Good Governance – Based on Whose Standards?

Vocal “Community Activists” are Now to Be Arbiters of What is “Good” Governance?

By David White

Emboldened by the successful campaign to recall now former County Commissioner Scott Mijares from office after he had served in office for less than one year, the liberal activists that led that recall effort in our community have now decided that they will dictate what the definition of  “governance” at all levels should look like through a newly formed organization by the name of Neighbors for Good Governance.

Mijares was direct, provocative and at times abrasive and seemingly rude which many found to be offensive. However, bringing critical thinking to government from the standpoint of a business owner and private citizen who didn’t have the “polish” that an experienced politician typically has just rubbed the sensitive souls in our community wrong despite the fact that his personality was counter-balanced by the other members of the Board of County Commissioners.

With the proverbial “blood in the water” symbolism of their success, these liberal activists, led by Linda Gann and, if I had to guess, sidekick Phoebe Benziger, incorporated as a non-profit organization Neighbors for Good Governance on June 5, 2026, under Ms. Gann’s name. Their new website (www.nfgg.org) is up and running but bereft of any definitive cause of action outside of the usual liberal playbook jargon such as “Local voices for representative leadership in Montrose County” or "Our work is non-partisan. We do not endorse political parties or ideological platforms — only the values of transparency, accountability, and community." If you believe any of this and the other similar, feel-good, progressive wording on their website, I’ve got a bridge somewhere in New York City to sell you.

Simply put, not content with removing a sitting County Commissioner, their mission is clear…disrupt the political systems found throughout the City and County with community activism that the left has become known for (think Antifa style tactics without the violence - for now). Some of the more vocal individuals associated with the “non-profit” organizations that are now storming the Montrose City Council Chambers every two weeks include members of the Democrat Party, Montrose-Ouray Counties Indivisible, The League of Women Voters, the Western Colorado Alliance, the Hispanic Affairs Council, M.A.D.A., Colorado Rural Voters and other similarly constituted organizations.

When reviewing the websites of these organizations and Neighbors for Good Governance (NFGG) more specifically, the theme is the same. “We’re progressives and we want change.” “We want you to govern the way we want you to.” “It’s fine that you listen to other people and points of view, but you’d better vote the way we want you to or else.” There are already rumors circulating that they’re going to try and recall the Mayor of Montrose! Is this how you get what you want? Political discourse and agreeing to disagree are apparently a thing of the past. “Do what I tell you to or else” is now how the game is played. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll give you all of the “legitimate” information you need to make a good voting decision.” I’ve got you! So goes the theme of NFGG!

From their website:

• “We attend and review public meetings so our neighbors don't have to go it alone.”

• “We identify and encourage potential candidates who reflect our community's values — people motivated by service, not ideology. (Really – how kind of them. NOT!)”

• “We make voting straightforward — from your mailbox to the ballot box.”

• “Meeting recaps and plain-language issue guides delivered to your inbox and social feeds.”

Again, these statements and more lead one to believe that they and their cohorts are the TRUE arbiters of what “Good Governance” entails.

As an example of the echo chamber that Ms. Gann and Ms. Benziger live in, here are some statements made in a Facebook post by Montrose and Ouray Counties Indivisible (aka D3 Indivisible) this past weekend regarding our City Council, County Commissioners and School Board which closely mimics what NFGG is trying to foist on the local populace.

• By volunteering to watch & attend these meetings, you will have the opportunity to play a crucial role in keeping our elected officials accountable, advocating for important issues, alerting citizens to important issues, staying informed & keeping others informed about local policies, initiatives, projects, & representing the voices of our diverse community.

• Your presence at these meetings can make a real difference in shaping the direction of our city, county & schools, and ensuring that the needs and concerns of our community are heard and addressed.

• TOGETHER, let's watch, attend, and engage in the decision-making process to ensure that our city, schools & county reflect the values and priorities of our diverse community. Your involvement is key to fostering a more informed, inclusive, and participatory local governance.

All of this smacks of these groups attempting an end run around our elected officials. Sorry folks, the elected officials make the decisions. You can give them input and they can gather their own from citizens and their staff members. If you don’t like their decisions (which you won’t at least half the time), then run for office. Stop the recall B.S. Like the good Democratic Socialists they are, that’s not acceptable though. They expect the elected officials to be their mouthpieces. That’s not the way it works folks.

The redundancy and interlinking of these groups that we’re seeing would have you believe that through market saturation and communication on social media; control of the mainstream media through their surrogates staffing the various print and electronic outlets to include those funded by the City of Montrose and other grassroots efforts, that the City of Montrose and Montrose County have become bastions of leftist propaganda.

Through these means, it is seemingly stressed that people have to make their own decisions on the issues they’re being pressed to advocate for or against. Much of the time, though, the organizer(s) will have a pretty good idea of what the community should be doing, and they will want to suggest, maneuver, and persuade the community toward that action. They will not ever seem to tell the community what to do; instead, they will use loaded questions to lead the community in the direction that they want it to go.

It is quite apparent that the 1971 book by American communist radical Saul Alinsky (Rules for Radicals) is being used as a template for what we seeing happening in Montrose and Western Colorado. Briefly, Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals, offers guidance to activists on building grassroots movements to challenge power structures and achieve social change through nonviolent tactics. It outlines thirteen rules for organizing, including leveraging ridicule, keeping pressure on opponents, and personalizing targets, while emphasizing that ends can justify means depending on context.

The folks behind these organizations cropping up all over Western Colorado may not understand their roles as pawns in a serious game that seeks to turn us away from the founder’s vision for this country and into something that hasn’t worked in all of human history. I hope that those on the outside of these organizations can see the forest for the trees and not succumb to the promises of a Nirvana that won’t ever come. Stayed tuned. It’s going to get more interesting as the months ahead come into focus.

Mr. White is an active citizen & community leader as well as a business owner, entrepreneur, former Colorado Springs City Councilor and Montrose City Councilor as well as Montrose Mayor. He was a two-term Montrose County Commissioner and has served on many boards and commissions during his career. He was most recently the Interim Montrose County Manager. He & his wife are the parents of six children and have 10 grandchildren & a great grandchild.