Topics:
Constituent/Candidate Priorities: :08
Wildfires: :59
Rural Healthcare: 2:14
Housing Solutions: 4:07
Latino Community Representation: 6:36
Community Safety: 7:25
Bipartisanship: 9:05
Cost of Living: 11:24
Education Priorities: 13:57
What do you wish more people knew?: 18:37
Additional Concerns/Statement: 21:42
(This interview was done in a public restaurant, which does effect sound quality.)
Hattison Rensberry: What is it that you believe are the highest priorities for your constituents?
Representative Marc Catlin: Well, I think one of the things that is important to the people I've talked about is their property rights, the water in the river. The Colorado River in this basin is critical to everyone, even if they don't enjoy the river. It's a big deal to them, their kids, their grandkids, the natural resources here in this basin.
Because we're a natural resource-based economy – you're in farming or logging, mining, but so is tourism. We're selling world-class environmental activity. So we're all in this together. I think those are the kinds of things that I think are probably the most important.
Rensberry: Colorado has seen more intense wildfires and longer wildfire seasons in the past few years. What are some of your priorities that will help people to address these kinds of natural disasters?
Representative Catlin: I'm a big believer in mitigation prior to fire. I've been on a number of bills that helped be able to cut some of the dead timber and get it out from around some of the valuable properties or your home. It doesn't matter how much your home is worth, if it burns, it's terrible. We can do those kinds of things right now. Forest health is something that I'm really involved with forest health.
We need our forests to thrive. If they thrive, then the water table thrives. I think we should get some of the dead timber out of our forests. I know in wilderness areas you can't do that. But in the areas that are not, we need to do a better job of managing our forests to begin with. After we do that then we'll start looking at how we can keep them from burning.
Rensberry: Sure thing. Yeah. Something that is on the minds of a lot of constituents in these areas, especially the rural ones that you're most involved in is the idea of rural healthcare and its limitations. What are some policies or partnerships that you think would be the best way to manage these needs?
Representative Catlin: Well, I'm a believer in these federally qualified clinics in the district that I represent. We now have several and they're a linchpin in these communities because people are able to stay in that town because there’s medical care in rural Colorado and the doctors can say to them ‘Oh, you need specialty care’ and they get that. But if you have a toothache or need your eyes checked or you need those kinds of things, you could do that right at home.
I think you'll see them play a much bigger role – the clinics – in our communities. Rural health, in my mind, is health. We don't pay enough attention to our rural communities. All of the attention gets paid to the urban centers. We need to bring those dollars, those doctors, those kind of things to our communities.
I ran a bill this last session that's going to fund training doctors for rural Colorado, and rural healthcare professionals so that they get an opportunity to come to rural Colorado and practice their skills. I think one of the things you're going to see a lot of them are going to stay. I think that's how we build our bench: let them see where we are and how we are.
Rensberry: Something else that's a big issue for a lot of your constituents is the concept of housing and those difficulties. What are some solutions that you intend to encourage to tackle the housing issue?
Representative Catlin: One of the things that housing is that we're leaving out is the local component. We have contractors, we have all of the things in these local communities that can do this work. I think we ought to be making it easier to build starter homes. Give a tax incentive to the builder.
You know, when I was in the real estate business a long time ago, our subdivisions had two-bedroom houses with one-car garage and a three-bedroom house with one-bath, one-car garage. And that's where starting to get into property started.
Today, we don't build those. We build mansions. We build these great big houses that you probably couldn't buy one. We need to make it easier. The other thing I think is going to happen in a lot of communities is condominiums could be beginner houses because you can build more of them in one place and use less land. We need to fix the construction defect law so the condos can come back into Colorado.
The state of Colorado can help, in my mind, by helping with tax incentives for those kinds of things. The local communities: let's take a look at how much it costs to get a building permit. How much does it cost for a water tap? Those kind of things. And see if we can get that to the point where we can do something on an attainable level. Affordable and attainable, they may be different, but you have to be able to attain it.
Then if it's affordable, you attain, you go get one.
People are being shut down. They can't even go try. And that's sad. You know, people need to own their house regardless if it's a condominium or a house or whatever it is. People need to own it and feel like this is my home, you cannot take it from me.
Rensberry: Our region here, in Western Colorado, for the past couple of decades has seen a growing Latino community. How do you intend to represent them fully?
Representative Catlin: They're my constituents. There's no difference. I want them to feel like they're my constituents. If they need something, contact me. That's the way I represent. To say differently, I don't think that's what they're wanting. I think they want to be a member of the community, just like everybody. So, if you live in my district, you're my constituent.
Rensberry: What is one thing that you believe can be done to make communities safer?
Representative Catlin: Well, I don't want to defund police departments. I don't think that we should try to cut back. Some of the things that have happened during my career that I think are working is where they put a health care professional with a police officer so that the response is not just arrest the guy. They have somebody to help talk them out of being angry or why the police were called. I think those kinds of things are going to change as time goes forward.
We're going to find out that some of those experiments do work and that we can make them work in every town. The problem is, do they have the budget for all of that? And I would like to see those kinds of things done. We've tried, you know, we've passed some bills that are saying that, and most of these communities, if they want somebody like that they can get grants and those kinds of things to find out if it'll work. I think that's how it's going to be.
And we just need to make sure that the criminals stop being criminals. Arrest them. You don't know if they're truly a criminal, or if they have some substance problem. Or, we need to look a little deeper into people that are confronted with law enforcement.
Rensberry: As someone who is campaigning in a time where people are more and more requesting bipartisanship of their legislators, how do you plan to promote more bipartisanship within the legislature within the legislature? And I know that you're an incumbent, but not specifically an incumbent for this role but taking that into account.
Representative Catlin: Well, here's the way I look at it: the only way you can pass a bill is bipartisan. In the Republican Party, every bill that I've run, except for maybe two, had a co-prime sponsor from the Democrat Party. Because what that does is it opens it up to where you can say to an individual: “I've done this a number of times. I have this bill that's good for my district – would you take a look at it?” Give it to a legislator from Durango, for example, and say “This is good for my district, I think it will be good for yours.” They read it. And by the next morning, before we gavel back in, she called and said, “Can I be on that bill with you?”
It's a people business. There are some things I can't support because I'm just not built that way. But, Western Slope Legislators stand together because we're already a super minority because there's not enough of us. So it really doesn't matter if you're Democrat or Republican, you really have to have each other's help. And I'm going to continue doing that.
In fact, I've been voted the most bipartisan man in the building, in my past. So, we won't change things. We're still going to talk to people. We're still going to say, “Hey look, this is a good one. Take a look at it.”
Oh, and I'm the Vice Chair of the Agricultural and Water Committee and was appointed by the Speaker of the House from the Democrat Party to be that leadership position on that committee. The first time that's ever happened. So we'll keep doing those kind of things.
Rensberry: Your constituents – a lot of them are concerned about the financial difficulties of living in Garfield County and other parts of your district that you're campaigning for. What are some solutions that you believe would make costs more livable for those constituents?
Representative Catlin: Better jobs would help.
Economic development should go in both directions. Not just up and down Main Street, but should go into the workplace. We need to start promoting our communities as a good place to bring a business. And hire people. More jobs will be good for people. Good jobs.
Those are the kinds of bills that I'll pursue, to see if there's some way we can improve economic development. Not that they're not doing a good job – don't take me wrong. But we need more of an effort on those kinds of things.
Our number one export is our kids. We raise them up as good, solid, great people. They go to university and can't afford to come back. We need to try and fix that. I mean, we're sending the best of our communities out to other people's communities. We need to attract them back. And I think we can do that with better jobs because this is a great place to live. Once people realize, “Oh, I want to live here.” Then we can start building this thing up.
Rensberry: What does that look like with creating better jobs - is that incentives from the legislature on certain policies?
Representative Catlin: I think so. You know, all of economic development is usually someone interested in your community. We make them some sort of an offer, either water taps are free or we help them with development and those kinds of things.
So I think we do that, the state of Colorado could probably get involved with that. probably get involved with that. I don't want the state to be all in charge of that because then it's one size fits all, and your community is different than Rifle. Your community is different than Montrose. So, for people to keep their heritage and their culture, they need to be thinking about this.
Rensberry: It's no secret that education is a complex concept with teacher retention issues, as well as a lot of arguments over what education looks like from teachers or parents on both sides of the aisle. What's a big issue for you regarding education that you plan on working on?
Representative Catlin: I think school choice is important. And I think parents should be involved, if they can be involved, they should be. And I don't think any of our school districts have a problem with not letting parents be involved.
Those young people, little kids on up to young adults, are the most important thing we have. I mean, there's no future without them. We can have the most beautiful, we can have all the resources, we can have all those things, but if we don't have our young people, it's a waste. So I think that parents should be able to put a child where they'd like.
I like the idea – I don't know for sure how it will work – of the dollars from the state following the student. The state puts a certain amount of money in every school district, per child. Well, if that child decides that they want to go to a charter school, those dollars should go there.
You know, even homeschooling. Homeschooling is getting to be a much bigger thing. More and more people are homeschooling. But, they're having to do that on their own. So I think the state could be in a situation where, you say, “Well, this percentage can go to help with their education.” Choices, not just school choice, but the choice of “I want my kids to be well educated.”
And if the school is not doing that, we should find out why. And they (the parents) should be able to say, “I need to take him someplace else to get better.” You know, maybe they need special needs. Those kind of things. We need to be aware of that and try.
Rensberry: What's the metric that you're thinking some parents might use for that? Just to know sort of where where people sit with those.
Representative Catlin: I think it's a local issue, metrics. I don't like the state coming down on everything and saying they have to be in this percentile and those kinds of things. One of the things about these percentiles is a lot of these tests that our kids take, they give them the test at the end of the year and they don't get results back until after that child has moved on from that class. So if they are behind, how do you help them? If they're ahead, what do we do with them?
Our testing program is run by politicians. I don't think they should be running it. I think the educators should figure out how to do testing.
Rensberry: What is a personal experience or part of your lifestyle that you believe helps you to better represent your community?
Representative Catlin: I was born here. I've seen the communities grow. I've seen the mistakes we've made. I've seen the successes we've had. And I love this country. I love this area.
I can't tell you what would make me a better legislator other than the fact that I care about this place, I care about the people. You hear a lot of guys say that. But, I mean it. You know, I will call you back. You know, if I get an email, something happens. So, usually, those are from people who have a need. They're writing me an email because something's not right or they need help. That's where the most personal satisfaction comes from. It's helping someone that, you know, a grandma calling you on the phone with tears in her voice saying, ‘I don't know where to turn.’ And being able to help that. That's a big deal.
Rensberry: What's something you wish more people knew about you, personally? I know that's a weird question to ask somebody in politics.
Representative Catlin: I'm a lot more fun than I look.
Rensberry: How so? Say more.
Representative Catlin: Oh, I'm pretty stern-looking. This is serious business to me. Like I said earlier today, this is the most important job I've ever had. And I've had good jobs. But this is the one that's the most important. Because it deals with your life and it deals with your neighbors. If you don't think that that's important, you shouldn't be doing this. And sometimes they take my picture and it looks like I'm, you know, kind of growly. And I'm not.
You know, I like jokes, and I'll tell you one. You know, those kind of things. I think it's just, that if you're on the job, be on the job. Take it seriously. Get it done.
Rensberry: What do you do for fun? Now I have to ask.
Representative Catlin: Right now I'm driving around the countryside. I'm like that trucker song. I'm looking at life through a windshield. I enjoy my kids. I enjoy my community. I'm a farmer. Farming is one of those things that you can go out there and feel like you did something that day that matters. And you know, stress leaves because there's nobody around, you're out there on the tractor, and you know, that's kinda what I do.
Rensberry: Yeah, sure.
Representative Catlin: I've been a water skier, I've been a snow skier, I've been a snowmobiler, I've played softball. Ball for way too long. And I've been in the theater.
Rensberry: Oh, oh, are you? Wait a minute. I did not know this fun fact.
Representative Catlin: Yeah, I was in the theater.
Rensberry: Tell, say more.
Representative Catlin: Well, there's a community theater in Montrose called Magic Circle, and it is pretty magic because people come there that don't know they're an actor, and all of a sudden they're on the stage and acting. It’s what happened to me.
You know, I played R.P. McMurphy in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." I've had a lot of good parts.
Rensberry: Things you don't know about Representative Catlin.
Representative Catlin: Well, one thing about acting is you cannot think about who you are. So it's a kind of stress management. You have to be the, you have to be the character. I can't worry about my checking account balance or, you know, those kind of things. If I do, we make a mistake. So, if you're an actor, if you get into that character, that's a little vacation.
Rensberry: That's so fun. Last question, is there anything else that you wanna talk about while we still have the microphone on that we haven't covered yet today?
Representative Catlin: Well, I think this area, being the heart of the Colorado River District, or heart of the Colorado River Basin is one of the most important parts of the state of Colorado. Things that are happening here could influence Colorado for a long, long time. Shoshone Water Right – those kinds of things. We are talking about the next hundred years and I'm proud of this area. I'm proud of what they've done, what they're planning on doing, and how they go about it. You know, there's a lot of cooperative spirit in this river valley. You see it in every town. They compete with one another: football, basketball, all those things.
But when it comes down to it, this matters. This area matters. I think that's important. That's impressive.
Rensberry: If people want to learn more about your campaign, where can they go?
Representative Catlin: Go to catlinforcolorado.com. And when you get there, you're going to find every bill I've ever run. So, we thought we would just put them there. You know, you don't say you’re transparent if you are. So you can go on and look at the bills I've run. You can look at the things we've done. Stay a while and get to the donate button. (Laughs.)
Rensberry: Well, thank you so much. You bet. We really appreciate you taking the time, Marc.
Representative Catlin: Thank you.
