Salute to County Leaders: Debbie Bell

Key Takeaways

When Debbie Bell was 16 years old, she encouraged her father, who she thought as unfailingly pragmatic and wise, to run for the Fremont County, Colo. Commission. He responded that if anyone in the family was running for county office, it would be her, to which she replied she couldn’t because she was a girl. 

He told her “Don’t you ever let anyone else tell you what you can or cannot do,” and in 2011, she took office as Fremont County’s first female commissioner after years of reporting on the county for the Cañon City Daily Record. In the almost 16 years since, she has been an active Rural Action Caucus and Western Interstate Region member and will end her term this year. 

When did you know county government was your calling? 

Day one. I had been reporting in Fremont County for years, but when I was running, I watched every meeting and every budget session to prepare. But it had been a goal of mine for decades. In every job that I’ve held or any community activity or philanthropic work, I’ve always thought of what I can take from this to be a better county commissioner. 

What is your proudest achievement in Fremont County?

Establishing Pathfinder Park, named after John C. Fremont. We built an entire events center and in that time the other events center closed down, so we’ve been able to hold 800 events a year there, including in our rodeo arena. 

What did you learn from NACo that you brought home to Fremont County? 

I learned to partner with others in the same boat that we are in so we can go to the federal government as a unified voice. When I started, I thought we’d be able to work through our state officials, but there is such a value in joining forces with other communities across the country. 

How did you change as a county leader over your tenure? 

I learned that you don’t have to do everything on your own. If you hire the right people and lay out your expectations and let them do what they do best, they’ll do better than you could have on your own. 

Why are you optimistic about the future of county government? 

The candidate running for my seat is decades younger, and even though he’ll have a steeper learning curve than I did considering how long I wanted to do this work, it’s so exciting to see young people taking on leadership in the county. We have so many great people working for the county, I know they’ll help him adjust quickly and turn that new energy into results.

What advice do you have for your successors?

Get involved in your state association and NACo on day one. When I started, one commissioner was very involved in Colorado Counties, Inc. and I didn’t even really learn about it for a few years, but once I did, things took off. You need to go to conferences, you need to network, you need to talk to people. The people you meet through these organizations will do everything in their power to help you.