Morrissey can do more with less

To the editor,
Allison Morrissey, candidate for La Plata County Treasurer, will manage our money wisely. She has worked for various Fortune 100 companies. She has experience in cutting costs in operational processes, such as billing and collections, in order to have more money available for customer needs. This is our situation in La Plata County. We have less money available – and we need to find innovative ways to improve the services we need. Allison Morrissey’s experience is what we need right now in our county’s most important elected financial role. She is clearly the most qualified candidate. Vote for Allison Morrissey.

– Daniel Morgenstern, Durango

The evolution of Durango

To the editor,
The issue of watering lawns during a drought in Los Angeles, as seen recently in the Durango Herald, will be an issue our area will face sooner than later. The article mentioned a couple being threatened by the state with a large fine for watering their lawn and told by a homeowners association they would be fined if their lawn turned brown.

Thankfully, for now, the City of Durango is not fining us for water usage, but I bet if I replaced my entire front yard on East Third Avenue with a more practical vegetable garden, I would be scolded for not conforming to the historical look. I changed my mind in applying for  a summer-only vacation rental above my house because 4

of the negative response I received at a June 26 homeowners association meeting for residents on East Third Avenue.

When I waitressed in the early 1980s, my tips were as good in the summer as the winter before Purgatory ski area had extensive lodging. The motels on north and hotels on south Main bussed skiers then, and now most of the motels rely on college students to make it through the winter.

Hopefully my neighborhood will evolve and welcome visitors who want to stay with us and enjoy a meal with fresh-picked vegetables.
– Sally Florence, Durango

Morrissey has proven experience

To the editor,
The role of the La Plata County Treasurer is not to make policy decisions. Rather, the treasurer collects the property tax revenues that the county assessor directs to be collected, and the treasurer pays the obligations of the county that the county commissioners direct to be paid. The treasurer must be the steward of precious tax dollars to ensure they are invested wisely and safeguarded, and should not be wasted on inefficient or manual processes. La Plata County needs Allison Morrissey as the treasurer. Her business experience reflects proven successes. Her leadership skills have allowed her to manage process and technology changes, while achieving these results by wisely utilizing the investments or allocation of dollars that others have entrusted to her management.

With our county’s tax dollars reduced, Allison is the most qualified candidate to improve the Treasurer’s Office by implementing technology upgrades in order to improve productivity and greater customer service to the residents of the county. Allison is the only candidate whose experience has proven that she can accomplish this in a large-scale capacity. While her morrissey4treasurer.com site has information on her background and experience, her LinkedIn account reflects greater information on her experience and qualifications. Please vote for Allison Morrissey for La Plata County Treasurer in the election this November.
– Suzanne Powers, Hesperus

In the comfort of bees

To the editor,
My bees arrived in late April. I was pretty excited, but somewhat apprehensive about installing them in their hives. It was the least I could do as bee populations have fallen at alarming rates due to pesticides and parasites. I had made a point to leave them alone for the most part, allowing them to adjust to their new environs. I found comfort in visiting their hives each day providing water for their trays. There is something soothing about watching bees. They seemed to sense a benevolent presence as they had never shown the slightest aggression toward me as they went about their activities. Neither had I been stung while handling their combs.

Perhaps it has to do with respecting and understanding the ethos of realms. You have to admire an animal that works so fastidiously to provide sustenance to its fellow creatures, plants and virtually wants to make the world a better place. The benefits of the “bee realm” bestow a balance and tranquility to place. They evoke a greater consciousness of living, cooperating and thriving in harmony.

My mother died a little over a year before my bees arrived. I visited the old homestead to put legal matters to rest. Mom planted various flowers, including butterfly bushes and marigolds for her bees. She never had a hive but she always referred to them as her bees, her girls! I looked out at the back yard and felt a helpless longing for the way things were. There was a burning in the heart. I knew this little backyard world was her only world and now things would change forever. Mom was an expert gardener and lover of nature. She was fond of all kinds of wildlife, and at times while returning to the East Coast, I was pulled into the garage to witness a new menagerie of orphaned and wounded wildlife. Hours before she died, Mom pointed out to the back yard and the butterfly bush. She said nothing, her chin fell to her chest and we just sat quietly together for the last time.

My sister and I followed the hearse to Harleigh Cemetery and we watched mom enter the sky just up the hill from Walt Whitman’s Mausoleum. The wraiths of smoke rose, heading eastwardly against a cold-blue, late winter sky. I felt a myriad of memories swirling in the blaze of light. Blue smoke like some final conflagration swept across the fields and preceded us. I tried desperately to keep pace with it, pulling my shattered sister by the arm. It was no use.

We finally turned away and walked down the hill. Somehow, the back yard came into my mind’s eye, the animals, the leaves, the colorful flowers, the swaying trees and yes … the bees! I stopped and bent over. My sister looked at me with confusion. I sighed deeply and sobbingly muttered under my breath, “Mom … I promise to take care of those bees, I promise, I promise!” as I fell slowly to my knees.
– Burt Baldwin, Ignacio