Remember Father’s Day Volume 11 • Edition 11
June 6, 2018
Serving rural Adams, Morgan, and Weld Counties
Who is Sandi Elder, a Candidate for the Republican Nomination for Weld County Commisioner at Large, and Why is She “Stirring Things Up”
by Willie Elder Who is this Wonder Women that served on Greeley City Council for 8 years, labeled “the nicest person on council”?Why did her opponent hire a marketing firm to battle her when she was able to secure a spot on primary ballot with less than $1000 and few supporters? She is the love of my life. We met when we were young, grew up together, and started dating when she turned 18. We married, raised a family and 36 years later I love her more . She has a servant’s heart. Her faith is foremost her priority. She prayed on whether to run, she prays daily, but this was fervent prayer. She has a hereditary disease and 1 year ago, received a lifesaving transplant. Through illness, dialysis and pain, she had courage, remained compassionate and handled illness with grace. She takes serving and representing seriously. I know because while as council representative, she missed approximately 1 meeting a year in 8 years— through an ankle repair, dialysis and a kidney transplant. That’s dedication and commitment. (please compare to her opponents attendance) --stark difference. She put herself through school, raised two children who are public servants, worked full time and still found time to represent 110.000 citizens of Greeley. (As well as serving on Greeley/Welds Airport, Jobs of Hope, ACE board, Greeley’s Downtown Authority, and worked for preventing underage drinking in our county.) She is honest, ethical and fiscally responsible. (Except for her boot collection) I am very protective of this woman. If someone attempts to discredit her with lies and innuendos saying she is not who she says she is… if someone tries to bully her, she turns the other cheek, I on the other hand am not so forgiving. One thing that has irritated me the most in this race is the whisper campaign that she is anything less then conservative. I want to ask- why are you threatened by my wife who stands for truth, justice and will work for what is right? She is strong, confident, smart yet humble. She understands the importance of agriculture in our county as well as the benefits from our Oil and Gas rich soil and growth. She is a balance, and won’t rubber stamp any issue, and is VERY CONSERVATIVE! I’m voting for her because she will bring reason, honesty, integrity, joy and professionalism to the office of Weld County Commissioners. She is the right person for the job. Her work ethic is beyond reproach. She listens, makes informed decisions and is not going to “blanket” vote to be “one of the five”. My wife has a sense of justice. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, “Elections belong to the people, it’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters” Weld is ready for a change, vote Sandi Elder, she is the right for the job!
Second ethics complaint filed against Cozad and deemed non-frivolous by the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission
On Monday, June 5th, the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission (IEC) ruled that an ethics complaint filed by Milliken Resident and Editor of NOCO Today Charles Parks against Commissioner Julie Cozad was ruled non-frivolous. Cozad will be given 30 days to respond to the accusations Parks’ complaint stems from a vote that took place at a March 7th meeting of the Weld Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) in which Cozad voted to receive a $12,268.57 payment from the county for legal expenses incurred during the defense of her first ethics complaint. The payment in question appeared in the list of payment warrants hidden within the consent agenda of that meeting. Cozad voted to approve the consent agenda and by doing so approved her own payment. Continued on page 6...
Barbara Kirkmeyer facing recall effort, citizens aim to rid decades-old corruption of County Commissioner
From We Care 4 Weld County A grassroots effort to rid Weld County of corruption on the Board of Weld County Commissioners officially kicks off today with a campaign to recall Weld County Commissioner Barbara Kirkmeyer. The recall committee WECARE for Weld County (Working to Educate Citizens About Recall Efforts for Weld County) believes it is time to restore confidence in Weld County government. Recalling Commissioner Kirkmeyer is the necessary first step. “We need commissioners who represent our interests above their own, and who govern with accountability and transparency,” said committee chairwoman Sara Mondragon. “Commissioner Kirkmeyer has not done that.” On May 31, Mondragon, a Platteville resident and District 3 constituent of Kirkmeyer’s, filed the necessary paperwork with Weld County Clerk and recorder Carly Koppes to begin the process. Kirkmeyer has 10 days to resign or the clerk will certify petitions to collect the signatures needed to place a recall question on the November ballot. Mondragon said there is a long list of reasons to recall Kirkmeyer, but KIrkmeyer’s failure to move forward on projects critical for the health and safety of citizens of Weld County resulted in the Highway 85 road improvements taking more than nine years to date. That delay contributed to the death of two teenagers in less than a year. “One of those deaths was my nephew,” Mondragon said. “Her need to negotiate a $30 million intersection in her district came at the expense of a $600,000 fix in Eaton. Improvements on 5th Street could have prevented the grieving of an entire community.” The petition can be signed by any registered voter in District 3, regardless of party affiliation. Commissioner District 3 encompasses most of the southern US 85 corridor, including southeast Greeley, Garden City and Evans. It also includes the towns of Dacono and Erie. Among the many reasons Kirkmeyer needs to be removed from office: • Kirkmeyer demanded the county hold a training session at a swanky mountain resort in Breckinridge costing taxpayers more than $45,000 when it could have held the session at county offices for one-third the cost. • Kirkmeyer devised a scheme to get corporations to pay for the trip using United Way to conceal the donations. These same corporations had business before the county. • Kirkmeyer kept citizens from public meetings with corporations doing business with the county that potentially resulted in financial gain for one of the commissioners. Continued on page 3...
A letter to the Editor-We need more electeds,not fewer
By K. Grillos, Hudson With the constant dramatics playing out in Weld County government, I have to wonder if voters made bad choices, or if the bar of qualifications is set so low we can have no better. Are the real movers and shakers accomplishing great things out in the private sector? Since the current batch of commissioners cannot get along with each other, and have shown they don’t even trust each other, do we think they are fit to select/appoint more positions, as opposed to allowing the citizens to speak through our votes? There has been some talk about appointing the Clerk and Recorder and the Assessor instead of continuing to elect them. Do we need more cronies in place? I doubt it. I believe in electing, not selecting. Keep the Clerk and Recorder and the Assessor elected positions. Additionally, return the Coroner to an elected position, and make the County Attorney position elected. There would be fewer ongoing problems and less drama if the County Attorney position was elected. I have to wonder if the current plethora of lawsuits is due to poor advice or good advice not taken. The relationship with the commissioners both appointing and determining the salary of the County Attorney sets a perfect stage for conflicts of interest. ELECT more. Select less. Further, let’s term limit all elected positions. Eight years total in any position should be more than enough for a citizen to do good, SERVE, and return to private life. Let’s keep the wheel turning and provide opportunity for all who truly desire to SERVE. What can a single concerned citizen do? Tell a friend and pass it on. Reach out to local grassroots citizen advocacy groups. Contact a local media source, such as this one. Great things happen cumulatively. K. Grillos, Hudson