McElmo Canyon rancher Liz Tozer has announced her candidacy for Montezuma County Commission seat District 1.
Tozer, a Republican, is a lifetime resident of the county with a background in agriculture, livestock auctions, organizing junior rodeos and working in the hospitality industry.
“I decided years ago to run for commission. Now I have more time to dedicate to it, so I thought I’d give it a shot,” she said during a break moving cattle at her ranch on County Road G.
She faces incumbent Jim Candelaria and candidate Tim Lanier in the Republican primary June 28.
Tozer, 65, has been working for the Cortez Livestock Auction for 37 years, including as manager for the past 18 years.
She is a longtime organizer of the Four States Junior Rodeo, served on the county fair board when the new fairgrounds was built, participated in 4-H, currently serves on the oversight board for county social services and worked as the kitchen manager for Kelly’s Place.
“I know our community pretty well. I am out to serve the people. I will listen to the people, work with the other commissioners to solve problems,” she said.
Support for youth programs and bringing in more jobs are goals if elected, Tozer said.
“The future of our community is the strength of our young people. I want to support them, I want to make Montezuma County a place where they can have jobs and stay,” she said.
Tozer said she advocates for multiple use and access to public land.
“I served on an advisory board when Canyons of the Ancients (national monument) was formed, and I pushed for multiple use, even though not everyone agreed,” Tozer said.
She is proud of her agriculture roots, especially the junior rodeo and current fairgrounds location she helped to promote decades ago.
“The events out there support our economy, the junior rodeo supports our economy. It attracts people from all over who spend time here and spend money,” Tozer said.
She feels the county could do a better job with agricultural tourism. Something similar to the Bar-D Chuckwagon in La Plata County – a country-western entertainment venue – would work well here, Tozer said.
While working for Kelly’s Place for four years she gained an appreciation for the value of the tourism industry and outdoor recreation.
“I don’t just hang out with cowboys all the time, I’ve worked with a lot of different people and can see different perspectives – the tourists, I worked with retired groups like elder hostel at Kelly’s Place, the bike riders, hikers, people from all over,” she said.
On the drought, she said farmers and ranchers are resilient and adjust “to make it work with less water on the fields.”
She supports the county effort to improve compliance with the land use code and said private property rights are important but have limitations.
“You have to be considerate of your neighbors,” Tozer said.
She said she will bring a “common sense” leadership style to the commission.
“Too many people see things as ‘their way or the highway.’ I’m good at getting more discussion to see things in different ways,” Tozer said.
Something people may not know about Tozer is that her grandparents and parents owned Wheelers Market on Main Street in Cortez in the 1960s and 1970s.
When not working, Tozer loves to garden and is known for planting 5,000 tomato plants and 800 onions.
If elected as county commissioner, she plans to resign as manager for the Cortez Livestock Auction, also known as the Sale Barn.
jmimiaga@the-journal.com
