Laura Puckett Daniels

Wages / Job Benefits I am committed to exploring new ways to incentivize livable wages, affordable housing, and essential services, like child care, education, and health care. I believe we have resources and collaborations that are yet untapped that can help move the needle on creating vibrant communities and sustainable lives for all residents in Gunnison County. Housing We need to look at where people work, how much housing we need, and where it makes the most sense to put that housing so our residents are connected to transportation, work, schools, recreation, and each other. Housing We need a coordinated, regional plan to successfully create, preserve, and incentivize housing together. There are ways we, as local government, can keep building housing, but I also want to see us supporting the infrastructure, codes, and land use policies that incentivize the private sector to contribute attainable housing in the right places. Economy We need to decide what our “priority zones” for recreation are, and what areas we want to prioritize for wildlife or agriculture or other values. Environment / Energy We need to look at how we can protect our quiet places, wildlife, agricultural heritage, and water for future generations. This means looking at both where and how people are recreating, but also where and how we are developing our County. When we talk about development, we also need to talk about where we can and should protect wildlife habitat, wildlife corridors, ranching, and viewsheds. Environment / Energy The County has done a lot to promote sustainable buildings and transportation, including substantial growth in the RTA bus routes that run every day from Gunnison to Crested Butte, the development of a net-zero airport in Gunnison, and increased energy efficiency requirements in the building code. We need to continue this work, but I’d also like to see us take a creative approach to maximizing Gunnison County's carbon sequestration and water retention, so that we do our part to support a thriving landscape. Economy As a County Commissioner, I work diligently to support and create programs and policies that foster long-term, sustainable jobs and opportunities for professional growth for our residents. Environment / Energy Additionally, we can take practical steps to support our wildlife, like identifying priority habitats for conservation with our partners and laying the groundwork for wildlife crossings on highways 50 and 135. I want to be sure we take a holisitic look at how we support our environment and find solutions that support several of our values at once. Environment / Energy Our communities have done a lot of work around mitigating environmental impacts from tourism: designated camping, the CBCC and Gunnison Trails, signage, toilets, and more. We need to continue these efforts, and we need the County's Sustainable Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Committee to continue problem solving our hot spots.