CORRECTION: The Sopris Sun misprinted the date of a Town of Carbondale legal notice published in the Sept. 24 issue of The Sun. The misprint stated that the legal notice was published on “September 24, 2016,” rather than the correct date of “September 24, 2026.”
Support library levy
I am writing today to urge your readers to vote YES on ballot question 6B. Question 6B, without raising taxes, continues the current one-mill property tax levy originally approved by the voters in 2006 when the library district was created. Without the passage of 6B, the mill levy sunsets in 2027, removing approximately $1 million from the district’s funding.
I am a long-time resident of New Castle. I love our libraries. I love exploring the shelves for something new to read, something new to explore, a solution to a problem. As a home health nurse, sometimes driving over 100 miles a day, I greatly appreciated the audio book collection, a convenient restroom break, a quiet and comfortable space to update chart notes between patient visits. As a volunteer tutor, the library study rooms provide a safe, quiet, comfortable space for meeting with students.
I remember when there was no library district. The libraries were funded out of the Garfield County general fund. When county revenues dipped, library funding dipped. Long-term planning and capital budgeting were extremely difficult. When revenues dipped, building maintenance was delayed, acquisitions postponed or cancelled, programs deleted, staff lost.
Passage of 6B will keep our libraries safe, clean, well-maintained and accessible. 6B will support our collections, technology and programs. 6B will promote recruitment and retention of qualified staff.
Please: vote YES on ballot question 6B.
Kevin O’Brien
New Castle
Vote Godes
Jonathan Godes is the most refreshing candidate I have met in a long time. He has spent his entire career in community service. Jonathan Godes will cut through politics to help bring common sense to Garfield County BOCC. He has experience and a record of working with diverse stakeholders in these divided times. We need people in local government who won’t bow down to fear mongering, and Jonathan Godes’ prior service shows he has the strength of character to stand up for what’s right.
I attended a BOCC meeting and was shocked by the credence the commissioners paid to extremist ideas. Jonathan’s Republican opponent was picked by the BOCC for the county planning commission where he has been for the past 13 years. Is he really going to challenge the majority MAGA BOCC? Jonathan Godes will, for the greater good of our community.
Jonathan’s Republican opponent has a huge personally-funded ad budget while Jonathan’s fundraising has come directly from people who believe he is the right person for the job.
With Liberty and Justice for All! Vote Godes!
Robynn Newton
Carbondale
Alpine Christian
Recently, Alpine Christian High School announced plans to open a school in the Valley in the fall of 2027. I, for one, am pleased a Christian school is coming to the valley which will give families another educational option aligning with their values and beliefs.
I attended the school’s launch event on Sept. 1 and came away impressed by its mission, vision and commitment to providing an innovative education for local students.
Since attending that event, I’ve continued to follow the school’s progress and have been interested in learning more about what it hopes to bring to the community. The school has several upcoming opportunities for residents to learn about its plans, meet members of the team and ask questions. I plan to attend some of these events myself, and I think they may be of interest to families who are curious about this new educational option, regardless of their faith background. I do know many of the board members, their parents and grandparents and what an amazing group of people we have leading this charge. They are an impressive bunch! I wholeheartedly support their endeavors.
I have been following Alpine Christian High School on Facebook, while my children have followed its Instagram account. From what I’ve seen and heard so far, the school is presenting an ambitious vision for the future of education in our valley. For those interested in learning more, the school just announced on Facebook several upcoming events, including: Oct. 5,
6pm at the Glenwood Library, Oct. 6, 7pm at the Carbondale Library, Oct. 13, 7pm at the Youth for Christ building in Glenwood and then Oct. 15, 6:30pm at the New Castle Library. I plan to attend because I’m interested in seeing how the school’s plans develop.
I say “let’s go” to Alpine Christian High School!
Cathy Clark
Silt
Can’t buy me love
None of us want elections to be based on which candidate is the richest or who has the slickest looking ads. We’re all sick of the way that money is influencing our politics — and now that’s happening locally.
The Republican candidate for county commissioner is using his personal wealth to bankroll his own campaign. He spent over $34,000 of his own money just through the end of July, including over $21,000 on campaign consultants, which is nearly five times what his opponent Jonathan Godes has spent on his entire campaign.
While Jonathan doesn’t have personal wealth to bankroll a high gloss campaign, he has a wealth of experience and a demonstrated record of getting things done for the people of this county.
As Mayor of Glenwood Springs, RFTA Board Member, and Executive Director of the I-70 Coalition, Jonathan has demonstrated he can work effectively with diverse stakeholders to find solutions to the challenges facing our county.
His commitment to making life better for families led him to start and direct the Boys & Girls Club in Craig, Colorado, as well as the local Early Childhood Network. His concern for traffic congestion and pollution led him to work to expand RFTA BRT service to Glenwood Springs and initiate the Glenwood Springs Downtowner. He also led Glenwood’s transition to a 100% renewable electric grid, making it among the first ten of America’s towns to do so.
His efforts to make it more affordable to live and work in our communities contributed to the creation of 100 workforce housing units in GWS.
Jonathan gets it. He understands the issues we’re facing and has experience working to solve them. What he doesn’t have is the personal wealth to fund ads and PR consultants. Have you seen that big fancy ad running every week at the top of The Sopris Sun website? Eric Rudd paid for that with his own money. Click on any page, and that ad will be there showing which candidate is the money candidate.
Can money beat experience in this election? Let’s make sure it can’t. Please join me in voting for Jonathan Godes for County Commissioner: the candidate with a wealth of experience, rather than tens of thousands of dollars to buy your attention.
Marc Bruell
Carbondale
Beyond the rule of reality
A few thoughts on the present “commander in chief,” wannabe king, convicted criminal, sexual predator, pathological liar and draft dodger, D.J. Trump. He commands an authority, ICE, with sloppy (child/family separations), murderous tactics, supposedly enforcing immigration regulations. He pardons other known criminals — many Jan. 6 insurgent participants.
The “arch” proposed for construction in Washington, D.C., by his own description, will feature sniper positions and military armaments, along with a big, beautiful ballroom, now under construction; might it be more clearly called a “cannon ball room?” How can we not think these installations will be used to resist a peaceful transition of office, come the next presidential election. He cannot be trusted with a stray dog. Likely, he would try to sell us the puppies. We are told “nobody is above the law.”
Well, relying on “unconditional discharge,” he has so far avoided incarceration after felony convictions.
As fits such a demented delusional character, an appropriate remedy could be to banish him to an isolated lump of rock island (Philippines, Antarctica), relying on the generosity of one of his so-called “shit-hole” countries for airdrops of food. In the words of the well-known sage of our time, Alfred E. Know-It-All, “What, me worry?”
Yes, worry we should. If we should fail to stand up to such hog wash, we deserve to flounder in the cesspool of the consequent results of our inaction.
C.T. Bliss
Carbondale