Maez announces re-election bid for county commissioner

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2019/11/candidate-ronmaezreelection-190x300.jpg Ron Maez

Archuleta County Commissioner Ron Maez recently announced his candidacy for re-election for Archuleta County commissioner for District 2.

Maez was elected to the seat in 2016.

Maez cited his biggest accomplishments as commissioner as starting construction on the new county jail, updating the building codes, which include regulations for tiny homes, and contributing funds for a new building for the county’s Department of Human Services, which secured a $13 million building for a $1.2 million cost to taxpayers through grants and other incentives.

Maez stated that, if re-elected, some of his goals are to build a new county courthouse and find a new facility for the treasurer’s, clerk’s and assessor’s offices.

Speaking about the challenges of the office, Maez said, “There will always be challenges to the office, no matter who gets in here, it just doesn’t matter. When you think you’re at a point when you can fly steady, it doesn’t happen. There’s no steady to this job, there’s always a constant need for somebody or someone or some entity in the county.”

Maez noted he served on a handful of boards before being elected county commissioner, which included the county’s fair board, the school district’s accountability committee, the firefighter pension board and the fire district’s board of directors.

Maez added he earned Rookie Firefighter of the Year in 1996, Firefighter of the Year in 1998 and Officer of the Year in 2001.

Maez explained it can be challenging to illustrate to local taxpayers the importance of addressing the county’s capital facility needs like a county jail.

“We were statutorily required to have a jail and even with that in mind, it failed twice at the ballot,” Maez said, referencing two ballot initiatives to raise the county’s sales tax to help pay for the new jail.

Maez noted that his lifelong history in Archuleta County shows that he is “truly vested in the community.”

“I love this community and I will work hard for Archuleta County,” he said, adding, “I live here, I’m gonna die here and I want to make it probably the best I can for my elder years as well as for the people that are upcoming in the future too.”