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Questions for the Candidates


As the local election cycle heats up this year, the Plainsman Herald is offering up space for voters to ask questions and local candidates to respond. The key races are for Baca County Commissioners’ offices and Springfield City offices.

The Purpose of Local Government:

Some might add a few details or changes to this definition, but for our purposes, we will define local government’s core responsibilities as follows: To provide the essential range of services including public safety, roads, zoning regulations and arrange elections, providing workforce oversight, creating and implementing policy; construct, approve and implement a budget while maintaining fiscal oversight in an environment amenable to citizens’ life and livelihood.

Rules of Engagement:

To give candidates a head start in explaining their positions/platform for their candidacy. I am offering up 7 questions to begin the conversation. We will hope to add 3 more questions, submitted by readers, for a total of 10 questions.

As with all content submitted to the Plainsman, don’t assume we will publish a question merely because you submit it. We will retain editorial privilege as we vet the submitted questions and answers. Keep your conversation civil; we’re all part of the same community. We are not addressing state or national races, as there are other forums for that purpose.

Candidates; limit your answers to 50 – 75 words. If your answer exceeds this limit, the Plainsman retains the right to paraphrase.

Submit your questions here: editor@plainsmanherald.com, or at the office at 849 Main. Anything submitted by readers or candidates as a comment via the Plainsman’s public Facebook page will be considered standard commentary and not as part of this engagement.

Trustee Race Questions:

1. What makes you stand out from other candidates?
2. What’s the one major issue you plan to address?
3. Do you think our main street is healthy and successful? If not, what would you suggest to change that?
4. How do you plan to involve residents in the decision-making process in our town?
5. If someone came to you with a proposal to build a new piece of public infrastructure in our town how would you evaluate whether that project was worth implementing?
6. If you received a $1 million grant to use for the city any way you wanted, what would you do with it and why?
7. What would be one thing you could suggest to improve/ efficient operations for the town?

Town of Springfield Town Trustee Race:

The Town of Springfield Regular Municipal Election will be held on Tuesday, April 5, 2022.

There are eight (8) candidates running for the three (3) open Trustee positions. Voters must be a U.S. citizen, at least eighteen (18) years of age on Election Day, must be a registered elector, and must have resided within the incorporated limits of the Town of Springfield for twenty (22) days immediately preceding the election. Absentee Ballots will be available at the Springfield Town Hall. The eight (8) candidates are as listed below:

Jacob Jaramillo
Marcia (Olivas) Elstob
Josh Wittler
Jeremy West
Troy Crane
Rustin Robins
Brady Humphrey
Dahlon Billings


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