Bluff Town Council Candidate: Gary Lichtenstein

Gary Lichtenstein
I arrived in Bluff in January 1998, on my way to somewhere else. Since then, I became deeply engaged with the community and, in 2010, my wife Kaye. I’m in my 27th year as founder and principal of Quality Evaluation Designs, a firm that provides education consulting and program evaluation to school districts, universities, non-profits, and government agencies nationwide. I am proud of QED’s reputation for producing the highest quality results, on time, on budget.
Terms people use to describe me include: sensible, moderate, listener, truthful, integrity, and gets things done. Over the past two decades, I have brought these qualities to the Southwest Heritage Association, Bluff City Historic Preservation Association, San Juan School District in Monument Valley and Bluff, and many community activities. I’ve served on the Bluff Fire Department since 1998, holding positions of Captain, Chaplain, and Assistant Chief. I have also worked as a desk clerk at the Recapture Lodge and as a llama wrangler on commercial hiking trips.
I have longstanding and collegial relationships with San Juan County, Bluff Fort, Bluff Elementary School, Bluff Water Works, local businesses owners, and many residents who serve on Town of Bluff committees. I have worked with Navajo neighbors at Recapture Lodge and on the Bluff River Trail committee.
Acces my platform and agenda at: surveymonkey.com/r/GDLtob. It includes leveraging town assets to implement our forward-thinking strategic plan, effectively managing culinary and secondary water, and sitting at tables where decisions that affect Bluff are made.
All my objectives depend on building relationships within town, throughout the County, and across the State. Some Bluff residents believe that incorporation ensured the town’s autonomy. But incorporation literally means “inclusion of something as part of a whole.” Bluff is no longer a pioneer outpost on the outer edge of civilization. If we want to fulfill our potential as a town, we need to partner with neighbors and business owners in town, and allies across the region. Bluff has a lot to offer the County and the State economically, intellectually, and environmentally. I want to contribute to a Town Council that builds the community from within, while proudly representing our strengths and partnering with County and State leaders to promote mutual interests and effectively navigate solutions to contentious issues.