Hi Dave! Who are you, and why are you running for County Commissioner?
Check out Dave’s short video intro.
Giving back to Chaffee County is a priority. When I moved to Salida in 2008, I planned to retire from a long career of project management. Instead, I found a robust community with a great history and many opportunities to get involved – and I jumped right in by starting a new business, called Altamont Landscaping. I also started volunteering with Salida District Accountability, Rotary and lead the campaign for the new Salida High School in 2012. More recently, I was involved in securing Colorado Community College into the county. While I live in Salida, I see this community of Chaffee as interconnected – from northern Buena Vista and Nathrop all the way down to Poncha Springs and Salida.
I see my bid for County Commissioner as an extension of the work I have been doing for the last 15 years to help create a better quality of life for every person who, like me, chooses to call Chaffee County home.
What experience do you bring to the job of County Commissioner?
You may not know the name Dave Armstrong yet, but chances are you’ve been impacted by the work I’ve done in Chaffee over the last 15 years, specifically for education. I played a pivotal role in raising the money and political support to secure Colorado Mountain College in Chaffee County. Before that I lead the campaign for new Salida High School built in 2012. Both campaigns required careful listening, strategic thinking, building bridges, and dedication to the common good.
My engineering degree, MBA in finance, and decades long career in project management will benefit the residents of Chaffee County to ensure oversight of tight budgets and expected outcomes.
What are the issues you think are most important to Chaffee citizens?
What I hear and see is the need for attainable housing for families and seniors, educational opportunities for all, workforce development, resilient & sustainable environmental practices for land and water, and support of small business including an improved broadband. I am not only aware of these issues, I face these challenges along with my multi-generational family who runs a business
together and are raising children of their own.
These are issues that Chaffee County can face together to find solutions that honor the past and secure the future. With my experience -- navigating projects and budgets, leading campaigns that bring citizens together -- we will find our way.
What is your vision for Chaffee County?
Chaffee is an inspiring community, with a rich heritage and culture. To prepare for the future we must honor the past – our beautiful mountains and rivers, a rich and historic mining history, the ranches and farms that have sustained this place for generations. We are connected by an obligation to this natural beauty and our community’s history. We must also secure the future – resources,
opportunities, and infrastructure that supports our growing and aging community. We must find
ways to support each generation of our Chaffee community, because we rely on each other.
It is time to be thoughtful about the next steps for attainable housing, senior living facilities, the next steps in growing our education and healthcare systems, creating businesses and job training right here in Chaffee County.
As a lifelong unaffiliated voter why are you running as a Democrat?
I’m running as a Democrat for County Commissioner. Over decades of civic engagement, I’ve traditionally been registered as an independent. I’ve voted for many Republicans, Independents, and Democrats - both nationally and locally. I consider myself a non-partisan collaborator, and I’ve always championed leaders who put community good above party or ideology. I’m happy to partner and
represent all ideas that focus on good outcomes for the community. And, yet, in our political system, candidates who succeed, have two choices. I had to make a difficult choice of who I am currently most aligned with and could provide mutual support.