ballots for the 2021 grand Junction Municipal Election are due April 6th. there are 4 COUNCIL seats and 3 measures on the ballot.
MICHAEL RITTER – LOCAL GOVERNMENT EDITOR
Everyone knows that voting is an essential part of the political process, and for most of us, it is the extent to which we can let our voices be heard. Everyone knows that every four years come November it is time once again it is time to elect our commander and chief, the Man or (someday) Woman who will lead this country against all challenges foreign and domestic, and to the best of their ability uphold our founding document, the Constitution of The United States. That vote is important, and I don’t mean to understate its importance. Still, the leader of the free world doesn’t care about the annoying pothole on 12th Street. He doesn’t care about how often the grass gets cut at rocket park. He certainly doesn’t care about what time the lights shut off after a ball game at Stocker Stadium or Suplizio Field. Those concerns are left to our local elected officials. City Council members are tasked with representing the interests of their constituents. In addition to proposing, passing, and ratifying laws and ordinances, city councils manage budgets and investigate city agencies when necessary. In Grand Junction, we have seven City Council members who operate under a Council-Manager form of government.
The goal of a Council-Manager form of government is to separate the city government’s administrative functions from the political process. The city manager and all municipal agencies are nonpartisan and removed from elections and the political aspects of governance. The administrative aspects of the organization are run by professional staff members trained in government administration.
Grand Junction holds its municipal elections every other April in odd-numbered years. So this year, on April 6th, Ballots are Due.
On the 2021 Municipal Election Ballot, there are four councilmember seats in contention and three measures set for approval or denial. In Council District A, current At-Large Councilmember Rick Taggart seeks to fill former Councilwoman Phyllis Norris’s seat against Mark McCallister. Running to fill Council District D is Greg Haitz challenging him is Dennis J. Simpson. In Council District E, Jody Green is facing Abe Herman. And to fill one of the two Council District At-Large seats is Current District E Councilmember Kraig Andrews challenging him is Randall Reitz. Down the Ballot, a yes vote on Referred Measure 2A will allow the Taxation on the Sale of Regulated Marijuana and Marijuana Products. Next, with Referred Measure 2B, a yes vote will allow marijuana businesses to operate within the City limits. The last measure on the Ballot Referred Measure 2C will Grant a public trail easement that should result in an extension of the Riverfront Trail.
Rick Taggart
Veteran City Council Member Rick Taggart is running in Council District A; his slogan is, “Experience for our Recovery.” For over three decades, Taggart has been a successful businessman and leader, serving as CEO or leadership roles with Swiss Army Brands, Marmot, the Timberland Company, the Grand Junction Airport Board, and Colorado Mesa University. Taggart’s primary campaign focus is economic recovery following the COVID-19 Pandemic. He is endorsed by the Grand junction Chamber of Commerce, Conservation Colorado, The Daily Sentinel, and the Grand Junction Fire Fighters; Local 2808. Taggart has passed the $10,000 mark in campaign donations, according to the Daily Sentinel. Councilmember Taggart has always supported city funding for D-51 and Colorado Mesa University. It is expected he will continue to do so.
Mark McCallister
The Grand junction native running for Council District A Mark McCallister vows that “I’ll go to mat for you.” McCallister is a 5th generation Coloradan and has worked for over 30 years in the business industry as a lighting designer and energy integrator. McCallister is running on a Pro-Family, Pro-Jobs, and Pro-Business platform. In a virtual forum conducted by the Grand Junction Chamber of commerce, McCallister stated that Colorado Mesa University’s city funding should be allocated elsewhere, saying, ““CMU is doing fine on its own.” McCallister is endorsed by Republican State Legislators Rep. Janice Rich of District 55 and Rep. Matt Soper of District 54. According to the Daily Sentinel, McCallister has raised the most money across the pack of 8 candidates with $17,000 in donations.
Greg Haitz
The small business owner running for Council District D, Greg Haitz, is running on a platform focused on small business and opening up our community to recover from the Pandemic. The owner and operator of Rimrock Wellness Center, Haitz, say “we know what people are going through” regarding the community’s adversity because of the Pandemic. Haitz is mostly a one-issue candidate, but following the Pandemic, recovery would focus on affordable housing as a top issue. There are no endorsements listed on Haitz’s Website, and he has no stated position on city funding for Colorado Mesa University. Haitzs has also raised over $10,000 for his campaign, according to the Daily Sentinel.
Dennis J. Simpson
The career accountant running for Council District D, Dennis J. Simpson, is running on a platform of transparency and responsible spending. Running again after his second-place finish to Chuck McDaniel in 2019, Simpson has decades of experience in business, finance, and taxes. A self-proclaimed fiscal conservative, Simpson’s primary focus is taxpayer advocacy. He says he “takes very seriously the fact that money collected from taxpayers needs to be allocated to the most important needs of our community.” Simpson’s campaign seems recycled chiefly from his 2019 run, and he doesn’t have any endorsements listed on his website. He has no posted statement about city funding for Colorado Mesa University. Still, his stance as a fiscal conservative implies he would not support taxpayer funding of the University. According to the Daily Sentinel, Simpson’s campaign has raised just over $5,000.
Jody Green
The longtime public lands advocate running for Council District E, Jody Green, is Running to “give back to Grand Junction, a community that has given me a hand up.” Since 1971 Green has worked in construction, building up the community. Greens campaign focuses on reducing the restrictions on small businesses and ultimately making Grand Junction more business-friendly. Green is endorsed by Scott McInnis, Current Mesa County Commissioner, John Justman, former Mesa County Commissioner, State Rep. Janice Rich District 55, State Rep. Matt Soper District 54, and Brandon Siegfried, Former Director of Public Lands Access Association. Green has no public stance on whether or not he would support city funding for Colorado Mesa University. The Green Campaign has raised over $5,000, according to the Daily Sentinel. Green’s decades of involvement in the community and his Years and years of hard work for the city have made him a very popular candidate.
Abe Herman
An avid outdoorsman and local businessman running for Council District E, Abe Herman is running “to make sure that 50 years from now this is still a place our kids and grandkids want to live.” Herman’s platform focuses on building the next generation of good-paying Grand Junction Jobs, building meaningful infrastructure, and recovering from the Pandemic. Herman is a Colorado Native but a western slope transplant. Herman is one of the younger candidates in this election, and it shows based on how future-focused his campaign is. He has received a long list of endorsements, including the Daily Sentinel, Grand Junction Firefighters Local 2808, Colorado Mesa President Tim Foster, Councilmembers Rick Taggart, and Chuck McDaniel, Anna Stout, and a few other community leaders. Herman has expressed support for city funding of Colorado Mesa University, and according to the daily sentinel, Herman’s campaign has raised the second most in this candidate pool, raising $13,400.
Kraig Andrews
Mayor Pro Tem and Current Councilmember Running for the Council District At-Large seat, Kraig Andrews is running to “be forward-thinking, not just dealing with what arises today, but planning 3-5 years down the road to continue to keep Grand Junction the place we love to live in.” Andrews, initially appointed to the Council to fill a vacancy in Council District E in 2019, says, “I’m running for City Council this time for the same reason I asked to be appointed two years ago,” The Colorado native is also the owner of Rock Creek Custom Homes and a Colorado Mesa Graduate. Andrews has no listed Endorsements and hasn’t made public a position on city funding of Colorado Mesa University. According to the Daily Sentinel, Andrews is last in terms of Campaign donations landing just under the $2,000 mark.
Randall Reitz
The Director of Behavioral Sciences at St. Marys hospital running for the Council District At-Large seat, Dr. Randall Reitz, is running to be a Voice for GJ Families. Reitz’s campaign is focused on holding true to what makes Grand Junction great as it grows and moves into the future, smart unified growth, and recovery from the Pandemic. Reitz claims proven leadership, citing decades of serving in director roles at St. Mary’s and the Marillac Clinic while overseeing multi-million-dollar budgets. Reitz holds a modest list of endorsements from the Grand Junction Firefighters Local 2808 and Sister Karen Bland, OSB. He hasn’t made public a position on city funding of Colorado Mesa University. According to the Daily Sentinel, the Reitz campaign surpassed the five-figure mark receiving over $10,000 in campaign donations.
The two significant measures on the Ballot are measures 2A & 2B. Measure 2A is an initiative to set the rate at which Marijuana sales will be taxed if/when sold in the city. This measure becomes relevant only if measure 2B passes, which will legalize the operation of a marijuana business or the sale of marijuana in Grand junction. Measure 2B will repeal the 2011 Voter-Approved Measure A, making it illegal to operate a marijuana business in the city. If passed, measure 2A will increase tax revenue for the city by 2.9 million dollars in the first fiscal year alone. Hypothetically if measure 2B passes and 2A does not, the marijuana businesses will be allowed to operate, but the city will miss out on a significant amount of tax revenue.
For more information on the municipal election, click here.
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