ABOUT WALLY

Long time La Plata County Resident, Respected Leader

re-elect wally white laplata country comm Wally White moved to Colorado in 1949 and was raised in Boulder and the Yampa Valley. He moved to La Plata County in 1979 to raise his family. For ten years, Wally worked as a full time farrier, shoeing horses throughout the Four Corners. At the same time he began raising llamas, a business he still operates today. He was elected to the Board of Directors of the International Llama Association and was a founding member of the Rocky Mountain Llama and Alpaca Association and served four years as President of the organization. Wally also served on the Board of Directors of the Alpaca and Llama Show Association and was a certified llama judge for ten years. In these positions, he worked with people throughout the United States and Canada and helped develop productive livestock associations.

Active & Hard at Work in La Plata County

Wally worked for the City of Durango as a bus driver in the transportation department and was also a school bus driver in the 9-R School District for five years. During that time he was elected by his colleagues to represent them on the Classified Staff Negotiating Team. Wally worked for two years as herd manager for Double Play Alpacas, a breeding herd of over 200 alpacas located near Bondad. Leaving there, he expanded Columbine Llamas to include nationwide transportation of llamas and alpacas, which he closed in 2004 in order to devote full time to the job of County Commissioner.

Civic Contributions, Government Experience & Memberships

In 1982, Wally White became involved in land use and planning issues in La Plata County and was appointed to the La Plata County Planning Commission in 1984. He helped initiate the first revisions in the County Land Use Plan which has evolved into the current Comprehensive Plan. He worked with other residents in forming the Florida Mesa Planning District and has worked on this Planning District Committee for many years. Wally served on the La Plata County Predator Control Committee for several years. He is currently a member of the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association, the Alpaca Breeders of the Rockies, and the Rocky Mountain Llama and Alpaca Association.

An Educated Man of the People

Wally White graduated from high school at Kentucky Military Institute in Lyndon, KY. He received a BA in Finance from Colorado State University in 1965. He attended college level programs in Germany and Austria for a year, studying International Affairs and the German language. He was then accepted at Thunderbird, The American Institute of Foreign Trade in Phoenix and received a graduate degree in Foreign Trade in 1967. Wally returned to graduate school at CSU, studying economics for one year. Wally is a 1991 Leadership La Plata graduate and also attended the Leading Edge Business Seminar.

A Good Friend and Dad...who knows La Plata County and our Needs

Wally has two daughters, Kaiya 29 ,and Sheila, 25. Kaiya has recently moved back to Durango after a number of years in Seattle. She is employed at Fort Lewis College with KDUR Radio Station and is Office Manager for the Durango Independent Film Festival. Sheila, a professional photographer, and her husband Tom, live and work in Denali, AK. They have a new daughter, Bella who was born in August, Wally's first grandchild.

By George Lurie
Herald Denver Bureau Chief
May 5, 2005

Wally White settles into job

Four months into his tenure as La Plata County's newest commissioner, Wally White is still trying to catch his breath.

"Since being sworn, it's been life in the fast lane," said White, who describes his new job as "exciting, challenging and a wonderful learning experience."

He says he didn't really have any expectations going in. "And although there has not been what I would call any big surprises, the time commitment to do the job right is more than I anticipated."

Commissioner Sheryl Ayers, a Republican elected in 2002, praised White's early work on the board. "Wally jumped in with both feet and I have been impressed with his willingness to devote a lot of his time and energies to the job," Ayers said.

"As a fairly new commissioner myself, I spent a year learning the job before I was elected and still was surprised at the breadth and depth of issues once I became a commissioner. I suspect Wally has discovered that too."

White's predecessor, Josh Joswick, was term-limited and stepped down earlier this year after serving 12 years. "Josh was a tremendous resource," White said. "But I think there's mutual respect and good communication between the current commissioners and that we are learning how to work well together."

White's greatest frustration so far? "Getting up to speed on the more intricate aspects of budgets and financing as well as keeping up with the growing stack of paperwork."

White, 62, a Democrat who represents District 3, has been a county resident since 1979. Until taking a seat on the three-member board, he owned and operated Columbine Llamas, spending long hours on the road transporting llamas and alpacas nationwide.

Twice married but currently single with two grown daughters, White has degrees in finance and foreign trade and has tried his hand at a number of vocations: He's sold real estate and shoed horses for a living, driven a school bus for School District 9R and served as a union representative for the district's classified workers.

White has also traveled extensively throughout Europe, Africa and Central Asia. Shortly before he was sworn into office in January, he was scheduled to serve as team navigator in the London-to-Dakar motor rally. The gig fizzled when the car White was supposed to travel in failed to show up at the starting line on time because of a shipping mistake.

White's first exposure to county government came during the mid-1980s when he served on the La Plata County Planning Commission.

A decade later, he gained countywide recognition as an activist who helped organize opposition to the proposed Artesian Valley Ranch project - a controversial mega-development that was approved by the Board of County Commissioners but never built.

White also opposed the annexation of Grandview and subsequent decision by city councilors to locate the new Mercy Regional Medical Center. His home on High Llama Lane is just a stone's throw from the new hospital.

"It really didn't have anything to do with where I lived," White said. "I felt it was a bad location for the hospital. It should have stayed in town."

With an annual salary of $51,827, White estimates he spends as much as 50 hours each week on his commission duties. But he also has leapt into a number of side projects.

He is a member of the Wolf Management Group, a statewide panel of sportsmen, ranchers, environmentalists and county government officials charged with crafting a plan to manage migrating gray wolves that are expected to make their way back into the state over the next few years. He is also working with both state and national organizations that lobby on behalf of counties and has applied for a position on the Southwest Resource Advisory Council, a group based out of Grand Junction that deals with issues related to the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service.

"Working with public lands is something I'm very excited about," White said.

One of the most important issues currently before the commission, White said, is the major overhaul of the county's land-use codes.

"We're in the final stages of revising the code and will being going out into the public beginning May 17 to hold a variety of public forums and round-table discussions to see what concerns the public still has," White said. "We want this code to benefit both developers and landowners and reflect the things we feel are necessary for the county to go forward."

White said the board also continues to evaluate various plans to develop a new fairgrounds and events center in Durango.

"We'll be looking at a proposal made recently by the Durango Regional Horse Coalition for a very large, multi-use facility that could handle equine events, county fairs, various types of livestock shows and musical events. We'll probably form a task force soon to begin looking at financing and location options related to the project."

White credits county staff members for his smooth transition into office.

"Our staff here is so wonderful and has been very helpful in teaching me how things flow. I couldn't ask for better people to work with.

"Most of my life, I have been an entrepreneur and have generally worked pretty much on my own," White said. "Learning to work with a staff and being in an upper-level administration position is challenging. I have to open the doors, let the stuff come in and figure out how to deal with it. It's not something I find problematic. It's just a different experience for me."

Maybe because he still sports his trademark ponytail, White believes some county residents continue to view him as a "bleeding-heart" liberal.

"I have a hard time with labels," White said. "Before I took office, I think people had a lot of preconceptions about who I was and what I thought. Most weren't necessarily valid - like me being anti-growth or some sort of socialist. I am not a socialist nor anti-growth."

Four months into his four-year term, the re-education of Wally White continues.

"The learning curve can be steep," he said. "But there's certainly no boredom in this job. I approach everything I do