Restore the Balance to rate Grand Junction City Council candidates

https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/briefs/restore-the-balance-to-rate-grand-junction-city-council-candidates/article_76cf2382-ac96-11ed-9373-3ff2a08f06c4.html

Thursday, February 16, 2023

Restore the Balance to rate candidates for City Council

By SENTINEL STAFF

Restore the Balance (RTB), a local organization against political extremism, announced Monday it will rate the nine candidates on the ballot for Grand Junction's April 4 City Council election.

The organization has distributed questionnaires to each of the candidates and aims to publish the results before ballots go out, according to a press release.

"The survey contains 10 questions aimed at determining candidates' qualifications, including their agreement with and adherence to seven principles adopted by RTB to create an alternative to the divisive politics in practice today," the release stated.

Four seats are up for grabs in the election. Cody Kennedy, Jamie Porta and Sandra Weckerly are running to serve a two-year term in the seat most recently held by Rick Taggart in District A.

Greg Haitz, Jason Nguyen and Michael Deuel are running to replace Phil Pe'a in District B. Incumbent Anna Stout is running unopposed in District C.

Scott Beilfuss and Diane Schwenke are running to replace Chuck Mc-Daniel in an at-large seat.

RTB sent candidate surveys and did ratings in a number of races before the November 2022 election. "We received a great deal of positive response to our candidate survey and ratings during the 2022 general election and many voters requested that we continue to provide evaluations of candidates as a means of providing objective information to voters," Restore the Balance Chairperson Tim Sarmo said.

"Nationwide, we have seen an undesirable incursion into non-partisan local government elections by candidates harboring undeclared extremist views. "Their ulterior motive of injecting "culture war" issues has no place in bringing practical, reasoned governance to our municipalities and school districts," Sarmo said.

RTB formed in February 2022 as a response to the wave of extreme political views that were happening in the state and nationwide.