09/25/2026
“Colorado House District 59 Rep. Katie Stewart, D-Durango, and her challenger Naomi Reiss, R-Durango, appeared polite with each other and passionate about the issues at a debate this week that spanned a broad range of topics important to Coloradans and the nation.
The debate, hosted by the League of Women Voters of La Plata County at Fort Lewis College on Wednesday evening, had the candidates state their stances on public lands stewardship, wildlife management and other subjects on the minds of Colorado residents.
The candidates also addressed a number of social and civic rights issues that frequently appear in national conversations, including trans rights, mass surveillance and immigration enforcement.
League Co-President Tara Kiene moderated the event. She posed the candidates questions submitted by attendees, and each candidate had two minutes to respond to each question.
‘The wolf reintroduction program has not gone so smoothly. Where do you stand?’
Stewart responded first, saying it’s correct the state’s wolf reintroduction program “has not gone well.”
“I often agree with my counterpart in the Senate, Sen. Cleave Simpson. He said ballot box biology doesn’t work, and I agree,” she said.
Stewart said the Legislature should take a step back and rely on the experts at Colorado Parks and Wildlife, giving them the tools they need to manage wildlife effectively.
She pointed to the recently passed “Negligently Luring Bears” law she sponsored, saying La Plata County is disproportionately impacted by bears, and that law gave CPW the means to better manage human-bear conflicts.
The Legislature is “duty-bound” to honor voters’ wishes on wolf reintroduction, and “we need to keep working at it and assess the quality of this program” and “the disproportionate impact on our small ag producers, farmers and ranchers have been quite acute.”
Reiss said she agrees wildlife experts should be listened to, although the CPW Commission – a resident board appointed by the governor – ignores the experts.
She said there are many examples of the commission overriding science-based management with ideology supported by the governor’s appointments.
“It needs some serious restructuring, and it needs respect for the experts at CPW, the expert scientists and biologists,” she said. “… The wolf program obviously has been unsuccessful. It doesn’t seem like it’s really going to be going anywhere at this point.”
She ended on the “Negligently Luring Bears” law raised by Stewart. The law should be enforced, she said, but the state should also revisit how it is managing bears.
“We have doubled the number of bears that we had when we passed the spring bear hunt ban,” she said. “It’s time to take a new look and to depend on our wildlife experts to let us know what is the best way to manage all of these situations.”
‘What are your feelings regarding the protection of public lands? Should public lands be available to be sold and/or leased for fossil fuel and mineral extraction?’
Reiss said public lands should be responsibly managed, but public lands can be used in multiple ways.
“I don’t believe that a one-size-fits-all policy can apply to the question of public lands. We need to look at the land itself, at the resources of that particular parcel of land, and at the public interest,” she said. “When public lands are exchanged, the public should receive equal or greater value in return.”
If public lands are considered for sale, that sale should be limited and tightly controlled, she said. The land should generally already be compromised by adjacent development and should not possess significant historic or natural resources, and should not be used other than for residential development.
Reiss said her experience in land use and development is relevant on the topic.
“The goal is simple: make informed decisions about each piece of land and about the public interest. Don’t apply sweeping ideology, and leave future generations with equal or greater value,” she said.
Stewart said public lands are important to Colorado’s history, culture and economy, and they “should not be for sale, ever, ever.”
She said she signed onto a resolution calling for the Colorado delegation to protect public lands, which are not just for present residents and visitors but for future generations.
“I don’t think – outside of protecting what we have right now … that we have any right to decide that future generations shouldn’t be able to take part in that. Public lands, not for sale. Big fan of them,” Stewart said.
Other issues
Reiss and Stewart agreed, to one extent or another, on a number of issues when presented with them Wednesday.
Both candidates said they support school choice – public school or charter school – citing their personal experiences raising their children.
Each candidate also said they support trans rights.
Stewart said trans people are people and put down her microphone.
Reiss said she agrees, and she is “a 100% supporter of any adult who wants to transition.” She gave a short anecdote about one of her close friends who transitioned and that she has a “huge amount of respect for how she handled her transition.”
When it came to Flock Safety cameras and other automated license plate readers, Reiss said she is more concerned about what her phone is tracking than surveillance technology used by law enforcement.
“Flock cameras should be more of a concern to people who are actually doing something wrong,” she said, adding she understands people’s concerns about security and privacy.
Stewart said she understands Flock cameras are a tool, but they are not always used as a tool to keep communities safe.
“They are being used to harm people, and that should never be OK,” she said.
She asked how to thread the needle to ensure public safety by giving law enforcement proper tools while protecting people’s privacy and personal safety.
When asked if she would support “community non-cooperation policies that protect non-criminal, illegal immigrant neighbors from excessive force or unlawful detention,” Stewart said local law enforcement should not be helping federal immigration enforcement and she worries about the conditions of federal immigrant detention facilities.
“Whether they are here, you know, legally documented … the Constitution applies to everybody,” she said. “It does. It does. You should not be detained for just any old reason, especially because of the color of your skin.”
Reiss said she would likely not have supported a bill that previously passed, counter to Stewart, that prohibits state and local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration officers.
She said public safety could be damaged when local and federal law enforcement can’t communicate, specifying she isn’t sure about “cooperation,” but she supports communication.
“Thirty-five years ago when I moved to this community, I was that spouse that was left behind. My partner was deported, and I was here for eight months by myself,” she said. “… I know how that feels. I am extremely, extremely sensitive to that.”
She said everyone’s safety and well-being is important, and the more people are cooperating and communicating, the better off everyone will be.”
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Challenger and incumbent for 59th District tackle various issues at forum
