Elect Wayne Bryant
for Archuleta
County Sheriff

If you had told me on our first trip to Pagosa Springs in 1978, that 44 years later I would be on the ballot for Sheriff of Archuleta County, I would have thought you were ‘off your rocker’.

My background and life history are not what one would typically expect of a person seeking the office of Sheriff. Then again, we are not living in typical or expected times. That said, I believe that sound Principles of Ethics, Integrity and Dedication still matter. My sister and I were raised in Nogales, Arizona on my grandparents’ ranch. It was from them that I gained strong Hispanic and traditional values, especially of hard work and the importance of God, Family and Country.

In my early career, I was a steamfitter welder while at the same time I attended college and graduated with an Associate Degree. After mastering the trade and developing many additional skill sets, I was appointed Organizer for the Union in Southern Arizona; a position I held for over 10 years. During this period, I worked with various local counties and state agencies. I interfaced with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and General Agreement on Trades and Tariffs’ (GATT) treaties along with the INS and local law enforcement agencies. Together with ranchers, farmers and construction workers I learned all the offices and skills required to finalize real solutions to many issues and problems.

Supported by sheriffs, police and labor trade unions I was encouraged to run for local office. I was elected and served on Oro Valley, AZ town council. In addition, I ran for Pima County, AZ Board of Supervisors, where I won the Primary, and for Congress which ended in a loss but with important lessons learned. I came to understand, through all of this, that solutions to problems are best accomplished locally, working for We the People and on behalf of We of the People.

Complex issues are not resolved with delay and pass the puck maneuvers, a pay for play mentality, or the ‘old’ Politics as usual game. I have come to believe that our elected officials have lost our trust because they have forgotten who they represent. They should be representing, we the people, not their own agendas and vested interests.

I want to restore your Trust. My wife and I have called Pagosa Springs our only home since 2006. Susanne and I love this Archuleta community and with her support, I want to serve the good folks who live, work and visit here.

How do we do this? One of the ways is by listening to our constituents and respecting the way they vote on issues important to them. In addition, we follow the law, with the Constitution being the strongest guide we have, to protect our freedoms and rights within those laws.

I believe that my broad life experience and proven reputation of honesty and integrity will serve the citizens of this beautiful county as they deserve to be served. We will do this by ‘bottom-up’, not ‘top-down’ management. With each office staff member, each operator or vendor and each Deputy, we will serve a common goal and the common good. By treating every individual with respect and dignity we will achieve a safer and stronger Archuleta County community.

My mission as your Sheriff is to uphold my Oath and exercise the duties and responsibilities of this Office, to ensure public safety and to protect you, your property and your God-given rights.

I ask for your trust, your support, and your vote on the November ballot.Thank You.

I want to thank and acknowledge the many residents of Archuleta County who came forward to assist me, to qualify for the November 8th Ballot as an Unaffiliated candidate. I am running for Sheriff to represent you, and to defend and protect our rights and freedoms.

When elected Sheriff, I will honor my Oath of Office and will fulfil my obligations to Protect and Serve our community. I will do this with competence and complete Integrity. In other words, under Sheriff Wayne Byrant, it will NOT be politics and cronyism as usual.

This campaign is not about me, it’s about telling the Truth and speaking out with courage, about things in our community that have caused We the People to be on the losing end of many important issues. As an example, we lost on the forced funding and development of the new Fred Harmon Justice and Detention Center, even though the local constituents had voted down the proposals twice. As a result, Archuleta County residents and property owners have gotten stuck with a debt of over $35,000,000 (and counting) while our infrastructure crumbles and the real problems we see (debt, roads, waste, water… to name just a few) are essentially ignored.

Our community has been over-taxed and ignored in favor of special interests and pass-the-buck, irresponsible, policy-making decisions. This elitist agenda has been in the making for many years. It is time for us to stand up and speak out against all of this. For way too long now, many elected officials, too numerous to count, have abandoned their Oaths of Office.

In Archuleta County, elected and non-elected individuals – whether knowingly or unknowingly – have been accomplices in paternalistic and “they know better” than We the People attitudes.

The past few years have opened our eyes to the ‘politics as usual’ governance here and to the numerous, persistent, yet mostly unattended problems, in need of serious improvement.

Friends and neighbors, we know that our community is in critical need of change….substantive change, not just a superficial phrase or campaign slogan. Our Constitutional Freedoms must be preserved and I, as your Sheriff, want to work along with you to do that. Together, we can create and enable the making of Archuleta County, where law and order, as well as individual rights and freedoms are upheld.

We deserve better. I’m standing up…Will you?

Wayne Bryant for Archuleta County Sheriff