COMMISSIONER CANDIDATES DEBATE

BRECKENRIDGE - Justin McCarthy said he came to Summit County for a
lifestyle that he believes is fast disappearing. McCarthy debated incumbent
County Commissioner Gary Lindstrom during a - for the most part civil -
one-hour exchange Friday night. Both men are seeking the District 1 county
commissioner's seat, up for grabs in the Nov. 5 election.

"I moved here for a lot of the same reasons you guys did," McCarthy told a
group of about 50 who attended the debate. "I wanted to live somewhere
beautiful where I could live simply.

"I've found my wages have not kept up to my cost of living. I live
paycheck-to-paycheck. We need someone that is going to speak out for the
common people."

McCarthy, a Green Party candidate who has a strong interest in protecting
the environment, admitted he has limited political experience, but said he
is a "reachable, reasonable person."

Meanwhile, Independent Lindstrom, a county commissioner since 1995, boasts
a long list of accomplishments, board memberships and county job
experience. He encouraged residents to vote and "make a choice."

"Don't sit around and gripe and groan," said Lindstrom, who added this
campaign will be his last. "Get involved. If it's crap government, it's
because of you."

Debate covers gamut of issues

The two men exchanged ideas on a variety of subjects, including affordable
housing, drug laws, the impact of big corporations on independent
businesses and citizen participation - or the lack thereof - in local
government.

Both men said they support the proposed .05 of one percent sales tax to
benefit the Summit Housing Authority. The question will appear on the Nov.
5 ballot.

"I feel it's unconscionable the housing authority needs to beg for money
every year," Lindstrom said, referred to the authority's current funding
method, which requires its representatives to ask for donations from the
towns, county and ski areas.

While Lindstrom said he believes the county soon will set a glut in the
housing market, he said he doesn't believe that will apply to affordable
housing.

McCarthy suggested changing density to encourage the building of affordable
homes.

"More needs to be done," he said. "There's been a serious lack of leadership."

Both candidates gave fiery statements on the subject of drug law enforcement.

"I was a police officer for 31 years, and I think the war on drugs is
lost," Lindstrom said. "I think we ought to decriminalize all drugs and tax
the hell out of it. Can you imagine if we could use that money (spent on
drug law enforcement) to help people? It's a shame what we're doing."

McCarthy agreed, citing a friend who was in possession of marijuana whom he
said was the victim of a false warrant. McCarthy said authorities burst
into the man's home at 5:30 a.m., which he called "a violation of his civil
liberties." The case filed in the wake of that event was eventually dropped.

"The drug war needs to end," McCarthy said.

Independent businesses threatened?

McCarthy also spoke out for independent business owners, saying he's
concerned about their future in Summit County.

"I think it's important to support capitalism," he said. "Capitalism means
competition. It means flavor. We're seeing that less and less in Summit
County. Where we have a lot of large village development, a lot of those
independent businesses get priced out."

He also said sales tax wars between the towns have given rise to even more
development.

Lindstrom said he'd like to see the county and towns merge into one entity,
reducing the various departments that serve each into one. That, he said,
would save the county's residents money and eliminate the financial
tug-of-war between the towns.

"We could have one public works, one fire department, one police
department," he said. "The city and county of Summit - that's definitely
what we need to stop this stupid competing between towns."

Lindstrom addressed the ever-present issue of low wages in the county but
pointed out that there are plenty of jobs. Not everyone, he said, wants to
do them.

"I get a huge number of complaints about the non-native population taking
jobs from the Anglo population," he said. "My response is, "You go do it.'"

More citizen participation needed

Lindstrom and McCarthy both said they want to see more citizens show up at
meetings and participate in county decisions.

McCarthy said he believes his campaign may be helping to do just that.

"People do need to care," he said. "That's why I'm running. Throughout this
campaign, we have really awakened a lot of hearts in a lot of people that
feel disenfranchised."

For years, Lindstrom said he has seen a lack of citizen participation at
the county level.

"My feeling is, in order to get people out, you have to create a common
enemy - not a common purpose," he said. "If it's something they support,
they don't show up. It's terrible."

Lindstrom said he feels he reaches a broad range of county residents and
issues through his work.

"I'm very active in gay and lesbian issues, and Hispanic issues," he said.
"I'm on the transit board, so I deal with transit. I don't associate with
people that are upper-middle or high-income at all. Hopefully, it's the
worker class (I most closely identify with)."

McCarthy cited his many job experiences as an example of his connection to
various residents and concerns.

"I did come here, to be honest, because of skateboarding," he said. "I've
been part of the skateboarding, snowboarding and rafting community."

But McCarthy said he's also worked in an office, at a ski resort and served
as Marsha Osborn's campaign manager when she made a run for the Colorado
Senate - all experiences that put him gave him a knowledge of many issues.

McCarthy repeatedly emphasized his concern for the county's environment,
pointing to continuing development that impacts wetlands and wildlife
corridors.

"The economy cannot survive without a healthy environment," he said. "And
the economy cannot survive without a healthy working class."