Dennis Luttrell

Democratic Party

How does your experience make you qualified to represent the people?

1. My experience representing the people is extensive. I previously served two terms as a Teller County Commissioner. I served four years as Colorado State Wildlife Commissioner and two years as a member of the Colorado Natural Areas Council. I am in my second term as a Director for the Divide Fire Protection District. I served two years as a member of the Teller County Planning Commission. I also served as a city and town manager for 15 years. I am also a nationally certified planner( A.I.C.P. # 107772 ).

What are your top policy priorities?

My top priorities are Wildfire preparedness, planning, mitigation, and post wildfire recovery, affordable housing, improvement of county services, and reduction of property taxes.

What is one issue you think is being overlooked in this race, and how would you address it? 

There are several, however the most important is wildfire. Unfortunately, the county is not an active participant in this matter. We have been left without a Director of Emergency Management for months. There are no evacuation routes posted. The county has not attended important meetings and planning sessions . We currently have a stage two fire ban, however, the county has not erected signs to notify the public. Instead, signage has been erected by private parties. Sadly, the county is not a partner in addressing this number one priority of the public’s safety. We are situated in the top one percent of the country for potential wildfire disasters.

I would address this issue with decades of experience in the fire service, and planning. I began as a volunteer firefighter in Florissant in the seventies and have continued in the fire service ever since. I drafted the Oil Spill Response Plan for Buzzards Bay in conjunction with 13 communities surrounding the bay and with the U. S. Coast Guard. I was certified as a Qualified Individual pursuant to the Oil Spill Prevention Act of 1990. I was trained at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. I trained and equipped the thirteen municipalities surrounding the bay in oil spill response and again with the U.S. Coast Guard. I have decades of experience addressing issues such as this with teamwork, communication, education, knowledge, and experience. I will work with the other board members to appoint a qualified Director of Emergency Preparedness and work with that individual , Teller County residents, fire districts, and nonprofits such as the NOFLOCO Fire Mitigation Posse to fully address this situation.

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