Oct 2017_CEO newsletter

the assistance of county personnel) will contribute to the
cause. Passage of this small sales tax increase will show
that we really do “back the badge.”
Community and business leaders overwhelmingly
support these education and public safety measures.
They are doing it even though it means their tax bills will
increase. Most of them will face stiffer increases than the
vast majority of the voters who will go to the polls next
month. This broad base of support demonstrates that
these leaders believe that our community will benefit if
the proposals pass. From an economic development perspective,
quality K-12 education and public safety present
critical threshold requirements for many businesses and
individuals contemplating relocation to the Grand Valley.
If these ballot initiatives fail, it will send a very clear signal
to any business prospect considering the Valley about our
community’s willingness to invest in ourselves.
The objectives of these ballot initiatives align
closely with Grand Valley Power’s mission and vision. The
public safety issue is a tailor-made fit. Most of our members
live in unincorporated areas of Mesa County, and
depend on the Sheriff’s Department for safety and protection.
Support for the department is support for our
members.
program and pledge of support for the John McConnell
Math and Science Center. Support for increased revenue
for K-12 education is a logical extension of this vision. If
we want our communities to grow and prosper in the
future, it really does start with the kids!
Getting back to Churchill and democracy: he
once observed that “the best argument against democracy
is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” I
suspect there is some truth to this. So, when there are
important decisions to be made by the voters, it is imperative
that they make themselves better than average.
Every one of us can do this by researching and understanding
the issues. We can learn about the challenges
faced by these important local institutions. We can consider
how the future of our community could be affected
by the outcome of this election. Every one of us can become
a better voter by casting an informed vote. I hope
this is the approach Mesa County voters take when considering
the critical issues before us this November.
More information for each initiative can be found at
citizensford51.com and
gvp.org/content/community-links.
Our cooperative also recognizes the role education
plays in our future, as seen in our strong scholarship
Check out our latest issue of Colorado Country Life
magazine for Trick-or-Treat events community-wide!
Also, have you liked our Facebook or Twitter pages?
We’ll be sharing safety tips for your witches, mummies,
and superheroes to stay safe during trick-ortreating
this year!