The Alt-Right is Interfering with the Grand Junction City Council Election

Photo by Jennifer Burk on Unsplash

“The scary thing is that with all the registered unaffiliated voters, especially the young ones, typically nobody wins a race when they’re unaffiliated. They don’t have a party or leaders. They don’t have anything [to organize]. We are looking at 60% of the voters being unaffiliated. We also have 20% Dems and 20% Republicans making all the choices for candidates, two minority little groups, to get to run everything. It’s dysfunctional and cannot work. So, it’s going to cause a train wreck. And it gives the extremist candidate their opening because there are so few people on the mainstream trying to hold this together. Then extremists come out and catch a little attention and off they go, start throwing money at them.” 

-Scott Beilfuss, Mesa County Democratic Party affiliate.

The Grand Junction City Council elections will change the trajectory of the city and help paint the mosaic of political discourse in rural America for elections to come.

The 2nd Western Colorado Alliance (WCA) Candidate Forum was hosted by the Western Colorado Alliance of Mesa County, Western Colorado Latino Chamber of Commerce, Cleantech Business Coalition and Colorado Mesa University’s Sustainability Council on March 10th, 2021. It was held virtually to abide by COVID-19 protocol and to boost accessibility. The forum was moderated by Scott Beilfuss and featured four of the eight candidates running for Grand Junctions City Council. All candidates were invited, but only four hopefuls, each representing their race’s respective seats, were present. 

The Candidates

Anne Landman from Annelandmanblog.com originally covered each candidate in-depth in an article titled, “A Quick Summary of the Eight Candidates Running for Grand Junction City Council in the April 6, 2021 election.”

Running for District A is Rick Taggart. He currently serves as the councilor for District A and is running for reelection. Taggart moved to Grand Junction in the early 80s to become the CEO, chairman and co-owner of Marmot Mountain Works. After he sold Marmot, Taggart helped run Timberland Company and Swiss Army Brands until 2010. He has since transitioned into a teaching role in the Colorado Mesa University business department. Taggart has also served on the board of the Grand Junction Economic Partnership, Saint Mary's Regional Hospital Foundation, the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Western Colorado and the Grand Junction Business Incubator. Taggart is marketing his experience as the reason why he should reclaim his seat at the council. 

Dennis J. Simpson is running for District D. He worked in private and government finance for over forty years as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Simpson created a Facebook group called “Transparency in Mesa County” to expose issues including city and county budget priorities, land leases, funding of private businesses, shielding of documents from taxpayers, the hiring and firing of county employees and other issues. Mr. Simpson has sued the City to get them to comply with campaign finance laws. He cares about the taxpayers and the economic recovery of the area after COVID-19. A self-described moderate conservative, Simpson seeks to spend his retirement in the area while acting as the financial watchdog for Grand Junction.

Abe Herman is a candidate for District E. Herman owns a local business called the Sukkah Project that aims to provide Jewish people around the world “affordable, klutz-proof sukkah kits, as well as decorations and accessories for celebrating the Festival of Sukkot.” The major platforms of his campaign are keeping housing affordable and wages livable. 

Lastly, Dr. Randall Reitz is running for the At-Large seat. Dr. Reitz is a Marriage and Family Therapist that has served in director roles in various clinics and residencies. He has served as the Director of Behavioral Medicine at St. Mary’s Family Medicine Residency since 2008. His social media is nearly clean of politics far before his announcement to run. 

The following candidates are running as a slate ticket. 

Mark McCallister is running for District A. He is a Grand Junction native that works as a lighting designer and energy integrator. He is also the former second vice chair of the Mesa County Republican Party. Landman resurfaced McCallister’s previous racist, sexist and homophobic social media posts in one of her blogs. 

One post compared Congresswoman Maxine Waters to the Predator from the 1987 movie Predator. It was first covered by the Colorado Times Recorder. 

When asked about the post McCallister responded, “…I would say for someone to say that that was a racist post is wrong, that they didn’t do their research. Because a gentleman, [Kevin] Peter Hall, was the man who played the predator in that movie, and he’s a black man,” said McCallister. “So how are you gonna [claim] that I’m a racist for posting that she was being a monster for her statements? That’s just a misdirection by the Colorado Times [Recorder], in my opinion.”

Furthermore, McCallister posted a picture on Facebook in early 2020 depicting Donald Trump placing a noose around Barak Obama’s head. McCallister denies that this was shared on his page. 

McCallister has also promoted “Stop the Steal” rallies on his personal Facebook page. He had shared publicity for the rally that occurred on January 6th, the same day as the insurrection at Capitol Hill.

McCallister is an avid Facebook user with 277 Facebook posts in February alone. Over 150 were political. This averages to nearly ten posts per day, a testament to how the Facebook echo chamber supplies its content.

Running for District D is Greg Haitz. He is a Colorado native that owns a chiropractic practice. He is concerned about small businesses and working together to fight against big government. On his campaign website, Haitz criticizes larger stores like Walmart for remaining open while smaller restaurants are forced to close. 

“We need solid, Jesus-following business-minded people to direct local public policy,” Jason Marsh, Associate Youth Pastor of Life Community Church said endorsing Haitz. 

In early 2021, Haitz posted false information on Facebook regarding masks harming child development. It has since been flagged, fact-checked and removed from the platform.

Jody Green is running for District E. Jody claims to have worked with Mesa County Search and Rescue for over twenty-five years. He has also spent time as a construction worker working on many large-scale projects in the area like the Oxbow subdivision, the Postal Annex on Patterson, Ratekin Tower Apartments and the Lakeside Apartments. Also, at the top of his webpage, Green advocates for more business-friendly environments, public safety, streamline and efficient city government and “A Hand Up.” 

Green claims that he was told by a higher power to run for the seat.

“I was actually asked to run, which I had to pray about,” Green said. “I opened up my Bible and it came to Isaiah where it says go forth and serve. So that was a confirmation for me from my heavenly Father above,” Green said in an interview with the Daily Sentinel in February.

Lastly, Kraig Andrews is running for the At-Large seat on the council. Andrews works as a mortgage loan administrator in Grand Junction. He currently holds the District E seat on City Council. He was appointed to this seat after Duncan McArthur resigned due to illness.

Andrews defended Trump in his Access Hollywood leaked footage that caught the former President bragging about sexually assaulting women.

"Ten years ago before he was running for office, in a private conversation. Things that he said were not the greatest, but it was ten years ago," said Andrews to KJCT News in 2016.

These four candidates are running on similar issues and are marketed by several organizations in Grand Junction as a package.

The Tension

In February, an organization called Christian Women Engage presented on-line interviews with Haitz, Green, Andrews, and McCallister exclusively. 

In early March, the Mesa County Republican Women held a forum for these candidates without inviting their opposition. Allegedly, the reasoning behind not inviting the opposition to the event was because they were only inviting Republicans. Taggart and Simpson are both registered Republicans in Mesa County. 

A clear line has been drawn between the slate ticket and their opposition. For candidates like Abe Herman, this clear separation is understandable. Progressive and conservative candidates are on the opposite side of the political spectrum and tend to act as each other’s foil. Yet, for long-time Republicans like Taggart and Simpson, their opposition is indicative of the direction conservative leadership is taking into the future.

This slate ticket is a direct result of a Trump presidency. With the Trump base excited, many supporters are running for public office with a considerable amount of success. The most high-profile case of this phenomenon is Lauren Boebert who unseated longtime Republican figure Scott Tipton and beat Diane Busch in the general election for Colorado’s 3rd congressional district. 

Now the support turns to new candidates eyeing a seat in local races to hopefully propel another acolyte to political stardom. Similar groups that helped elect Boebert are channeling their efforts for potential new figureheads. Rock Chalk Media donated money to the Lauren Boebert campaign and has since donated to Mark McCallister. 

It is worth mentioning that Rock Chalk Media had a complaint filed against them by the FEC for violating the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971.

But why is this local election heating up? Why has it garnered so much financial support and ideological tension? 

The outcome of this election signals the future of the city and the surrounding area. More importantly, it offers an insight into the future of the Republican party. The grassroots Republican candidates that make the ballot are shifting further right. Long-time Republican figures like Taggart are being challenged by new-era Republicans energized by Donald Trump. This trend is apparent in Grand Junction and it can and will make its way to many conservative areas in the country. 

Local politics isn’t the media darling that the general election is, but perhaps that’s for the best. If the political climate is so charged and combative, then does it have a place in local politics? Is there space for partisanship at the microscopic level of power? 

And perhaps the most unnerving question of them all: is it too late to reverse the polarization?

The History

The Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce formed Western Colorado Business Alliance (WCBA), a 501(c)(4) non-profit in 2013. It was created by the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce to act as its political lobbying arm. 

Diane Schwenke, president and CEO of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce, said 501(c)(4) organizations differ from political action committees in that they have a broader purpose beyond a specific ballot measure or candidate.

Michael Anton, the then-president of the Western Colorado Business Alliance, said the group will aim to address the growing ramifications of elections, regulation and legislation on businesses in the region. 

501(c)(4)s are under no legal obligation to disclose their donors regardless of amount or intent. When this type of non-profit refuses to disclose donor amounts and information, it is typically considered a dark money group. 

Local businesses can donate an inordinate amount of funds and remain anonymous. Local elections are particularly prone to influence by these dark money operations.

There are allegations that Doug Simons, the co-owner of Enstrom Candies, donated approximately $50,000 to the WCBA with the request of finding a candidate that would run against incumbent Bill Pitts. 

In 2013, the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce selected four “allies” to run for City Council.

One of these Chamber-backed allies was Rick Brainard. Full detail of the Chamber’s influence on Grand Junction elections can be found in this article written by Anne Landman in 2013.

The then-City Councilman Tom Kenyon spoke to the Daily Sentinel the day after the 2013 election about the race.

“[The 2013] election was very different from others. It was very organized,” Kenyon said, “It felt like they were out to get you. They raised a lot of money.”

Before 2013, the most that anyone spent on a city council race was $3,400. Chamber and WCBA affiliates like Rick Brainard in 2013 gathered an average of $11,000 in donations with a total of $40,000 spent that election cycle. The candidates not affiliated with the WCBA raked in an average of $2,100 per candidate. 

The documents surrounding Rick Brainard’s specific campaign donations in 2013 are not available from the city of Grand Junction. Campaign contribution and expenditure reports are only retained for one year after the elected candidate leaves office.

Brainard was elected in 2013 with the help of the WCBA’s political and financial influence, the Chamber of Commerce and deep pockets. Only days after taking his seat at the council, Brainard was arrested for a 3rd-degree assault of his girlfriend. In the affidavit, Brainard claimed he committed the assault to “shut her mouth.” 

Brainard refused to step down amid growing outcry from the community until he finally resigned on July 18 of that year. Brainard denied his resignation came as a result of the mounting pressure from protestors, rallies and negative coverage. 

WCBA’s political purchasing power can help elect candidates like Brainard and it should be worrisome that the non-profit chooses their candidates so poorly. The 2013 failure to vet and canvas for appropriate candidates to help lead the city not only falls directly on the WCBA, but also on the Chamber of Commerce considering that the WCBA acts as an extension of the Chamber. 

The WCBA’s influence on Grand Junction’s social landscape extended far beyond Braindard’s tenure in office. 

Over the summer of 2020, during the height of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests occurring across the country, WCBA member Mike Anton weighed in on the BLM movement.

“This BLM. They need to go away. They’re not Grand Junction and you need to send them down the road because, believe me, there’s a lot more of me here in this valley than there is of you. I guarantee it and it will not be a pretty day if that comes forth,” Anton said.

Anton was asked to step down from the WCBA. 

In 2021, the WCBA has yet to donate to a specific candidate in this race. Yet it is no secret that the record amount of money being raised for individual candidates is in no small part due to the WCBA and Chamber’s initial push for candidates.

Since 2013, the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce has managed to influence several power-holding positions in the city to advance the local business economy at the expense of social issues. Meanwhile, the political zeitgeist mutated into the ugly form that it embodies today. 

A wave of alt-right candidates has surged and organized across the country. They have dominated mainstream attention for a full presidential term. Now as we enter the post-Trump era of the nation’s history, the fortitude of rural cities and towns will be tested by a re-energized conservative base that separates from the measured-step Republicans of the past. 

Further pulling the Mesa County Republicans right are its new candidates that are openly backed by fringe groups and organizations.

The Alt-Right

Stand for the Constitution, a local organization that claims, “Our action committees affect local politics by prayer meetings, educating the public, organizing events and helping elect high-quality candidates that defend the constitution and in turn defend your rights and your family.”

Voting members of the organization are to pay dues priced at $25 per person and $40 for couples. Members vote on council appointments and organize rallies, meetings and events such as attending school board meetings to “Add your voice to our objection of what our children and grandchildren are being taught – such as gender equality, race shaming, etc. brought forth by the cancel culture.” 

Stand for the Constitution dedicated a page on their website titled, “Our Candidates” and states,  “The group Stand For the Constitution urges citizens to carefully consider voting for the candidates above who will stand for our Constitution and our community’s historic way of life:  Mark McCallister, Greg Haitz, Jody Green, and Kraig Andrews.”

Stand for the Constitution hosted Ammond Bundy on March 13th as a guest speaker. Bundy is notorious for his role in the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters in Oregon spanning over forty days. 

On March 16th, Bundy was to be held on trial for trespassing the Idaho Statehouse last year. He refused to wear a mask in the courthouse the day of his trial and was denied entry. His refusal to wear a mask resulted in his arrest for failure to appear in court.

Additionally, Stand for the Constitution's Facebook page has shared Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA) posts. CSPOA is aligned and implied with the Sovereign Citizen ideology, which proposes that even though US citizens physically reside in the United States, they are separate or “sovereign” from the country. This allows them not to answer to federal departments or agencies. This belief holds the Sheriff’s department as the solution for removing government interference and upholding oaths taken to protect and serve. The FBI has designated the Sovereign Citizen movement as a top domestic terror threat. 

CSPOA was founded by Richard Mack who is on the board for the Oath Keepers, a far-right group composed of former and current military members, police force and public duty officers that swear to refuse orders that violate the constitution. On their official website, the CSPOA is listed as a “friend” of the Oath Keepers. 

The FBI states the Oath Keepers are, “a large but loosely organized collection of militia who believe that the federal government has been co-opted by a shadowy conspiracy that is trying to strip American citizens of their rights.” 

Both groups promote and train for resistance to “unconstitutional” actions of federal agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management, Environmental Protection Agency, and Food and Drug Administration.

Stand for the Constitution is one of the endless permutations of “patriot” organizations banding together over similar platforms to advance certain conservative agendas. It is a grassroots organization that plays into larger group narratives and objectives. They fully endorse McCallister, Haitz, Andrews and Green which implicates them to the organization’s affiliations, business and beliefs. If any candidate were to be implied to domestic terroristic ideology, it should be assumed that they would denounce it publicly and refuse the endorsement of Stand for the Constitution. 

Despite this, a major organizer behind the city council elections is directly engaging in and inviting alt-right figureheads and propaganda. Stand for the Constitution is a major player in electing alt-right conservatives in Grand Junction. Their Facebook page is a directory for its members to collect information on events and speakers and to reinforce alt-right groupthink. They began with 10 members in March of 2019. As of January of 2021, they have over 700 unique attendees at their rallies and over 1,300 Facebook followers. 

The Importance

The significance of this election is immense. What is at stake here signals the future for the Mesa County Republicans. If the slate ticket wins and the Mesa County Republicans move further right, it will alienate long-time moderate Republicans and push them out of leadership positions. The charged nature of today’s politics has accelerated the death of the moderate.

If the winning strategy for conservative voters in the region is to promote firebrand candidates, then it should come as no surprise that those unwilling to fully commit to the trend are being pushed out of power. 

Furthermore, progressive candidates like Abe Herman losing may start cementing Grand Junction and Mesa County as a conservative stronghold. The city may rise to prominence for its gall in electing such controversial candidates. It could signal a winning strategy for the rest of the country. 

The new right has buried conversations about the progress and communal growth in cities and towns. Rejecting the mask order and re-opening have been the issues of Grand Junction throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. It is slowing the transition of power from the older generation to the new leaders of today. Instead of having the transition be smooth and delicate as to preserve history and progress, it is marred by a group that refuses to adopt political change. 

Vote in your local elections. If such charged politics are reaching Grand Junction, then it is safe to assume it’s reaching the rest of the nation. 

The young voters in Grand Junction are mainly college students at Colorado Mesa University. Many of them are registered to vote in Mesa County after the Presidential election last November. These young voters have received their ballots in the mail for the City Council election among other measures. As residents of Mesa County that spend nearly two-thirds of the year in Grand Junction for schooling and housing, college-aged voters have more than a right to vote in this upcoming election. A large enough voter pool of collegiate voters is more than enough to act as a counterweight to the political pendulum swinging far right. 

Registered voters in Mesa County were delivered their ballots in the mail.

Grand Junction’s City Council election is on April 6th, 2021. 

Important information regarding the election such as dates and candidate profiles can be found at the City of Grand Junction’s website. 

Writer’s Notes

• Anne Landman runs a blog that serves as a history of left-leaning issues in Grand Junction. She covered Rick Brainard’s scandal, the formation of the WCBA, the Chamber’s political influence and other issues. Her blogs linked to useful information and records used in this article.

• The Daily Sentinel and The Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce have a lot of dead pages surrounding Rick Brainard and the formation of the Chamber’s allies in 2013. I assume these 404 pages are due to storage and the passing of time.

• There will be two more campaign finance reports in this election. The first comes on April 2nd and can be found at this link. The third will occur thirty days after the election concludes.

• The slate ticket did not fill out the Outdoor Recreation Coalition’s questionnaire. 

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