This episode of Municipal Matters is the entire recording of the CoWest Noticias Collaborative's Local Mayors Forum from March 19th. The Local Mayors Forum in collaboration with Colorado Mountain College included mayors from Aspen to Rifle, excluding GWS due to scheduling issues, to deepen the connection between elected officials and their constituents.

The Town of Basalt’s local election is rapidly approaching, and Town Council Candidates appeared at a forum in late February to answer some burning questions. The candidates are Angela Anderson, Benjamin Fierstein, Elyse Hottel, and Greg Shaffran.

Across Western Colorado there are many counties and small communities that lack easy access to medical specialists, Dr. Mark Deutchman at the University of Colorado Anschutz is trying to change that. Dr. Deutchman directs the Rural Program at the University’s School of Medicine. It’s his goal to fill the care gap in so many small towns across the state. Two of his students, Joslin Blair and Aidan Sokup, are getting a hands-on education at Valley View in Glenwood Springs. This episode covers their unique insights on healthcare access in rural areas and the unique challenges and privileges in the Roaring Fork Valley

KDNK continues its early election coverage with Garfield County Sheriff candidate Brent Baker. Baker has been in law enforcement for twenty years and previously spent nearly a decade as a wildland firefighter. KDNK's Lily Jones asks Baker about Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, new state laws regarding inmate treatment, and what the Sheriff's Office can improve.

Rifle resident and Eagle County Undersheriff Dan Loya has been working in law enforcement for nearly 30 years. He's hoping to take his experience in criminal investigation, disaster management, and policing to the office of Garfield County Sheriff. Loya and KDNK news host Lily Jones discuss immigration law, wildfire preparedness, and the importance of accountability in law enforcement in this episode of Municipal Matters.

Colorado is experiencing more, and worse, climate disasters, wrecking havoc on people’s homes — and their homeowner’s insurance rates. Coloradans face rising premiums, less choice and availability, and in some cases, getting dropped by insurers altogether. Today on Purplish, CPR’s Bente Birkeland and Rocky Mountain PBS’ Andrea Kramar look at what’s happening with the home insurance market in Colorado.

It's been a big year for Carbondale and the Roaring Fork Valley, between the new Forest Service building, pool construction, and mobile home parks up and down the valley organizing to buy their homes. KDNK's Lily Jones interviews Carbondale Mayor Ben Bohmfalk about 2025's biggest moments and the RFV's unique economic situation.

KDNK's News Team brings you part two of last week's two-part episode of Purplish on the possibility of redistricting in Colorado, and our own morning news host, Mike Lemmer, spoke with CLEER about the City of Rifle's efforts to promote sustainability.

On this month's Municipal Matters we're exploring housing and affordability in the City of Rifle and checking in with Leadville after the election.

Welcome to Municipal Matters on KDNK, your public affairs show to get in the know about what’s going on in your town, county, and across the state. Today we have an episode of Purplish from CPR News and the Colorado Capitol News Alliance on election results and the 2026 midterms which will decide control of Congress and the next leader of our state.