Mesa County really does have some Democrats who are willing to run for office. To me the interesting thing about this is that they are all either retired or about to retire. That probably isn’t unusual, given the demographics of the county. During the last bust cycle the county decided to ask retirees to relocate here, and many of them did because of our good health care system and cheap houses.
Another other important factor, which keeps young people out of the arena, is a perception that being labeled a Democrat means you’ll never work in this city. Young people with families have that fear. Retired people don’t feel the same threat.
I’ve been involved in trying to recruit candidates for the past year, yet I can’t claim that any of the newly declared candidates have anything to do with my efforts. The potential candidate that I found most promising sent me a note recently indicating that he and his wife are getting divorced, and he is moving back to Iowa. I know that there is one person who is considering a run against Laura Bradford. I’m pretty sure that I had some influence on his deliberations, but until I see him make an announcement or file paperwork with the Secretary of State, I’m not claiming any credit.
This morning the two political reporters at the Sentinel were scooped by fellow reporter Mike Wiggins in reporting that there is a Democrat running for County Commissioner. He is seeking a seat currently held by Janet Rowland. (You may remember that Janet once ran for Lt. Gov. on the Republican ticket.) There are two Commissioner seats open this year, thanks to term limits. The race has a plethora of Republican candidates, a couple of independent candidates, and now one Democrat. If another stealth candidate is out there, Democrats just might have a full ticket this year.
Another other important factor, which keeps young people out of the arena, is a perception that being labeled a Democrat means you’ll never work in this city. Young people with families have that fear. Retired people don’t feel the same threat.
I’ve been involved in trying to recruit candidates for the past year, yet I can’t claim that any of the newly declared candidates have anything to do with my efforts. The potential candidate that I found most promising sent me a note recently indicating that he and his wife are getting divorced, and he is moving back to Iowa. I know that there is one person who is considering a run against Laura Bradford. I’m pretty sure that I had some influence on his deliberations, but until I see him make an announcement or file paperwork with the Secretary of State, I’m not claiming any credit.
This morning the two political reporters at the Sentinel were scooped by fellow reporter Mike Wiggins in reporting that there is a Democrat running for County Commissioner. He is seeking a seat currently held by Janet Rowland. (You may remember that Janet once ran for Lt. Gov. on the Republican ticket.) There are two Commissioner seats open this year, thanks to term limits. The race has a plethora of Republican candidates, a couple of independent candidates, and now one Democrat. If another stealth candidate is out there, Democrats just might have a full ticket this year.
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