. In May in the Colorado Times Recorder, Shaw said, “I have seen evidence of fraud.”
Shaw’s screenshot Facebook posts, since scrubbed, said, “Antifa, BLM activists, and anarchists” attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Another Shaw post on Jan. 7, 2021 said, “We are headed for a Civil War.”
In this race, McLachlan faces greater odds. Nothing to do with her competency. The 2021 Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission map removed Gunnison County and extended boundaries around Montezuma County. The new House District 59 has about 30% Republican, 26% Democratic and 42% unaffiliated voters.
McLachlan is proven, solid. A dynamo. Vote “yes” for McLachlan for House District 59.
