“MJB voter guide”

It all comes down to your choice, Montrose. What do you want?

The voters of Montrose have a choice to make with ballots being sent out October 10, 2025. In those ballots, there are many measures that will shape the future of Montrose, from the taxes we pay to what is taught in our schools and who will sit on the board of county commissioners.

We all need to be conscious of the consequences of our vote. We need to understand that every one of us holds the key to our future in our hands and understand the gravity of the decisions we are about to make.  Decisions we cannot take lightly as our futures and the future of Montrose  depends on it.  I do not say that flippantly, I say that with an extremely heavy heart.  For far too long we have not taken things seriously enough and we have allowed personality conflicts, for instance, cloud our judgement, rather than focusing on sound policy.  We have accepted lies about duly elected individuals to be parroted without validation because "they were mean".  We allowed character flaws to cloud sound policy, rather than allowing good policy to overcome character flaws.  This has created a stir within our community that was unnecessary and unwarranted.  It is time to put this all to rest and come together and show the left that Montrose stands for TRUE CONSERVATIVE VALUES, NOT HIDDEN LEFT-WING AGENDA'S disguised as "unaffiliated" fluff.  With that said;     

Here are my personal feelings on each measure and why. I have written about most of these extensively already, so I won't bore you with lengthy explanations.

So here is my MJB voter guide for those of you who care what I think. (Many will not, and that is quite all right and understandable. LOL!)

1. County Commissioner: Should County Commissioner Scott Mijares Be Recalled? VOTE NO/AGAINST

a. Personally, I do not believe he should be. Recalls are for illegality, not personality conflicts, which is what we have here. The recall committee launched their campaign because they don't like Scott's personality. That is not a legitimate reason for a recall. The list of reasons on the petition does not rise to that level. I don't think we want to see FAR LEFT-WING ENVIRONMENTALIST (Kirsten Copland) in that seat, which is what we will get if you vote yes. A NO VOTE allows Scott to retain his seat as commissioner.

2. Measure 6A and 6B: Does the Library need more money? VOTE NO/AGAINST

a. If you vote NO, the library is not going to get a funding cut. Voting no will simply ensure you are not paying more!

3. City Charter Amendments: VOTE NO/AGAINST

a. With the last amendments to the charter, we were told they would be good for another 50 years. That was 12 years ago. Enough said!

4. Proposition LL & MM (State Issues): VOTE NO/AGAINST

a. These are the state TABOR measures designed to look like they are only going to "tax the rich." Do not be fooled. If they get away with this, they will keep ratcheting it down until they eliminate TABOR altogether. The Democrat-controlled legislature in Denver has been doing everything they can to bypass TABOR every chance they get.  This is NOT about "taxing the rich", it is about CONTROL!  Controlling YOU and ME, NOT their spending!

5. Montrose County School Board is extremely important, as your vote will determine our children's future. Choose wisely. I had the opportunity to see all these candidates answer questions live on October 7. Here is my impression and how I am voting.

a. District A

i. Neisha Balleck: YES  Voted for MCA (not status quo), understanding there needs to be changes within the district. Interested in holding district leadership accountable. Balleck has a clear track record of solid leadership.

ii. Darren Sofka: NO. Sofka's record is questionable. Under his leadership, a highly qualified varsity coach resigned shortly after tryouts, leaving the program in disarray, and his communication with staff, parents, and players has been criticized.

b. District C

i. Scott Scarborough: YES  Wants to see change with a more classical approach to the learning environment.

ii. Alice Murphy: NO. Ms. Murphy supports Title IX rules that allow boys in girls' locker rooms and bathrooms. That is a no-go for me. She voted twice against Montrose Classical Academy, even though 63% of Montrose prefers school choice (Amendment 80, 2024), before essentially being forced to vote yes on the third vote after the state board voted 8-1 to approve MCA. Also, scores have not improved over four years under her tenure, and she does not want change, as evidenced in her voting record and affiliations.

c. District E

i. Tiffany Vincent: YES  Strong conservative voice who has a vast array of perspectives from both private and public school experience to pull from to provide a different point of view.

ii. Hollee Mundell: NO. Sounded very generic at this particular venue, IMHO.

iii. Kris Besler: NO. Enamored by Superintendent Stephenson's stale TLA program from a 50-year-old failed California program that did not work then, so I question her judgment. But that's just me.

d. District G

i. Shane Daly: YES  Shane has my respect. A father of five, he has been a foster parent and leads FCA. The man has a real heart for children and their future. He definitely has my vote and my respect.

ii. Jessica Corrigan: NO. Jessica left me feeling as though she was trying more to impress her boss in the audience (the superintendent) than she was vying for the post. Not a quality I am looking for in someone running for school board.

Michael J Badagliacco, “MJB”

Michael is the father of five and grandfather of three, United States Air Force Veteran, International Recording Artist, passionate about the United States of America and the founders Genius of the Constitution and Editor-in-Chief, Colorado DOGE Report (coDOGEreport.com).