Salazar endorses Hagan for State House

MONTROSE — Congressman John Salazar (D-Colorado) is formally endorsing former Montrose Mayor Noelle Hagan for the Colorado State House.

“Noelle is the right person at the right time to address the critical issues facing Colorado,” Rep. Salazar said in his endorsement letter. He went on to say that Hagan’s “wealth of experience and independent voice will enable her to step into the State Capital in Denver and achieve success.”

Hagan is running against Cortez Republican candidate Scott Tipton for the Colorado House District 58 seat.

She expressed her admiration of Salazar and discussed the significance of his endorsement.

“When someone in high office issues an endorsement, they don’t do it unless they have high degree of confidence in the person they’re endorsing,” she said. “I think it’s a good reflection on me. One of the advantages I have is connections with people that can help our area.”

In several years working with city government, Hagan said she worked with Salazar’s office to obtain federal funding to address issues such as transportation.

“I always found his office really helpful with trying to accomplish things at the local level,” she said.

In the future, Hagan said she could potentially work with Salazar to address issues affecting this area, such as the guest-worker program.

“As a legislator I would be able to call on our delegate in Washington and advocate for things that happen at the federal level but impact our area,” she said. “I really believe in inter-jurisdictional communication. I really believe in keeping open lines of communication with federal, state and local representatives.”

This latest endorsement comes a few months after Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D-Denver) voiced his formal support of Hagan’s candidacy. She also has the support of the Colorado Education Association and Western Slope elected officials: Sen. Jim Isgar (D-Hesperus), Rep. Bernie Buescher (D-Grand Junction), Sen. Gail Schwartz (D-Snowmass) and Rep. Kathleen Curry (D-Gunnison).

Hagan announced her candidacy in July 2007, and recently completed eight years on the Montrose city council, including two terms as mayor. She has been involved in groups including the Montrose Library Board and the Montrose County Housing Authority.

House District 58 includes Montrose, Ouray, San Miguel, Dolores and parts of Montezuma and Delta counties.

Contact Lisa Huynh via email at lisah@montrosepress.com