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Larry Don Suckla (i) Republican
Residence: Cortez, CO
Profession: Auctioneer
Education: Some College
Experience: Private business ownership, farmer/rancher, and auctioneer.
What are your top three priorities, if elected?
Limited Government
Restore our 2nd Amendment Rights
Funding the priorities of the people; such as roads, schools and responsible energy
What specific actions would you support to improve affordability for Coloradans, whether aimed at housing costs, tax burdens or other impacts?
Limit government overreach. For example the added costs for permits etc, before a contractor can even start to build in Crested Butte is $130,000; compare that to the cost to build in Montezuma County, closer to $2,000. Why the huge difference? It’s because of regulation they have. Contractors are building homes to make money, not because they want another job. Those costs must be passed to homebuyer. What do you think $130,000 gets you? Is the government going to pay you back if there’s a problem? No. Then they don’t deserve to be paid it in the first place. Add the increase to homeowners insurance: higher costs to build, higher premiums.
Whether your party is in the majority or minority next year, where do you see actionable common ground with the opposing party?
It depends. When Colorado is “one-party rule” and Democrats gain a super-majority, their laws become veto-proof. There were a lot of laws, such as internet regulation, which reminds me of what’s happening in Great Britain, that the governor vetoed. If we get the Democrat nominee for Governor, he already said he supports internet regulation. I use that as an example because I saw a lot of testimony to oppose it, I thought for sure when legislators heard what I heard, they would not support the bill as written. It seemed like they agreed based on interactions with people testifying. Then when it came time to vote, they voted the opposite. They have a pre-determined vote and they stay in line with what they are told to do. I always voted what I believed was right, regardless of the backlash.
A new governor will take office next year. What opportunities are there for legislation or other changes that did not gain traction under Gov. Jared Polis?
It depends on which one gets elected. There were some bad laws that the governor vetoed. He also allowed some bad laws to take effect, such as SB-003 the permitting system for purchasing a firearm, which is unconstitutional.
