Hal's Platform

As an appointed member of the current Board of County Commissioners, I have had an opportunity to see first hand the numerous issues and challenges facing our community. I am honored to serve the people of Leadville/Lake County and I intend to do so in a manner that is fiscally responsible, pragmatic, and sensitive to the needs of everyone in our diverse community. In many ways, Lake County is no different than other communities across the nation. We are all grappling with the high cost and availability of housing, “houselessness,” economic inequality, crumbling infrastructure and limited funding. As your County Commissioner, it is my intention to address these issues in a manner that is equitable, sustainable and tailored to the specific needs of our community. Listed below are what I feel are the most consequential challenges facing our community and how I will continue to work to address these issues:

Housing

I have been working closely with the Leadville Lake County Regional Housing Authority and my fellow Commissioners to build 24 affordable housing units on county owned land. Target date for the completion of this project is late 2025.
I am working to ensure the lottery for these homes is fair, equitable and accessible to every member of our community.
I look forward to working with our community partners to address the high cost of home rentals in a manner that is equitable and sustainable.

Infrastructure

I have advocated for additional funding to support our Public Works Department to address the decades long backlog of road and bridge maintenance.
I am working with the other commissioners and the County Manager to determine the most cost effective solution to county workforce infrastructure needs—including a state mandated detention facility for the Sheriff’s Office.

Economic Development

At some point in the future, Lake County could potentially lose tax revenue as a result of reduced operations at the Climax Mine. I feel very strongly that we should be preparing for this eventuality now.
I support a robust diversification of our economy, support for our existing businesses and the development of new business opportunities for small, as well as large-scale business investment.
I do not support a continued reliance on extractive industries for our economic well-being. I believe future economic development should be sustainable, environmentally responsible and in keeping with the historic nature of our community.

Public Safety

As evidenced by the recent Interlaken wildfire, our first responders play a crucial role in preserving life and property in Lake County.
In my former role as Leadville’s Police Chief, I developed an excellent working relationship with Lake County public safety leadership.
I believe wildfire poses the greatest existential threat to Lake County. I have, and will continue to support every effort to mitigate and prevent the threat of wildfire in Lake County.
Sheriff Speckman intends to pursue accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA / www.calea.org) and I fully support this effort as I believe it will significantly improve the quality of public safety in our community.

Recreation

I firmly believe the long-term economic future of our community lies in recreation and tourism. To that end, I will support the development of environmentally responsible recreational opportunities within Lake County.
I believe there should be a healthy balance between motorized and non-motorized recreation on public lands.
As an avid cross-country skier, I support the continued development of our cross country ski trails and a user friendly portal for ski trail conditions.
As someone who swims regularly, I have, and will continue to strongly support and advocate for the restoration of a community aquatic center.
Ski Cooper is an underutilized resource for our local youth and I intend to advocate for more local youth access and programming.
I am currently working with Get Outdoors Leadville! (GOL!) and the Copper Mountain leadership team to provide an opportunity for local youth to enjoy a skiing/snowboarding experience at Copper during the 2024/25 ski season.

Social Services

Mental health care, child care, access to transportation and food access are all critical community needs.
We are fortunate to have a robust group of non-profit organizations actively working to address these needs. I believe the best role for government in this process is to provide strategic financial assistance and services, rather than duplicate, or compete with the efforts of our non-profit partners.
Open lines of communication between our non-profits and county government are essential. We must work together to maximize what resources and funding we can bring to the table to address community needs.