If you’re not at the table: Why Matt Soper says counties need leverage now

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice

Unfunded mandates have become a flashpoint between Denver and Colorado’s counties, with local governments warning they are being asked to do more with less.

State Rep. Matt Soper has been vocal in support of counties banding together through the Fix It or Fund It coalition. 

He represents Delta and Mesa counties in the Colorado House and is serving his fourth term, with term limits preventing another run. The Delta County commissioner seat he is pursuing is also opening due to term limits.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to represent Delta and Mesa Counties in the Colorado House of Representatives,” Soper said in a campaign announcement. “As the pressures from Denver spill over into Delta County, it is important to have a commissioner who will not just maintain the good work and continuity of our current commissioners in running the county, but utilize connections and skills to advocate for Delta County interests in Denver.”

“With more and more unfunded mandates, regulatory pressures, and laws which erode local control, Delta County needs to be a louder voice in pushing back against a Front Range that doesn’t care about our rural way of life,” he added. “As the next county commissioner for District 1, I would be part of the push back, along with ensuring our roads are fixed, protecting our water, and creating a climate for economic success.”

First elected in 2018, Soper is now one of the longest-serving Republicans in the House. He serves as ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee and sits on the Appropriations Committee. He is also vice chair of the Committee on Legal Services and a member of the Water Resources and Agriculture Review Committee.

Much of Soper’s legislative work has focused on what happens when state systems fail — and who is left dealing with the consequences. That includes carrying legislation to require disclosure and post-conviction review when crime lab misconduct affects DNA evidence and backing new consumer protections after years of minimal oversight in Colorado’s funeral industry.

Soper said his years at the Capitol have also shaped how he views power and influence in a legislature dominated by Democrats.

“The reality is, it’s about relationships and having established those relationships in Denver,” Soper said in an interview with RMV. “As a county commissioner, I don’t plan on just staying in Delta County. I plan on also being back in Denver periodically advocating for Delta because if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.”

He said counties are too often treated as implementers of state policy rather than partners, even as responsibilities continue to flow downward without funding.

“As Denver and the Democrats have put more regulations onto counties to have to fulfill, but then they don’t provide funding, that’s an unfunded mandate,” Soper said. “I truly believe that counties are a very powerful underused check on state power. When counties band together their voice is incredibly powerful in the legislature.”

He pointed to the methane landfill mandate as a breaking point that helped galvanize counties across the state.

“Talk about being the most egregious of unfunded mandates,” Soper said. “It would cost even a small county like Delta County, we’re talking more than a million dollars.”

Rather than reacting after laws are passed, Soper said relationship-building has been key to stopping or reshaping bad policy earlier in the process.

“You have to spend time with Democrats,” he said. “You have to be able to not be seen as the enemy, but you have to be seen as a trusted partner. Sometimes it really is bringing that early common sense.”

That experience, he said, is part of why he believes county government now plays a critical role in preventing problems instead of managing fallout.

“It’s probably harder dealing with a bad idea that becomes law that lands on the county commissioner’s desk,” Soper said. “You can be creative in your interpretation, but you can’t ignore it.”

Soper rejected the idea that moving from the legislature to county government is a step backward.

“I hate to say that ‘it’s a step down to be commissioner,’ when it really is a step up because both are important positions in our government,” he said.

Soper said the question he wrestled with after winning his fourth term wasn’t what office to run for next, but whether it made sense to walk away at all.

“It would almost seem like the taxpayers had just paid me for the last eight years to develop skills, connections, and a network to only be used for my personal enrichment,” Soper said. “If you think about it, it’s like investing a lot of money in a special forces soldier and then having that soldier say, ‘I’m out.’”

Outside the Capitol, Soper’s work has remained rooted in Delta County. He stays active in a mix of local and state organizations, including boards tied to tourism and wine development and civic groups such as Delta Rotary and the Elks Club.

He chairs the Delta Health Hospital District Board of Directors and said a planned trip to Washington, D.C., will focus on ensuring the hospital is paid for the work it performs and classified in a way that reflects Delta County’s population.

A Delta County native, Soper grew up in a farming family that has been there since 1887 and still grows alfalfa on a small farm. He often points to that experience when talking about water, land use and rural policy.

Soper graduated from Delta High School and Colorado Mesa University. He later earned law degrees from the University of Edinburgh School of Law and the University of New Hampshire’s Franklin Pierce School of Law.

The race will go before voters in November 2026.