Truman Esmond
DemocraticQ1 What advisory mechanisms will you implement to ensure that evidence and scientific findings play a crucial role in your policymaking process?
“Objective facts, peer-reviewed science and organizations willing to put their research, findings, funding, purpose and recommendations up to scrutiny, transparently and completely.”
Q2 Colorado farmers are facing multiple threats, amidst water scarcity and rising prices for fertilizer and other imported materials. As agriculture is our #1 export sector, in what ways do you imagine using your role to support evidence-based advancements to protect and support our farmers and natural resources in the years ahead?
“I will work to help ensure farmers and our natural resources are protected as a critical priority in the years ahead, especially in the face of increasing stress on our local, state and federal water ecosystems, rights, underlying use expectations and policy assumptions. Local agriculture and natural resources are the foundation of our community.”
Q3 America has a growing AI industry, supporting cutting-edge innovation but raising issues of resource use, privacy, and economics. What is the right balance of costs and benefits for new data center construction in Colorado, and how would your policies accomplish that balance?
“Data privacy, AI governance, and local controls are a particular passion and a great example of commercial demand outpacing regulations and local government’s ability to protect it’s residents. It’s also an example of an entire industry benefitting from that same outpacing government’s understanding and agency regulation. Much like social media, and even local businesses - like gravel pits - operating and growing without regulatory structures or enforcement, can create bad neighbor situations. Like gravel pits, data centers, if not AI in general, are a function of demand, and government needs to respond faster and have policies that can objectively manage these innovations and expansions to specific objectives and enforced guardrails. That is what I have done for 30 years across and between businesses, industry and government. How data privacy can be accomplished, with access to critical, objective information when needed without compromising private or proprietary data. How your data can be used for your benefit - not against you, by government or business. How we can solve real, dynamic problems like wildfire, and much more, across stakeholders and communities. And we can do this at the county level.”
Q4 Colorado has experienced a lingering measles outbreak since March of 2025. What evidence-based policies do you support to improve community and preventive health for your constituents, for infectious diseases and other threats?
“Having worked for the State of Colorado as Enterprise Architect for the Colorado Social Health Information Exchange,, aka “CoSHIE”, I am deeply familiar with both state structures for technology and data, and the entities across the Colorado state healthcare ecosystem and state agencies. And I’m deeply aware of what’s possible. What tools and paths are there and ready to be taken, but for political imagination, profit or will.
Evidence-based, objectively measured inputs and outcomes, and expert policies with community consultation is critical, but first we must begin to rebuild public trust. Step by step.”
Q5 What are your opinions on the current state of science literacy, and how could K-12 education standards be adapted to form a better public understanding of and relationship building in science?
“Science literacy seems to have dramatically declined, excepting in specific interest or circumstances - individuals become experts, scientists or even artists at seemingly mundane, routine or professional pursuits. Relating, explaining, meeting people where they are, living the science, rather than presenting abstract concepts and ideas - experiential science - seems to be really working in creative education here in Park County, sparking interest in other aspects - astronomy, biology, and so much more as kids and even adults learn science through their environment, local ecosystems and perspective on earth and beyond.”