THE ZEPHYRNOVEMBER i990 PAGE 10 the zephyr debates Craig Bigler v. Manuel Torres moderated by ken davey Manuel: First of all, Craig, I dont know much about you, what brought you to Grand County? Craig: I grew up In eastern Idaho. I Joined the Air Force, looked at a lot of places around the country, trying to find the place where I really wanted to live. I went to the University of Utah. In 1964 took my family on a vacation to Dead Horse Point and Island In the Sky, and I found heaven. I finished my education, but my love for this area never changed. I finally moved here In 1984. Manuel: Well, I was as In the dark as a lot of people. I think people know who I am, because I have been here for a lot of years. I was raised In Montlcello, and I moved here when I was about 20, after going to the University for one year, and because of finances I couldnt go on. 1 are a businessman. How will you find the time to be county commissioner along with all the other things you have going? Manuel: I have a lot Invested In Moab. And I think It was to my benefit to get Involved In politics, to find out what was there to bring Into Moab, or what wasnt available to come to Moab. And then I feel I have an Inside with the business people to make them aware of the same thing. Craig: You didn't really answer my question on how you would find the time. Id like to point out that I do have the time. My children are raised and my debts are paid, and It leaves me with the bulk of so now I'm able to live on what I can earn working part-tim- e. Craig: You my time to do this ob. Manuel: What Is your employment In Grand County? Do you have property, any Investments, that would make you more aware of the problems? Craig: I own a home here In town and I have an Incredible Interest In the kind of things you are alluding to, the value of the home, the value of the property, the taxes that are on It I work as a river guide, after being a professional In government-relate- d work for 20 years. I sort of fell Into the business of river guide, and discovered I truly loved to do It It gives me an acquaintance, and a relationship with what Is now the major Industry In the community. Manuel: Again, because of not knowing Craig, I was Just curious. I dont know much about you. Craig: Manuel, you said you favor the Book Cliffs Road as a businessman. You also mentioned that It was appropriate to do something for the Industry that pays a large part of the property tax revenues for the county. Could you explain that? Manuel: Sure. I think that's whats wrong with government today Is that they dont run It as a business. It Isnt even break even, If they Just break even Id be happy. Were not talking about a self Interest group here, we're talking about Is one third of the revenue that comes to Grand County Is oil and gas. A barrel of oil Is almost 40 dollars a barrel. We have tar sands under the Book Cliffs. At some time, somebody Is going to figure a way how to take that tar sand out of the ground. I think If we have the funds right now, to get ahead and build that road right now, when the time comes that somebody develops the technique to take that tar sands out, were going to be two to three years ahead on taxes coming back to Grand County. And I think to our Interest, Its best that we do It now, If we have the funds to do It Craig: You said that government ought to be run like a business. Well, a business Invest unless there Is pretty sure return. This road Is strictly a gamble. The return doesnt may come, you said yourself It may take years before there Is a return on this road. I think It's Just the opposite of what you describe. When the oil company wants to drill a well or build a reduction plant and they need a road, the road Is In In weeks. Manuel: Right now, If I was going to tell you Im going to do this and this and this and this, Id be lying to you. I really dont know whafs there. For Instance, the hospital. Its such a tight-kn- it group that's running the hospital down there. It's hard to get any Information out of them. So until you are In the county commissioners seat and you sit down and you figure these things out, I dont think anybody can tell you. But It seems strange to me that the Democratic Party has had control over that for the last 2 years and these situations havent been cleared. Im not afraid to make that decision. But I cant tell you what, because I haven't seen the books and I dont know exactly what the fundings are. Craig: Once again, you didnt answer my question. What I did hear you say was, when the decisions have to be made, Ill make up my mind. We cant wait for you to learn on the Job. I havent had any difficulty at all finding out what I need to know about the hospital. I talked to people on the board, and they are very forthright, and very optimistic. Manuel : Experience. In your ads you keep having the word experience. Talk about It, explain that to me. Have you been a county commissioner before? Craig: No, I havent been a county commissioner. I started out with Governor Rampton In 1969 , when It became apparent that state government had a much bigger Influence on (Moples lives than had been recognized before that I established a planning coordination system for Governor Rampton that was unique In the country, and gave me national recognition. Once that was In place, I went to work with the new associations of ty associations that were being Just set up at the time. I was governments, the so successful at that that the Four Comers Regional Commission hired me to set up a planning system for rural development that was based at the county level. The Commission was able to assemble a plan that came from the bottom up, Instead of Imposed from the top down. It gave county governments much more say In the action. Then my work there got attention by the Department of Agriculture, and I was hired by the Rural Development Service In Washington to work with county officials to give them much more Influence over decisions made by the Farmers Home Loan Administration. My Job was to find ways for them to work closely with county commissioners In their small towns, so the economic development programs they were administrating were really serving the people of the community rather than the federal mandates. Manuel: Well, theres still a big difference between that type of experience and administrator. As a county commissioner youre going to be an administrator and you're going to be In charge of a lot of county funds. And you're going to have to make decisions that are going to upset some people. So I think theres a big difference, and I think I'm much farther there because I have made decisions all my life, financially, and Im willing to make them. multi-coun- Craig: That takes us to fiscal responsibility. Weve talked about the way decisions are being made without Involving the people to spend an enormous amount of money on a road, for example. How would you deal with that? Manuel: I'm Involved with CEU Institutional Council, and I'm on the financing committee there. I think Im capable of doing It I think we've done a swell Job at CEU. When a county department comes In for funding, and you have It set out where you are only going to spend so much In that department, then you stick with It Youre going to have to be very up front with people with that because you're going to have to protect taxpayers money. Craig: In the governor's office I did administer large budgets. But my real question Is how do we allocate resources to the major projects, how do we Include the people In the decision-makin- g? That's my strength, being able to Include the people. Manuel: We have a problem down the river. And It was caused by tourism. My Manuel: What about groups? Ive heard the Democratic Party question to you Is, how do you see the problem and how are you going to solve It with what candidates come out and say, I won't do this because Im not a person. Just funding? like the Book Cliffs Road, the candidates call It a Craig: In the traditional sense, It Is the BLMs group. Dont you think responsibility. However, If the everybody In Grand County Is really a ,d week ,s n Indicator, the people of this community don't group? Give me the definition of wanttne BLM to have that much control over the group. corridor, and suggested that the county Is The an when Interest more Its than fair share of the ought toassume the rasponsblllty. If thats what all of the people of the community to do, Craig: problem group gains pie. we need to always be aware of the other people In the community when we start men so be It We can do It, and the resources can be found. That would be a great one for committing public funds. We're talking about some pretty enormous sums of money. Thats the road board to take on, If they dont sink all of their money Into the Book Cliffs Road. But I m not going to advocate that the county assume a role that very few counties In the public money and the people In Grand County ought to have a say over how It gets spent fed the need to do. Im not going to try to Manuel: Well, Im In the belief that we are all a country group. For exanle, change that until Im convinced that a f the people In the we asked for the money to build It the other side started crying, the golf course. When think we county ought to take on that rasponsblllty. "that's a group, Its never going to work. Everything In Grand County right mal" to BLM very dear the what they must do, In our Interest TUt now Is negative. When somebody wants to do something, Instead of them having the other Hold thdr feet to the fire and get It done. group having an alternative, all I hear la complaint, complaint, complaint At least these than done Youre talking about federal government .1 people are going out on a limb to get something started. brl" d0lrt know n ttwYr standing or sitting down. I dont 8,1 " money 001 !?" and I dont think we ought to plan on Craig: How do we make the decisions over what ought to be priorities? For every proWm hr- - We created tourism by advertising. The dollar that Is available there are demands for about 5 dollars. So as county commissioner, 3 C8nt 0,1 d0,lar fr1" mot- - And that conies up to a how would you make the choices? Jiwter of a minion dollare a year that they are spending on advertising. I mink now that self-inter-est self-inter- est self-inter- est self-inter- est self-inter- est self-inter- est self-inter- est rj T1 5JJ