A Community to Come Home To
A Balanced, Livable, & Affordable San Miguel County
Where We Agree
I have spent this campaign telling you what I think matters for San Miguel County. This is the other half of the job: listening.
I have set up an open conversation about the things we all live with here, housing, growth, the economy, and how decisions get made. You read short statements one at a time and say whether you agree, disagree, or pass. You can add your own. It is anonymous, it takes about five minutes, and as people vote it does something a survey cannot. It finds the common ground between neighbors who disagree about plenty else.
That is the part I care about most, and it is how I want to govern: decisions made with the people who live here, not for them. When the conversation closes, I will share what we found, including the parts that surprise me.
Read my latest letter to the editor...
A Community, Not Just a Destination
I am running for County Commissioner because of one question I keep returning to: Will San Miguel County remain a place where the people who work here can afford to live here, and have a real voice in the decisions that shape our future?
I have spent more than twenty-five years here, raising five children who went through Telluride schools, running two Main Street businesses, working in rural healthcare, and chairing both the school board and the hospital board. It taught me one thing: This community solves hard problems when it decides to. In 2018, we voted to tax ourselves to fund mental health care because enough of us decided the need was real. We can decide again.
Housing is where the strain shows first. When people who work here cannot afford to live here, the losses spread quietly…Click HERE to read the whole letter.
We're in this as a region. Let's plan like it.
Our region's elected officials recently sat down to talk about a reality that rarely makes the front page: how large-scale projects ripple outward long after they are approved.
When a major development creates hundreds of jobs in one community, the need for housing, water, roads, and public services does not stay neatly within town borders. It travels. It shows up downstream in Norwood, in Naturita and Nucla, and increasingly in Ouray, Dolores, and Montrose Counties. Too often, it lands in communities that had no real seat at the table when the project was first envisioned.
….we are in this as a region, and we need communication and outreach, not silos. Whether you live on the east end of the county or the west, you share the same county, the same watershed, and the same future.
Announcement Video
Environmental Sustainability
A preview of my latest campaign video
You can watch the full Announcement video here on YouTube
Paul's Vision
San Miguel County should be a place where the people who work here can afford to live here, and where the decisions that shape the county are made with the people who live in it, not for them.
That means housing built for every stage of life, from the seasonal worker to the family putting down roots to the retiree who wants to stay. It means a county that plans as one place, east end and west end, because we share the same watershed, the same roads, and the same future. And it means a government people can actually follow and trust.
I have spent more than twenty-five years here and most of that time on local boards. I know how this county works, and I know it can work better.
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A Message from Paul
My wife and I have raised five kids here, yet they would find it difficult to return and build their lives in this community. Our family’s story reflects the story of our community, and far too many who grew up here cannot come back to create the lives they want. Many who want to call this place home cannot afford it, and many who live here are forced to leave. Let’s work together to change that.
San Miguel County stands at a crossroads, and the imbalance of wealth and income sources in our county poses a threat to the future well-being of those who call our county home. According to the 2025 San Miguel County Housing Needs Analysis, nearly half of all local income now comes from investments and retirement income, rather than wages earned locally. The average worker earns about $57,000, while the median home price exceeds $2.6 million. Property values have soared, but property taxes, insurance, the cost of food, childcare, and other expenses have also risen, putting our communities at risk....Read More Here
Get in Touch
Feel free to reach out to me with any inquiries or to learn more about my campaign. Your support and engagement are crucial for driving positive change in San Miguel County.
