According to the Weld County Election Results, Scott Renfroe won the Colorado Senate District 13 Republican primary yesterday.

Final vote tally was
Scott W. Renfroe 4584 58%
Dale K. Hall 3256 42%

Total separation was only 1328 votes with approximately 22 percent of registered voters showing up for the primary, down from 35.5 percent turnout in 2004. The reduced percentage may have been due to the Renfroe/Hall election being the only one of consequence on the ballot.

It’s Primary day! Don’t forget to Vote!

The Colorado Secretary of State’s office is predicting a voter turnout of 15 percent for the primary. 15%? That’s it?

Personally, I’ve never understood why anyone would

A. Not register to vote
or
B. Not vote

It’s not like it’s a big chore (OK, so it was last fall thanks to the County’s new ‘voting centers’, but normally it’s better).

The thing to remember here is the prediction is that only 15% of registered voters will vote in the upcoming primaries. This means that in a hotly contested race like SD-13 a handful of votes could easily change the outcome. If you are registered GO VOTE IN THE PRIMARY. I’m guessing the Renfroe/Hall election is going to be the most exciting thing around here this year (unless you think Solomon Little Owl is going to stand up to either of these guys).

The Greeley City Council is going to vote on a proposal for a new arena. This vote will be to advance the proposal to the next level and get public input.

While an arena in Greeley would be a nice addition to the city, consultants have doubts that the city can support such a facility. While this would have been an excellent idea prior to the construction of The Ranch in Loveland, the timing may be a little off. It will be interesting to see what the Council does. I predict they will approve the proposal for further discussion to see how the public responds to the idea (and do a little CYA).

UPDATE: As I suspected, the Greeley City Council voted unanimously to keep discussion open about a proposed arena in Greeley.

It’s beginning to look like the most heated political race in the Greeley area is going to be decided next Tuesday. Scott Renfroe and Dale Hall will be squaring off for the Republican Nomination for SD-13.

While Hall has been a legislator for some time serving both as a Weld County Commissioner and two terms as a Colorado State Representative. Although an experienced politician (by most of his campaign material, his major campaign platform) some are concerned that Hall is not the conservative Republican many locals would like. He has come under heavy fire for his support of Referendum C and is being accused of being a RINO.

Renfroe on the other hand is more of an average guy. Conservative Republican, anti-abortion, anti-government bloat and has never held an elected office. He owns a local construction business giving him unusual insight on the impact of illegal immigrants on the area. Scott even has the support of Marilyn Musgrave and Bill Armstrong. On the other hand, Hall’s biggest endorsement has come from controversial governor Bill Owens.

Living in Greeley and watching this election is an interesting experience. The Tribune has many editorials supporting Hall, each touting his experience. I see a fancy vintage pickup with Hall’s banner on the side all over town. Renfroe seems to be a bit more grass roots, his biggest campaigners seem to be wearing Scott Renfroe t-shirts while shopping at the local Wal-Mart.

This election will show if it’s still possible for a grassroots unknown to beat out an experienced long-time politician. Remember, go vote in the primary on August 8. Your vote could change the election.

City Councilman Ed Phillipsen wrote an editorial for today’s Greeley Tribune accusing the Larimer County Sherrif of implying that Greeley’s unwillingness to accept gang activity, the success of our police in arresting gangsters and the success of our district attorney in sending them up the river for long sentences is somehow wrong and unfair.

Finding this a bit harsh, I went back and read the article where the Larimer County Sherriff makes comments on the gang issue. I found no such implications and in fact two law enforcment officials from Fort Collins and Loveland were quoted as saying

Greeley’s gang unit is doing an excellent job at tracking down criminals involved in gangs

Phillipsen also implies that Greeley’s gang problem is under control due to the efforts of the City Council and Police department. While I appreciate the efforts our city government has went to to address gang related crime, stating that “..gang-bangers have decided to leave our community…” is both prideful and premature.

Publicly striking up controversy with regional law enforcement serves little purpose. Phillipsen appears to have written the article to publicize the efforts of both himself and the city in general. While it’s true that Greeley has done much to address this particular problem, boasting about the current level of success just underscores the (unwarranted) inferiority complex many Greeley residents feel. If his intent is to improve the city’s image he should continue to work and address the many other issues the city has rather than jump on his soapbox and preach about Greeley’s superior accomplishments. Any improvements the city makes will stand on their own merit.