By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice
Montrose County Commissioner-elect Scott Mijares never set out to run for office. His path to becoming a public servant started at Wild Horse Wine and Whiskey, a Main Street business he and his wife, Julie, opened in 2021.
Mijares doesn’t fit the typical image of a bar owner.
“People ask me all the time, ‘What’s your favorite whiskey?’ And I tell them, ‘I don’t drink,’ ” he said. “I might take a sip here or there just to be educated, but I learn about the whiskey from the people I serve it to.”
The bar business isn’t about indulging in drinks for Mijares.
“We talk politics at the Wild Horse,” Mijares said. “Both our guests and sometimes myself get asked to join the conversation. Our mantra is, the more talk we have across the aisle, the better. Let’s get an idea of what other people are thinking and why they think that way. Often times, it results in friendships. We’re really proud of what we’ve built here — it’s been good for the community.”
Those conversations eventually spurred Mijares to consider public office. Community members who appreciated his leadership style encouraged him to run for county commissioner, and he answered the call.
Mijares built his entrepreneurial success by creating sustainable businesses from scratch. He and his wife ran Hawaiian Woodies, a vintage wooden postcard company, for more than 20 years.
After selling the business during the pandemic, they turned their attention to Montrose. When a historic building went up for sale, they bought it without a clear plan. That led to the creation of Wild Horse Wine and Whiskey.
For Mijares, Montrose is home. He sees shared values between Western Coloradans and native Hawaiians: family, the outdoors and community.
“Hawaiians love their families. They love to hunt, fish and be active in their communities,” Mijares said. “The concept of aloha — welcoming people, lending a hand, being neighborly — that’s something I see here in Montrose too. You wave at people when you drive by. If someone’s broken down, you stop to help them.”
But Mijares knows Montrose is changing. The area’s small-town feel is changing as more people move in.
“People are scared,” Mijares admitted. “They’re seeing changes, like people honking at them at traffic lights — things that never used to happen here. They’re worried Montrose will lose what makes it special.”
Mijares is determined to ensure that doesn’t happen.
“Montrose has small-town values with big-town opportunities,” he said. “We need to honor the people who have made this town what it is. We need to protect our heritage and make sure Denver knows our concerns are different from theirs.”
Mijares won 17,452 votes, topping the 16,704 cast for Donald Trump in Montrose County in 2020.
When he’s sworn in on Jan. 14, he plans to bring that grassroots energy to the job, with a focus on transparency and stronger ties with residents.
Mijares is focused on making government information more accessible. His experience navigating the county’s website highlighted the challenge.
“I go looking for things, and I can’t necessarily find them,” he said. “If I’m having that much trouble, what is the public doing? They shouldn’t have to search endlessly to find important information.”
The issue, he explained, stems from the county’s third-party-managed website, which limits flexibility. To solve this, Mijares has taken matters into his own hands.
“I’ve reserved a domain called yourBOCC.com,” he shared. “I want to create a space where people can easily access what’s in front of the board of county commissioners. With just a couple of clicks, they should be able to find what they need.”
He plans to build the platform himself, seeing it as a worthwhile investment.
“We need to make it easier for citizens to engage, not harder,” Mijares said. “We don’t want to keep blaming third parties for website limitations. Let’s fix it ourselves.”
His goal isn’t to create friction with existing systems but to boost transparency and rebuild trust in government.
When asked about the key projects he’s focused on in Montrose County, Mijares didn’t hesitate to point to public safety as his top priority.
“In 2007, Montrose citizens passed a 0.75% public safety sales tax,” Mijares explained. “It was supposed to raise millions of dollars to fund our sheriff’s department. And while the tax revenue has grown over time — bringing in around $10 million annually — the department is still underfunded.”
“I want to make sure our sheriff’s department is properly funded,” he said. “Public safety has to be the No. 1 priority. If we don’t have public safety, we don’t have a civilized society. People need to feel safe in their homes, protected from harm, and know that someone will come to their aid when they dial 911.”
Reflecting on the last four years, he’s noticed a sense of hopelessness that he hopes to help change.
“What I’d like to leave behind in 2024 is that feeling of helplessness people have had,” Mijares shared.
Mijares believes it all comes down to local control. And that decision-making should remain as close to the people as possible.
“The closer you are to the people who make the laws that govern your life, the better off you are,” he said.
HIs concern is that people in power make decisions that impact working-class Americans with no accountability. He believes that this centralization of power is dangerous and out of touch with local needs.
“We’ve been promised a Utopia by progressives, and it doesn’t exist,” he observed. “People are finally waking up to that fact. And now, conservatism is surging — among young people, minorities, across all demographics.”
For Mijares, what he hopes to bring to the county in the new year goes beyond resolutions or fun traditions.
Mijares hopes to inspire Montrose County residents to stand up for the core American values of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
“That’s a real thing — defend it. Be brave,” he urged.
As Mijares embarks on his first term as commissioner, he’s eager to bring hope and optimism to Montrose County.
“Help is on the way,” Mijares promised. “You will be represented. I will always put the people of Montrose ahead of the bureaucracy.”