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Volume 11, Issue 4
In This Issue:
January 22, 2020
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* Page 2 & 4 Weld Commissioner Resignation May Cause Revolving Door, cont.
Weld
Commissioner Resignation May Cause Revolving Door of Elected Offices
By Sherrie Peif GREELEY — Weld County Commissioner Sean Conway will be resigning from his seat effective Jan. 31, 2020 according to a letter sent to the Weld County Council dated Jan. 6, 2020. It’s a resignation that could have a domino effect on Weld County and Colorado politics. “Over the last year, my wife Rebecca has been experiencing several health challenges. The time has come to put her needs first,” the letter reads in part. Conway confirmed his intent to Complete Colorado, adding he is not going anywhere permanently, and he will speak more after his wife recovers. I am “going to be very involved in 2020 elections,” he said. Conway has celebrated a long career in politics. He was state director for former U.S. Sen. Bill Armstrong and chief of staff for former Sean Conway U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard. He is in the final year of his third term on the Board of Weld County Commissioners, meaning he was term-limited prior to announcing his resignation. The past two years for Conway have been controversial, fighting with fellow board members at times and being removed from many of the boards and commissions he represented for Weld. He was also not assigned a coordinator position for any Weld departments the past two years. In his letter, Conway pointed to the Northern Colorado Crime Lab, Weld County Road 49, Adult Treatment Court, successful response to the floods of 2012 and the new addition to the county jail as some of the biggest accomplishments he was proud to have played a part in.“… with no short-term debt, long-term debt or sales tax,” he said. Cont. on Page 2, See Weld Commissioner
Comments to County Council 1/20/2020 Meeting 6 PM
Good evening. I would like to thank each of you for your service. This the first time I am not on any County COMMISSION FOR FIRST TIME IN ALMOST 15 YEARS. Too often people criticize but are unwilling to serve, so I thank you again. I am glad to see there was no issue about the County Councils authority to name the replacement for Commissioner Conway. I remind you the Commissioner Conway was an At Large Commissioner. The other at large and I have had discussions on what being an at large commissioner really means. I understand the replacement has to be a Republican, but I urge to select an At Large person, not solely a Greeley person. Greeley is a very important piece of the Weld County community. It has 1/3rd of the population but there are 2/3rds that are out there, that do not live in Greeley. The number of unaffiliated voters is now is the largest registered voter group in Weld County. 90% of our anticipated population growth is along the I-25 corridor from Erie to Windsor. As you know 90% or more of Colorado’s oil and gas production is generated from Weld County but have you noticed where that is in Weld County. It is overwhelmingly outside the Greeley area. It is encouraging to see that we have a diverse group of applicants who are running for the County Commissioners slots in 2020. We will see how that develops in the Weld County Republican nomination process between the caucuses and ultimately the Assembly process. Weld County is growing, and the old guard politicians need to understand that people are beginning to realize that the current process is broken. The status quo will not stay in place forever. Our CBOCC approved the 2020 budget, all 538 pages of it, which on page 3 identifies almost a 34% increase in assessed valuations or an increase almost $4 billion. Page 10 states, with pride, the fact that the mill levy is being held constant. The assessed value increase is attributed to about 45% oil and gas while 55% is either new or increased valuation values. Now it should not take a masters in math to figure out if the mill levy is constant and your assessed value is up you will see a tax increase in tax bill that you be receiving shortly. No one has been talking about that. You can thank your existing Commissioners for that. The High Plains Library Board, voted unanimously, to reduce its mill levy by 2.2% county wide within the library district. Was that discussion, other than by Commissioner Conway even meaningfully held? How much of a reserve dos the County really require? How many CR 29’s must all the people of Weld Country continue to fund. There should be robust debate, as that is healthy, but it should include fair representation of all the people, throughout the county. In your deliberations and evaluations of candidates I ask that you remember the At Large representative meaning and appoint a true at large representative to fill the commissioner vacancy until the people can elect the candidate of their choice in November. I remind you that over 70,000 folks voted for the now vacant position. It is a responsibility that now falls on the shoulders of 5 people. Yours. Thank you again for you service and God Bless America and our President.
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T H E T R I B U TA R Y
Weld Commissioner Resignation May Cause Revolving Door of Elected Offices
Cont. from Page 1 while ensuring Weld County remained the only county in the country In his letter, Conway pointed to the Northern Colorado Crime Lab, Weld County Road 49, Adult Treatment Court, successful response to the floods of 2012 and the new addition to the county jail as some of the biggest accomplishments he was proud to have played a part in.“… while ensuring Weld County remained the only county in the country with no short-term debt, long-term debt or sales tax,” he said. “I have always championed the ‘Jeffersonian Ideal of Public Service’ where citizens serve for a short period of time in office and then return to their community to live under the rules and regulations they enacted. “It is time to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders who hopefully continue to make Weld County the best place in Colorado to live, work and play,” he continued. Sen. Vicki Marble, R-Fort Collins, told a group of district leaders and central committee members from the Larimer County Republicans at a breakfast meeting Monday that Conway’s resignation could cause a domino effect, which includes several state offices. If Rep. Perry Buck, R-Windsor is appointed to Conway’s seat, it could do just that, as Buck’s HD 49 seat would then be open, starting a new game of musical chairs that includes a list of experienced women who are looking to continue their public service. Everyone who is potentially impacted by the resignation said their first and foremost thoughts were with Conway and his wife’s health. HOUSE DISTRICT 49 Buck — who is term-limited from House District 49 — is running for Conway’s seat. She confirmed she will apply for Conway’s vacated Perry Buck position. “I am greatly disturbed with the health of Sean’s wife,” Buck said. “First are my prayers are for Rebecca that she is going to be OK.” Buck said being a member of the Weld County Commissioners is something she has wanted for many years. . “I would be honored to represent Weld County,” she said. “I love what it stands for and the culture of the community. I have fought for overreach of government, and I know what happens down there in Denver. I want to continue to fight against that for Weld County. This is something I’ve wanted to do forever.” Buck’s Republican opponent, Eaton Mayor Kevin Ross, said he will also throw his application into the mix for the appointment. Ross’s last council meeting as mayor is in March. Kevin Ross
“I think it’s important that the commissioners have a full board as they do their business,” Ross said. “And I’m able to fulfill my commitment to the town without leaving vacancies that have to be filled. I have the greatest amount of experience, and I understand the issues at the county level. I would be able to effectively contribute from the start.” SENATE DISTRICT 23 Marble — who is term-limited from Senate District 23 — is running for Buck’s HD 49 seat. She is being primaried by Wellington resident Mike Lynch. If Buck were appointed, Marble confirmed she will apply for the open HD 49 seat. “The biggest piece of this is prayers for Rebecca,” Marble said. “But what I gave the people this morning is a scenario of how this could play out. They deserve to know because a lot of people put a lot of work into getting things in line. It takes a lot of work, and they deserve to be updated to what is happening.” Marble said she does not see this as a game of musical chairs. “Each one of us running have a primary,” Marble said. “The people are the ones who rearrange the chairs on the deck, not the candidates. People have a choice in all the races. It would be an honor to be elected Vicki Marble again and serve the people.” COUNTY COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 3 Weld Commissioner Barbara Kirkmeyer — who is term-limited from her commissioner seat — is running for Marble’s seat. She is being primaried by Windsor resident Rupert Parchment. Kirkmeyer said she is not sure if she would apply for the open SD 23 seat. If she did, it would require an appointment of her current seat. Cont. on Page 4, See Weld Commissioner
January 22, 2020
TRIVIA What’s the main industry on the Isle of Man? TOURISM What Martha and The Vandellas hit did Mick Jagger and David Bowie Perform for a Live Aid video? DANCING IN THE STREETS Who developed the Cartesian system of philosophy? RENE DESCARTES What Southern city does Davy Crockett race his keelboat to? NEW ORLEANS What meteorological sound effect do Disney workers get by striking a stretched wire screen with a timpani mallet? THUNDER Who doubled his caloric intake to 4,500 before boxing Larry Holmes? MICHAEL SPINKS What ocean laps at Peru? THE PACIFIC How does she love Paul Simon, in a 1973 smash? LIKE A ROCK What North American country did Walt Disney’s dad enter the world in? CANADA What’s the second Robert Louis Stevenson novel Walt Disney adapted for the screen? KIDNAPPED Who have bigger bladders - men or women? WOMEN What Alaska city was the U.S. Olympic Committee’s proposed site for the 1992 Winter Games? ANCHORAGE What Arab country is Africa’s leading oil producer? LIBYA What was the heavy-metal community’s proposed answer to Band Aid? HEARING AID What rubber baron’s first two names were Benjamin Franklin? B.F. GOODRICH’S
January 22, 2020
Also on This Day
ART, LITERATURE, AND FILM HISTORY 1984 Apple’s iconic “1984” commercial airs during Super Bowl XVIII UNITED STATES 2003 Hispanics are officially declared the largest minority group in the U.S. RUSSIA 1980 In Moscow, Andrei Dmitriyevich Sakharov, the Soviet physicist who helped build the USSR’s first hydrogen bomb, is arrested after criticizing the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan. GREAT BRITAIN 1901 Queen Victoria dies The death of Queen Victoria on January 22, 1901, ends an era in which most of her British subjects know no other monarch. Her 63-year reign saw the growth of an empire on which the sun never set. EXPLORATION 1840 Under the leadership of British statesman Edward G. Wakefield, the first British colonists to New Zealand arrive at Port Nicholson on Auckland Island. In 1642, Dutch navigator Abel Tasman became the first European to discover the South Pacific island group. U.S. PRESIDENTS 1973 Former President Lyndon Baines Johnson dies in Johnson City, Texas, at the age of 64. NATIVE AMERICANS 1879 Cheyenne chief Dull Knife and his people are defeated by Anglo-Americans soldiers. In doing so, the so-called Dull Knife Outbreak came to an end. ART, LITERATURE, AND FILM HISTORY 1981 Final portrait of John and Yoko appears on the cover of “Rolling Stone” ART, LITERATURE, AND FILM HISTORY 1788 Romantic poet George Gordon, Lord Byron, is born this day in Aberdeen, Scotland.
T H E T R I B U TA R Y
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This Day in History - January 22, 1998 Ted Kaczynski Pleads Guilty to Bombings
In a Sacramento, California, courtroom, Theodore J. Kaczynski pleads guilty to all federal charges against him, acknowledging his responsibility for a 17-year campaign of package bombings attributed to the “Unabomber.” Born in 1942, Kaczynski attended Harvard University and received a PhD in mathematics from the University of Michigan. He worked as an assistant mathematics professor at the University of California at Berkeley, but abruptly quit in 1969. In the early 1970s, Kaczynski began living as a recluse in western Montana, in a 10-by-12 foot cabin without heat, electricity or running water. From this isolated location, he began the bombing campaign that would kill three people and injure more than 20 others. The primary targets were universities, but he also placed a bomb on an American Airlines flight in 1979 and sent one to the home of the president of United Airlines in 1980. After federal investigators set up the UNABOM Task Force (the name came from the words “university and airline bombing”), the media dubbed the culprit the “Unabomber.” The bombs left little physical evidence, and the only eyewitness found in the case could describe the suspect only as a man in hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses (depicted in an infamous 1987 police sketch). In 1995, the Washington Post (in collaboration with the New York Times) published a 35,000-word anti-technology manifesto written by a person claiming to be the Unabomber. Recognizing elements of his brother’s writings, David Kaczynski went to authorities with his suspicions, and Ted Kaczynski was arrested in April 1996. In his cabin, federal investigators found ample evidence linking him to the bombings, including bomb parts, journal entries and drafts of the manifesto. Kaczynski was arraigned in Sacramento and charged with bombings in 1985, 1993 and 1995 that killed two people and maimed two others. (A bombing in New Jersey in 1994 also resulted in the victim’s death.) Despite his lawyers’ efforts, Kaczynski rejected an insanity plea. After attempting suicide in his jail cell in early 1998, Kaczynski appealed to U.S. District Judge Garland Burrell Jr. to allow him to represent himself, and agreed to undergo psychiatric evaluation. A court-appointed psychiatrist diagnosed paranoid schizophrenia, and Judge Burrell ruled that Kaczynski could not defend himself. The psychiatrist’s verdict helped prosecutors and defense reach a plea bargain, which allowed prosecutors to avoid arguing for the death penalty for a mentally ill defendant. On January 22, 1998, Kaczynski accepted a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole in return for a plea of guilty to all federal charges; he also gave up the right to appeal any rulings in the case.
SUDOKU
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T H E T R I B U TA R Y
January 22, 2020
Weld Commissioner Resignation May Cause Revolving Door of Elected Offices
Cont. from Page 2 Kirkmeyer said others should consider the commitment they made to their constituents when they ran for their current office, adding she still has things she wants to accomplish in her final year, and the board is in a transition mode getting others ready to take over the boards, commissions, and departments she has overseen for the past 12 years. “I made a commitment to the people in my district when I ran for office in 2016 that I would be here,” Kirkmeyer said. “I can’t say one way or another what I’d do. I’d pray over it; talk to my family, and talk to my fellow board members.” HOUSE DISTRICT 63 Rep. Lori Saine, R-Dacono — who is term-limited for her House District 63 seat — is running for Kirkmeyer’s seat. She is being primaried by former Fort Lupton Mayor Tommy Holton. Saine also said she is not sure if she would apply for the open commissioner seat. “First, I feel bad for Rebecca. I pray she stays around with us for a long time,” Saine said. “But that is a lot to think about, especially with so many moving pieces. I made a promise to my constituents. There are a lot of ifs and when’s, and I don’t know if it’s in the cards or not.” That is where the shuffling would end. If Saine were appointed, her Lori Saine HD 63 seat would then be open for appointment. That seat is being sought by three Republicans, current Erie Town Trustee Dan Woog, Firestone resident Corey Seulean, and former State Rep. Pat Miller. Marble said she told the group about Conway’s resignation and the possible outcome from it because the upcoming election season is a busy one already, and she wanted them to be aware of what might happen. Vacancy committees from Weld and Larimer county Republican parties would decide all the state-impacted offices. The appointment to fill Conway’s commissioner seat is handled differently in Weld County than any other county in the state. Weld County has what is known as the Weld County Council. Under Weld’s Home Rule Charter, the council holds the sole authority to appoint a replacement, unlike a vacancy committee that would be convened to pick a state-level replacement. Section 3-15 of the Weld County Charter says the appointee “shall be of the same political party as that of the previous officer, as registered as of the date of his election, and the appointment shall be for the remainder of the term.” There is nothing in the charter or Weld County code that outlines a time frame for the appointment. There may be guidance in the council bylaws, but that information was not available at press time. The council meets the third Monday of each month. Its next meeting is Jan. 20. Marble said at the end of the day, everyone’s fate is still in voters’ hands. “We have the assembly, the primary and the general election we have to get through,” Marble said. “There are a lot of choices. It’s not a given that any of us are going to make it. People have the power.”
Assistance for home heating costs available for Weld County residents
United Way of Weld County is partnering with Weld County to spread the word about Colorado’s Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP), a federally funded program that helps families, individuals, seniors and those with disabilities pay a portion of their winter home heating costs. LEAP is not intended to cover all costs of home heating for qualifying participants, but rather to help alleviate some of the energy burden associated with the colder winter months. According to the Colorado Department of Human Services, LEAP provides assistance during the winter (November 2019 through April 2020) with heating costs, equipment repair and/or replacement of inoperable heating tools aiming to help alleviate some of the burdens that come with Colorado’s colder months. For more information, go to: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdhs/leap or call HEAT HELP at 1-866-432-8435 About United Way of Weld CountyThe mission of the United Way of Weld County (UWWC) is to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of our community. UWWC assists residents in the areas of Early Childhood Development, Youth Success, Household Stability, Older Adults/Healthy Aging and Access to Services. Through our community’s willingness to give, advocate and volunteer, UWWC is able to have a positive impact on tens of thousands of lives every year. Thanks to the generosity of the 42 UWWC Cornerstone Partners, they donate all or a portion of their corporate donation to help cover 100 percent of administrative and fundraising costs for the resources under UWWC’s management. For more information, visit the United Way of Weld County website at www.unitedway-weld.org.