Cleave Simpson As the newly elected senator for District 35, which includes Bent and Crowley counties, I am pleased that our local paper has taken an interest in the No. 1 employer of both counties, the private prison correctional facilities that our communities worked hard to secure in collaboration with the state of Colorado 30 years ago. Active engagement by the community with the state delivered these assets to both the community and the state of Colorado. The correctional facilities provide a necessary service to our state, offer employment opportunities to our citizens and provide reliable tax revenue to our communities. The article alluded to an ethical dilemma, but missed the recurring dilemma folks in rural Colorado deal with routinely; urban legislators' well intentioned policy that fails to accurately take into account the real-life impacts to the people and livelihoods of our communities.