Republicans have a choice to make in the Aug. 12 primary for the Mesa County Commission’s District 3 race: Four more years of incumbent Janet Rowland, or saddle up the newcomer, Mesa resident Dave Kearsley.

It’s the only contested primary race for a county office. The winner will face Democrat Dickie Lewis in the general election.

Rowland is promoting her track record as a conservative who is concerned with social issues such as child abuse, meth addiction and building a stronger community.

Kearsley is banking on his experience in the business world and says it is time for the county to aggressively balance the needs of the short-term energy boom with the need to preserve Mesa County’s natural wonders.

According to the Mesa County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, 12,436 ballots have been mailed out to Republicans for the primary. As of Friday, 835 ballots had been returned to the clerk’s office.

The Daily Sentinel today provides a look at both candidates and asks them to explain where they stand on the issues.

Janet Rowland

Residence: Fruitvale

Age: 45

Occupation: Mesa County commissioner

Spouse: Lance Rowland, regional field merchandiser for City Market’s bakery department.

Church: Canyonview Vineyard.

As a Mesa County Commissioner, Rowland has instituted a weekly “How Are The Children?” report for the commission and has co-founded Strong Families Safe Kids, the Mesa County Meth Task Force and the Senior Leadership Commission.

Before coming to the office four years ago, she was public information officer for the Mesa County Department of Human Services. From 1993 to 1995, she was a psychotherapist at Insight Counseling Services. From 1995 to 1998, she was the senior case manager at Mesa County Human Services, investigating more than 250 cases of child abuse. From 1998 to 2001, she was the community involvement program supervisor at the Department of Human Services, supervising 125 volunteers and 10 programs.

She was the running mate for Republican Bob Beauprez in the 2006 gubernatorial race.

On weekends, Rowland says, she and husband, Lance, enjoy spending time with their two grandchildren in Fruita. They also enjoy revving up their ATVs — “We put about 1,000 miles a year.”

Weekday evenings, when not reading nonfiction books about politics and marketing, Rowland says you can find her working at home. “That is what I like to do. I bring work home in the evenings. It relaxes me.”

Dave Kearsley

Residence: Mesa

Age: 62

Occupation: Investment advisor for Powderhorn Wealth Management.

Spouse: Donna Kearsley, guest services manager at Powderhorn Resort.

Church: First United Methodist.

Kearsley owns two horses and says his wife keeps him healthy. “My wife is a health nut, so we walk two miles every morning,” he said.

When not working, he likes to spend time hiking, biking or downhill skiing. When not enjoying the great outdoors, Kearsley enjoys reading spy thrillers.

A native of the Boston area, Kearsley said he moved here in 2000 because his wife, Donna, insisted on living in Mesa County.

In his business life, Kearsley says, he makes a good investment adviser because he is “argumentative and likes to make money.”

He worked for the Worcester County National Bank from 1970 to 1986, in Worcester, Mass. He was an associate in private law practice of Mountain, Dearborn & Whiting from 1986 to 1991, in Worcester. From 1991 to 1999, he was the estate and business officer for Paul Revere Life Insurance. From 1999 to 2004, he managed the advanced sales department for Nationwide Financial in Columbus, Ohio. In 2004 he began Powderhorn Wealth Management.

The key issues

Janet Rowland

• Public safety: The county needs to continue dealing with meth abuse and continue funding the Mesa County Sheriff’s Department street crimes unit; continue alternative sentencing options to relieve jail congestion; and continue to expand community partnerships to prevent child abuse and to strengthen families.

• Transparency and customer service: The county “has put in place a lot of good avenues to let the public know what we are doing in county government.” Those include monthly coffee meetings, when the public can meet commissioners at different locations throughout Mesa County; quarterly reports; a yearly state of the county address; and the Inside Mesa County class, which educates residents about how county government operates. “It’s critical to continue those efforts,” she said.

• Fiscal accountability: The new budgeting for outcomes process is how the county prioritizes where to spend its dollars. “This process says the status quo was not OK, and we are not going to assume what we spent in one department last year will be the same this year,” she said. Through discussion, the commission will identify priorities and then determine what to fund.

• Community development: This encompasses housing, energy development and parks and trails. “It’s all about the development of our community,” she said. Ensuring there is affordable land and appropriate building codes; creating an Energy Master Plan to identify appropriate placements for energy infrastructure; and building parks and trails where appropriate and economically feasible are what she wants to continue working on as a commissioner.

• Community: To enhance and promote the community, she advocates prevention. “For anything government is responsible for, prevention makes good sense,” she said. For example: For better roads, prevent potholes; for better fire protection, prevent forest fires; for better community safety, prevent crime.

Dave Kearsley

• Balanced economic growth: “Focus on smart development,” he said. The energy boom will not last forever, and the county need not sacrifice the environment for the economy. “Energy is short term, not long term,” Kearsley said. But it is part of balanced economic growth, so energy and the environment must be balanced in the pursuit of a better economy, he said.

• Protect your tax dollars through TABOR (The Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights): “I’m on board with protecting TABOR,” he said. He supports going to the voters and asking to use yearly TABOR surpluses for road and bridge repairs. “It takes guts to say to you, ‘Look, you make the choice,’” Kearsley said.

• The Second Amendment to the Constitution: “I think it is a big issue,” he said, adding he is licensed and carries a concealed handgun. “What that is is code for I really am a conservative.” He said his conceal-carry permit shows he is strong on law enforcement and supports people’s right to protect themselves. “I like the idea of Make My Day,” he said.

• Local control of government decisions: When energy companies applied to drill in the watershed, Mesa County should have stepped up to the plate instead of leaving the state to decide if drilling was OK there, he said. Conversely, the county should step away from the town of De Beque and allow it to determine its future. As a county commissioner, Kearsley said, he would get involved or sit on the sidelines where appropriate, always giving more weight to local concerns.

• The needs of our families and seniors on fixed incomes: “I am a senior and will shortly be on a fixed income,” he said. Kearsley said he will continue many of the family and senior initiatives Rowland has helped start. “We share a priority there. Believe it or not, I really am not all anti-Janet,” he said.

Stands on community issues

PROTECTING WATERSHED FROM

OIL AND GAS DRILLING

• Kearsley said he was curious about the county’s lack of response when the Bureau of Land Management made leases available in the Grand Junction and Palisade watershed. He said he would have worked with the cities to block any drilling. “That, to me, is a no-brainer,” he said.

• Rowland said she also was concerned when she first heard about the issue, but she talked with Catherine Roberston, director of the local BLM field office to learn more. She was satisfied the operations would not pollute drinking water.

“We have been drilling in the Ute Watershed for 30 years, and it can be done and done safely,” she said.

INCREASING BOARD FROM

THREE TO FIVE COMMISSIONERS (The question is on the November ballot)

• Rowland says the current board of commissioners has represented the outlying areas of the county more than any other board. Having five commissioners may not increase the representation for outlying communities because all the districts, in order to have sufficient populations, would still have to include a portion of Grand Junction.

• Kearsley has no reservations, saying five commissioners would bring more voices to the dais and could reduce the current workload a commissioner bears. “I want to spread that power out,” he said.

ENERGY AND THE ECONOMY

• “Energy is the tail, not the dog,” Kearsley said. He calls the current energy surge a “blip” that will last only 20 to 30 more years and then die down. The county needs to preserve what people come to Mesa County for and thus preserve the core of the region’s economy. “Let’s not be so laissez faire that we wreck it for tomorrow,” he said. “People are coming here for quality-of-life issues, and that’s where we need to be going.”

• Rowland has backed the county’s development of an Energy Master Plan, which is intended to keep industry infrastructure, such as pipelines and compressor stations, in appropriate areas and away from viewsheds and residences. “I am one of those Republicans who pays attention to the environment,” she said. “At the same time you have to balance the economic impact.” She said she advocates scientifically backed regulations on the industry, not ones based on emotion or motivated by knee-jerk reactions. “Show me where we have not been responsible,” she said.

VOICES

What others say about Rowland:

• Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction: “The thing I admire most about Janet is that she is an honest-to-God fiscal conservative. They (Commissioner Craig Meis and Rowland) are out there looking for fixes on the big issues. It is easy to, once you get into elected office, to lose your guts or fear making a big decision for fear of ruffling a feather or two. And to Janet’s credit, she has not lost her guts. We need people who are not afraid to make a strong decision, and Janet fits that bill.”

• Rep. Steve King, R-Grand Junction: “I believe that she has a proven record of solving problems in Mesa County, a proven record of giving taxpayers a value for protecting their tax dollars here in Mesa County, and also protecting their way of life here in Mesa County. I think, based on her experience and principled leadership, she is the best person to be re-elected to fill that term.”

• Mesa County District Attorney Pete Hautzinger: “I am certainly strongly supporting Janet’s re-election campaign. She has been a valuable ally to me and my office in the war against crime in general, but against methamphetamine in particular. Over the last four years, we have been able to implement really trailblazing initiatives, in the national context, in fighting methamphetamine distribution and treating meth addicts. And none of that could have happened without Janet’s progressive and innovative and creative leadership.”

• Melissa Boese, member Republican Party: “I think she (Rowland) knows what she is doing, she has all her ducks in a row. She is a brilliant speaker, and she is really dedicated to what she is doing.”

• Harley Maddock, member Republican Party: “I think Janet Rowland has a pretty darn good record. She has been unpopular at times, but overall she has been a pretty damn good leader.”

What others say about Kearsley:

• Mary Wagner, friend: “I have a great deal of respect for Dave. I have known him for some time now and feel he is very honest and truly concerned for the good of the people of our community, and I feel he would do an excellent job as our commissioner.”

• Joyce Hackbert, friend and neighbor: “I think he’d make a great commissioner. He is very sympathetic to the people and the causes. And, you know what, he is a great listener, and he understands, and he is one of the very few people if he doesn’t have an answer, he will research it and respond very thoroughly”

• Joe Breman, friend: “I have supported David for his campaign for this office for two reasons: One is that I think the county has been ill-served by Janet Rowland in this position. And No. 2, David brings creativity, he brings integrity, he brings a business mind-set to the position. I think he’d be an outstanding commissioner.”

• Phil Bourassa, Kearsley’s campaign treasurer: “I think our next four years, if not the next eight years, are going to be tough times. I’d rather have someone with a business background make those decisions. Dave Kearsley is honest, ethical, and I am going to support him.”

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E-mail Le Roy Standish at Leroy.Standish@gjsentinel.com.