Today's Opinions

 As we learned last week, the county commissioner is one of the most influential people over your day-to-day life. I’ve had a few occasions to work with Joan Drury on issues regarding several projects. Joan is always accessible, friendly and is someone who takes our concerns seriously. Personally, I am sad to see her term-limited but also wish her the very best.

Editor’s note: Each of the candidates for Clear Creek County commissioner will be given an opportunity to write a column for the Opinion page before the Nov. 6 election. This week, Phil Buckland, a Republican running for the District 3 seat, discusses his qualifications.

Fifteen years ago this month, I had stopped by the post office in Idaho Springs — the former one in the 1500 block of Colorado Boulevard — taking a break from writing my master’s thesis to grab the mail for my parents.

I greeted Dean St. John, a longtime family friend who my dad had worked with underground for a time at the Henderson Mine on the drill bench and who I knew as a longtime volunteer firefighter in Idaho Springs. It was the latter topic that came up in our brief conversation that day.