T’Naus Nieto
The Chronicle-News
Trinidad citizen Carmela Vanore is running for city council and plans to bring her extensive experience in government at the state level and her award-winning volunteer work know-how to the position.
“Just work together as a community, we can get a lot done,” Vanore said when asked if she had a message to the community. “Don’t get disheartened, this town has a lot of boom and busts, that’s why I think we need to be diversified. I think the tech hub and the work that Emergent Campus is doing are another great aspect. I really think we’re starting to hit on all [cylinders]. I want to say we need to stick with it, pull our talent, and we have so many talented people in this community. Let’s press on and get this done. We got this. We can do this. Tourism, Emergent Campus, infrastructure improvements, we are an emerging town, and we’re doing all these things right—We really got a lot going for us.”
Vanore spent 17 years as a private sector bookkeeper before landing a career in purchasing and contracting for the State of Colorado.
“I had a wonderful career, doing purchasing and contracting for the state, coupled with my bookkeeping background, I have a strong (sense of) stewardship of funds, then in the state, maximizing state funds to get the best programs.”
Additionally, Vanore is a dedicated volunteer who has even received a Meritorious Service Medal for her efforts.
“I volunteered out in Denver at Bienvenidos Food Bank, I volunteered at the Colorado National Guard for the youth conservation corps’ at-risk troubled youth program. I was awarded a Meritorious Service Medal by the Adjutant General of Colorado for my work with the children. That was really rewarding. It was actually my first volunteering experience in my early 30s when I started working for the state.”
Since living in Trinidad, she has served as the treasurer of the Farmer’s Market and a board member for around five to six years, volunteered at the Trinidad History Museum, and recently worked for a company on Main Street.
“I got to meet a lot of the citizens and talk to people. But not just citizens, tourists, people who come to our town and tell me what they like about the town, and what they think we need to improve.”
When asked why she decided to run, she said, “I came to Trinidad when I was 20 years old, and I really fell in love with the town. And for the next 27 years, I always said I would move to Trinidad… So, I love this town. I have many ties to the area, since I’ve been coming here since I was 20… I want to see our town thrive. I feel like my experience is a great fit for city council.”
When asked what she could bring to the city if elected, she said, “I bring integrity, fairness. I listen to people. I have a history of bringing people together to complete projects. So, I think that’s a valuable skill set that I could bring to the city council. I’m a very empathetic person, and I enjoy talking to people. I’m a people person. So, I think it’s important to have (a sense of) community where you live. Because if you don’t, it’s just fractured, and people aren’t happy.
“I also have the ability, because of my [experience], to pore through dry material and be able to absorb legals and get down to the root of what needs to be said, instead of just this legal [jargon].”
With the unhoused being a central topic of discussion throughout the city, when asked about her perspective, Vanore said, “I don’t think what’s been done has been working out so far. I think we need to engage with them. We need to understand that these are people, just like all other people. You’re going to have people you can talk to, and you’re going to get people who won’t talk to you. We might be able to engage some people to try and be more engaged in the community, not (make them feel like) an outsider.”
“I know the city council has taken some steps, but I don’t know how that’s going to work out. I don’t think that’s going to help the homeless in any way— for sure. I don’t see how taking things away is going to do anything to alleviate the problem. I also think we have to be realistic. There are people in this town who are multigeneration public assistance recipients, and those people, with the cuts that we’re seeing at the federal level, could be one step away from being homeless. So, we need to do some upfront work to try and prevent that from happening, but I also think we need to engage with the people that are currently homeless and see what we can get done.”
When asked about her perspective on the economic future of the city, she said:
“I’m kind of positive about it. I’m really jazzed up about a lot of things. For example, working on Main Street, all the young folks who came down from Denver started businesses. I’m just so in their corner and appreciative that they’re here and trying to get these businesses up and running. And it’s made our town so much better… we’ve got some restaurants that we didn’t have before, we’ve got music venues… Some of these businesses and things were incubated in the farmer’s market, so, for example, the vegan restaurant that we have, those were people who came to the farmer’s market for several years.”
When explicitly asked about outdoor recreation as a tourist driver, she replied, “I think that could be a good part of it. An outdoor tourist destination is great. We might struggle with that a little bit in the winter, we don’t have a ski area… (But) what we have, in the beautiful place that we live, is an attraction in itself… I’m encouraged by the outdoor activities and the opportunity to have tourism around that. I’m for it. And I certainly think it’s going to help us out.”
