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Commissioner Candidate Lark House Fogel:
Current Commissioners "Unamerican."
Current Commissioners "Unamerican."
By William C. Thomas
The Democratic Candidate for County Commissioner
District 3, Lark House Fogel, is disgusted at the behavior of
the current Board of County Commissioners and has
thrown her hat in the ring because "these guys have
completely forgotten they swore to uphold the
Constitution."
An attorney licensed to practice in Texas and Colorado, Fogel, who has offices in Kiowa and El Paso, TX, is outraged that the BOCC would accuse "a man who merely wanted information a terrorist." If it was merely Mr. Schlegel who was doing the accusing, she wonders, "why was the District Three Commissioner, (John Shipper), outside the Courthouse instead of inside asserting that Schlegel was acting alone?"
Fogel, who grew up in El Paso, Texas, where her parents still live, graduated from the University of Colorado at Denver in 1984 with a degree in Political Science and from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1988. After practicing in Texas for ten years, she returned to Colorado and moved to Elizabeth in 2005. She now lives on 74 acres east of Kiowa. She became a Democrat when she was 25.
"I am not a political activist," she remarks, "and my practice is busy, but when I learned there was no Democratic candidate in the Third District and I found out that the Commissioners wanted a journalist to adjust her reporting to favor them, I knew I'd better step in. It's UnAmerican what they're doing and a violation of the First Amendment."
In her approach to County governance, Fogel's views could match that of many Republicans. She believes in fiscal conservatism: "that's just smart;" but she is not averse to offering tax incentives to businesses that want to set up in Elbert County. She is not interested in continuing to pay people who promise business that hasn't materialized.
In terms of transparency, Fogel believes that County records, even Court records, "are public records," except in cases of confidentiality, for instance, involving children, but that "the amounts the County pays for judgments should be available," and that the County Attorney should work to avoid lawsuits. "If there is something done improperly, the it should be corrected before a lawsuit."
An attorney licensed to practice in Texas and Colorado, Fogel, who has offices in Kiowa and El Paso, TX, is outraged that the BOCC would accuse "a man who merely wanted information a terrorist." If it was merely Mr. Schlegel who was doing the accusing, she wonders, "why was the District Three Commissioner, (John Shipper), outside the Courthouse instead of inside asserting that Schlegel was acting alone?"
Fogel, who grew up in El Paso, Texas, where her parents still live, graduated from the University of Colorado at Denver in 1984 with a degree in Political Science and from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1988. After practicing in Texas for ten years, she returned to Colorado and moved to Elizabeth in 2005. She now lives on 74 acres east of Kiowa. She became a Democrat when she was 25.
"I am not a political activist," she remarks, "and my practice is busy, but when I learned there was no Democratic candidate in the Third District and I found out that the Commissioners wanted a journalist to adjust her reporting to favor them, I knew I'd better step in. It's UnAmerican what they're doing and a violation of the First Amendment."
In her approach to County governance, Fogel's views could match that of many Republicans. She believes in fiscal conservatism: "that's just smart;" but she is not averse to offering tax incentives to businesses that want to set up in Elbert County. She is not interested in continuing to pay people who promise business that hasn't materialized.
In terms of transparency, Fogel believes that County records, even Court records, "are public records," except in cases of confidentiality, for instance, involving children, but that "the amounts the County pays for judgments should be available," and that the County Attorney should work to avoid lawsuits. "If there is something done improperly, the it should be corrected before a lawsuit."
Fogel could not understand "how the water district (Elbert
and Hwy 86) vote even came to be considered" by the
BOCC, or the terms it tied them to. "Why didn't they look at
it? Does it take an entire county to tell them not to do
something they shouldn't have done in the first place?"
Her taxes, she believes, should go to "bettering and enhancing our quality of life:" schools, roads, emergency services, and policing, "not in calling a Vietnam vet a terrorist."
In terms of property rights, Fogel asks, "Are you creating an endangerment to your neighbors or the future? If not, a property ordinance should be designed to enhance the property; not to limit or interfere with the property owner."
In terms of serving the public: "A County Commissioner represents everyone and should speak with everyone. There should be no snubbing; no adjusting of stories to make me look better. If I disagree with the Press, I'll make sure I talk with the Press; not shut them out."
Fogel's son, Leo, is working on his Master's degree in Mathematics Education at the University of Nebraska. Her daughter, Beth, is a sophomore at Elizabeth High School. Her spouse, Janine Gerovski, with whom Fogel has been since 1998, is an insurance underwriter.
Her taxes, she believes, should go to "bettering and enhancing our quality of life:" schools, roads, emergency services, and policing, "not in calling a Vietnam vet a terrorist."
In terms of property rights, Fogel asks, "Are you creating an endangerment to your neighbors or the future? If not, a property ordinance should be designed to enhance the property; not to limit or interfere with the property owner."
In terms of serving the public: "A County Commissioner represents everyone and should speak with everyone. There should be no snubbing; no adjusting of stories to make me look better. If I disagree with the Press, I'll make sure I talk with the Press; not shut them out."
Fogel's son, Leo, is working on his Master's degree in Mathematics Education at the University of Nebraska. Her daughter, Beth, is a sophomore at Elizabeth High School. Her spouse, Janine Gerovski, with whom Fogel has been since 1998, is an insurance underwriter.