OUR OFFICERS

Party Chair
Jim Starr
Secretary
Marsha Collins
Treasurer
Vikki Roach Archuleta

About the Gunnison County Democratic Party

The Gunnison County Democratic Party is YOUR party. We work together to uphold the values that make the Gunnison Valley a wonderful place to live: beautiful environment, clean water and air, supportive community, and robust small businesses. 

While we are made up of mainly Democrats we always welcome all community members to join our monthly meetings, our events, or to share their ideas and enthusiasm with us.

Interested in getting involved? Reach out today and we’re happy to have you and your voice!

Read our 2022 platform resolutions below.

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Our Gunnison County Democratic Party 2022 Platform Resolutions

Be it Resolved by the Gunnison County Democratic Party (GCDP): The right of citizens to vote is a fundamental concept of our democracy. These rights are increasingly under attack by some who want to make it more difficult to participate in the democratic process. The Democratic Party in Gunnison County and the State of Colorado and the United States of America must constantly and carefully protect the right to vote. The attacks are many and varied so our defense against them must be vigilant and flexible.

The GCDP urges Legislators to resist and reject legislation aimed at making it more difficult in any way to register and vote. They should adopt measures that make it easier to register and vote while ensuring appropriate security. We support Colorado’s Secretary of State and County Election Officials in following well established procedures for running elections, tallying votes and reporting results in a nonpartisan, free, fair and timely manner. The process must continue to be transparent and allow legitimate observers from all parties to monitor it in a non-disruptive way. Election officials as well as voters should be protected from harassment or intimidation by those seeking to disrupt legitimate voting operations. If mistakes are discovered on individual ballots voters should be notified and given an opportunity to correct the error and ensure that their vote is counted. Aggressive cyber security measures must be implemented to prevent inappropriate tampering by unofficial entities – both foreign and domestic.

No party or entity should be empowered to unilaterally disregard or overturn election results. Legitimate cases of fraud or interference in elections must be investigated and prosecuted if proven through the Judicial system. The GCDP supports renewal and strengthening the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Gun Safety Resolutions

Resolution #1: Freedom from Gun Violence demands effective laws that keep guns out of the hands of children, the dangerously mentally ill and criminals – including universal background checks and waiting periods. The GDCP supports state and national legislation that allows courts to issue an order to temporarily remove firearms from the homes of persons in crisis and at a demonstrated risk of harming themselves or others and prohibiting the sale of additional firearms to such persons until the order is lifted, provided there is adequate due process for such person in crisis.

Resolution #2: The GDCP supports Universal Background Checks on all persons purchasing hand guns, rifles and assault weapons of any kind. This should also include a reasonable waiting period to provide time for adequate processing of the background check.

Healthcare Resolutions

Resolution #3: The health of Coloradans is essential to the strength of Colorado and the United States, and health care for all in the United States is a basic and necessary human right. The GCDP supports government policies and legislation that will promote the general welfare and provide basic Universal Health Care for every citizen.

Resolution #4: The GCDP supports prohibiting any health insurance company in the state of Colorado from offering policies that do not cover pre-existing conditions.

Environment and Public Lands Resolutions

Resolution #5: Our public lands are intrinsically important to Coloradans and all Americans. The GCDP supports keeping public lands in public hands. We oppose the transfer of Federal Public Lands to the states or to private entities. We urge the Gunnison County Board of County Commissioners and the State of Colorado to continue their support in protection of public lands.

Resolution #6: The GCDP supports full funding for the EPA and we contend that the EPA should base its decisions on peer reviewed scientific data and findings rather than politics.

Resolution #7: The GCDP supports local government investment in local renewable energy generation and supports solar heating and electrical generation in all aspects of building and energy codes, toward the goal of having a renewable energy economy by 2025. This includes the financial divestiture of all fossil fuel industry by 2030 and establishing a goal of achieving a 100% renewable infrastructure by 2050.

Resolution #8: The GCDP supports strong protection of Colorado’s treasured water for the future and is against the depletion of natural water resources. We support forward-thinking planning and conservation to ensure we have adequate clean drinking water and healthy watersheds, and seek to involve the ranching community, Gunnison County Commissioners and the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District to keep our local water in the drainages where it resides. We oppose transmountain water diversion from the Western Slope of Colorado across the Continental Divide.

Resolution #9: The GCDP supports Mineral Withdrawal for Mt. Emmons. The town of Crested Butte has been combating potential mining on Mt. Emmons for 45 years. At this time, all parties involved, including the mining company, support the removal of mineral entry from this mountain. Congress could foster the permanent resolution of this decades-long debacle by enacting a mineral withdrawal, either as a stand-alone bill or by passing the CORE Act. Gunnison County Democrats know that it’s time to put an end to this mine threat, and we strongly encourage congress members to vote for mineral withdrawal on Mt. Emmons.

Housing, Infrastructure, and Development Resolutions

Resolution #10: The GCDP strongly encourages our County and Municipal elected officials to create the affordable housing identified in the 2021 Housing Needs Assessment as soon as possible. It should be created within the municipalities where people live and as close as possible to the locations where they work.

Resolution #11: Homestead Exemption for Colorado Seniors. Colorado is experiencing rapidly increasing real estate prices, coupled with ever-increasing property taxes. This affects senior residents disproportionately, as they often rely on limited incomes, and could result in long-time residents needing to relocate from their homes. The State currently has a Homestead Exemption which becomes less meaningful as property taxes rise exponentially. Age-diversity, particularly in our desirable mountain towns, is at risk. Gunnison County Democrats urge the State of Colorado to enact a more meaningful Homestead Exemption, for those over 65 who have lived in their homes for 10 years or more.

Resolution #12: The GCDP supports communities having a greater say in the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) processes influencing the use of state and federal highways within their jurisdictions to ensure safe, walkable and bikeable cities and towns.

Resolution #13: The GCDP opposes the use of commercial helicopter flights at Lake Irwin.

Education Resolutions

Resolution #14: Colorado has a massive teacher shortage, as hiring and retaining good teachers has become a crisis across the State. Colorado is ranked in the bottom 10 states in the country for funding education. The GCDP supports higher pay for our teachers, instructors and professors, from pre-K through higher education, to better attract and retain the best teachers to serve our children and our future. We support the Colorado State Legislature increasing public funding for all public education, including Pre-K and higher education.

Resolution #15: The GCDP supports free, publicly funded education for Pre-Kindergarten, K-12, and undergraduate Higher Education.

Other Resolutions

Resolution #16: The GCDP opposes the United States entering into any unilateral preemptive war or military action. We condemn the Russian leadership for invading another sovereign country, Ukraine, and resolve to undertake whatever actions are feasible to support the people of Ukraine. The GCDP also supports assistance and acceptance of more refugees fleeing dangerous, war-torn countries.

Resolution #17: The GCDP supports readily transparent disclosures in all campaign funding donations, including the identity of donors, both individual and corporate, and the amounts they contribute to campaigns.

Resolution #18: The GCDP supports the automatic registration of legally eligible Colorado citizens to vote upon reaching the age of 18 for all elections held in the state of Colorado.

Resolution #19: In a state that is experiencing growth and its impacts, the GCDP opposes the State seeking to hold Olympics in Colorado because it risks our quality of life, would raise the cost of living, would have an adverse effect on our environment, and could continue to stress our already crowded infrastructure.

Resolution #20: The GCDP supports an Equal Rights Amendment, that not only will guarantee legal gender equality for women and men, but also guarantees all Americans access to the same rights and privileges regardless of any orientation, identity, race, or creed. In addition, the GCDP supports a woman’s right to choose and reaffirmation of Roe v. Wade.

Resolution #21: The GCDP will continue to pursue and support evidence-based policy decisions at all levels of government. We support testing, and trying ideas and changing our mind when something does not work, and when something does.

Resolution #22: The GCDP stands for freedom of speech, standing against book banning and curriculum restrictions in our schools and libraries.

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