November 13, 2009 10:29 PM UTC

La Plata County Commissioner's Race Quite The Riddle

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• by: Colorado Pols

Interesting developments out of La Plata County, where, as becomes topical in this story, Ben “Edict” Nighthorse Campbell’s adopted hometown is located–the Durango Herald reports:

Another Democratic aspirant unhappy with Joelle Riddle’s representation on the La Plata County Board of County Commissioners entered the field to replace her Thursday, with an announcement from environmental attorney and Dryside rancher Bruce Baizel.

Baizel brings to three the total of Democratic challengers to replace Riddle, an independent who disaffiliated from the Democratic Party in August after several unpopular votes.

So far, no Republicans have announced their candidacy, said La Plata County Republican Party co-chairwoman Barb Bales on Thursday.

Riddle is set to be a write-in candidate on next year’s ballot but is suing to have her name included, as an independent.

Two other Democrats, former Durango City Councilor Scott Graham and southern La Plata County resident Chris Dolphin, are running for the seat.

A win by any Democrat over Riddle would tip the scales 2-1 over Republicans on the board.

Joelle Riddle is an interesting case: heavily backed in 2006 by the Democratic Party establishment, she essentially proceeded to alienate everybody who helped get her elected within a couple of years. After a key vote against support of the federal FRAC Act to regulate fracture drilling widely used in La Plata County gas fields, as well as displaying Republican campaign signs in her own front yard, Riddle switched her affiliation to independent. Local Democrats are seething as, as you can read above, plotting their revenge. There’s a chance she could be knocked off the ballot on a technicality, as she changed her party affiliation a little late. She is reportedly challenging this on the basis of the law discriminating in favor of major parties, who can set their own deadlines.

Democrats had better hope that keeps her off, because no Republican challenger for her seat has emerged–and if one doesn’t soon you may consider Riddle’s defection to the GOP complete in all but name. And in a region that loves their ‘free spirits’ (see: Nighthorse Campbell), we think Democrats will have a tough time unseating her without a Republican to catch party-line votes: allowing Riddle to triangulate her way clean into another term Joe Lieberman-style.