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Letter: Miller

Fraser, CO Colorado

To the Editor:

As a resident of State Senate District 8, I hope to elect a senator I can be proud of. I do not believe Randy Baumgarder will fill this expectation. Three events reflect poorly on our current state representative.

First, when faced with a possible change in district boundaries, Rep. Baumgardner claimed he resided in Jackson County where he said he leased grazing land. His residence, according to residents of Hot Sulphur Springs, continued to be in Grand County. At the least, he must have suddenly moved home when redistricting kept Hot Sulphur in Senate District 8.



Second, the Denver Post reported Rep. Baumgardner had a registered sex offender living in his Hot Sulphur home, a 32-year-old man who victimized a 14-year-old girl when he was 24. According to the paper, Baumgardner did not report the man was living in his home as is required by Colorado law. When questioned by the paper about this, he related that everyone makes mistakes when they are younger. We trust most do not make the mistake of abusing juvenile girls. Rep. Baumgardner at least owed his actual home town notice of a possible predator in their midst. His cavalier statement also shows a lack of respect for assault victims.

Third, his campaign during the primary against a respected member of our community revealed his true nature. A campaign mailer showed a picture of two men kissing, with the headline “State Senator Jean White’s idea of ‘family values?'” The intelligent voters of northwest Colorado do not wish to be pandered to.



I hope to elect a state senator who is a valued member of our community. Randy Baumgardner is not that community member. His record reveals a man who will do anything to hold onto his political position, including appealing to the lowest common voter denominator. Mountain citizens are better than he believes we are. I believe his opponent, Emily Tracy, will be a Colorado state senator we can all be proud of.

Andrew Miller

Fraser


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