Don Moore: write-in candidate for BOCC

Fire mitigation tops the list for Don Moore, a write-in candidate for Teller County commissioner. More than just one issue, Moore views the efforts as all-encompassing: forest health, which leads to reduced homeowners' insurance rates and home prices.

"We need to take down 80% of the trees and educate the public about getting rid of trees and eliminating bark-boring beetles," he said. "With our drought conditions, forests have a better chance of survival."

Moore emphasizes that the risks of wildfire are chiefly on private property.

"If we could address that, we could do some real good," he said.

With homeowners' compliance with the county's junk/rubbish ordinance, the county could be a model for mitigation efforts, he said.

"We could do fire mitigation tours," Moore said.

He knows what he's talking about. Co-owner with his late wife, Toni Moore, of three homes on 100 acres in Teller County, Moore recently got a $17,000 refund on his homeowners insurance from USAA.

"Mitigation works," he said. "Either we clean up our forests or Mother Nature is going to clean our forests for us."

Along that line, Moore balks at the title Office of Emergency Management, whose director is John Evans.

"I think we should call it the 'Office of Emergency Preparedness,'" he said. "We should be more proactive."

Along with fire, Moore is concerned about water taps, particularly in the Indian Creek subdivision.

"Maybe we should stop giving out well permits. I know that would not assist in making housing more affordable because it would make our properties more valuable," he said. "But I haven't seen the growth where that is a concern."

In a time of inflation and high prices for gas and groceries, Moore would propose changing Teller County's 14.653 mills to zero, temporarily, for the residents of Teller County.

In his vow to be transparent, Moore includes a section on his website that talks about his and the late Toni Moore's lawsuit against Teller County. The lawsuit, now in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, deals with the Moores' argument against the county's order to obtain a special-use permit for hosting gatherings in their short-term rental. At press time, Moore had not replied to the Courier's request for comment.

The Moores are also the founders of NoFloCo, a group of volunteers who help homeowners mitigate their properties.

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