December 10, 2017 09:50 PM UTC

Felon Elected to Greeley City Council - Opponent Sues

• 6 Comments
• by: kwtree

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Eddie Mirick was just elected to the at-large seat on Greeley’s City Council.  Mirick  has a 1978 felony conviction for forgery, which he lied about when he filled out the paperwork to run for City Council.  The charter of Greeley, a “home-rule” city, specifically does not allow anyone convicted of a felony to be elected to City Council. Yet Mirick was elected, and City Council members have seated him, and are letting the court decide whether he will be allowed to serve.

Mirick’s eligibility to serve on City Council will be decided in District Court, pending the result of a lawsuit filed by the campaign manager of Mirick’s opponent, Stacy  Suniga.

The makeup of Greeley’s City Council will affect the balance of power between oil and gas interests vs. the public health of residents, in one of the most fracked cities in America.

Mirick is a veteran, and lives with physical disabilities. He is active in charities and community groups. And he strongly supports oil and gas development in Greeley.  Mirick benefitted from over $65,000 spent for cable TV ads from a shadowy Denver group: “Greeley for a Stronger Economy (GSE)*”.  Mayor John Gates, and two other candidates for Greeley City Council:   appointed member Brett Payton, who won his seat against opponent Lavonna Longwell by a grand total of 2 votes. (after recount), and Ward 3 candidate Michael Fitsimmons were also promoted by GSE advertising.

Mirick’s public position about oil and gas development in Greeley was apparently enough to earn him the support of the dark money group:

Having infrastructure in place for development of residential and industrial, infill density, compatibility of oil and gas with residential, schools, and business. Understand as well as developing a master plan to keep Greeley affordable, while keeping development cost in line so Greeley doesn’t become a city where developers can not afford to do business.

The “compatibility of oil and gas with residential, schools, and business” is a hot topic in Greeley right now.  Residents of Greeley are suing the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) on the basis of a Colorado Appeals Court decision in Martinez vs. COGCC, which ruled that  public health is a higher priority than industry profits. This would prevent, or at least delay, the installation of a planned 24 well project, planned by Extraction Oil and Gas wells next to Bella Romero, a low-income, K-8 school. Oral arguments will be heard in Denver District Court on December 22 at 9  a.m. If the lawsuit fails, drilling could begin at Bella Romero as early as January 2018.

Oil and gas development continues to collide with the health and safety of residents in Weld County, and elsewhere.  The argument that this is all about the  jobs and the economy doesn’t hold up; there are only about 26,000 jobs directly related to oil and gas extraction in Colorado, and this number has only gone down since the 2012 boom. Renewables, particularly solar and wind industries, and cannabis cultivation, have contributed much more to Colorado’s economy in the last five years.

Greeley’s City Council has historically sided with the oil and gas industry, allowing permitting for drilling and well sites anywhere in the city.  The Council’s decision to seat Eddie Mirick, a convicted felon, against the rules of their own city charter, speaks to how corrupt and enslaved to the oil and gas industry Greeley officials  are.

*Greeley for a Stronger Economy:

Nonprofit corporation, registered agent: Katie Kennedy

Filed 9/12/2017. This is the same physical address and registered agent as for: Ft. Lupton for a Stronger Economy, Broomfield for a Stronger Economy, Thornton for a Stronger Economy, and Aurora for a Better Economy. Each of these entities has poured untraceable money into pro-fracking, anti-regulation municipal elections.

These pro-oil and gas groups appear to be affiliated with an industry PAC: Vital for Colorado, whose board of directors and endorsers include oil and gas lobbyists and company CEOs, Republican lawmakers, and Americans for Prosperity (Koch brothers). In spite of pouring 190,000 into an effort to defeat Broomfield’s anti-fracking Question 301, Vital for Colorado and Broomfield for a Stronger Economy lost that battle.

UPDATES:

The judge decided not to seat Mirick. Greeley City Council replaced him with Suniga. Score 1 for the grassroots movement in Greeley.

“Thornton for a Stronger Economy” an astroturf Vital for Colorado group, elected all of its pro-oil and gas candidates to City Council. 1 for the Kochs.

Aurora overwhelmingly elected progressive candidates in spite of “Aurora for a Stronger Economy”s best efforts . Another 1 for progressives.

And Broomfield, of course, said not just no, but “Hell, No!” to the fracking lobby in their municipal elections and in support for fracking regulation Question 301. Another small battle won in the war.

This is the third electoral loss for the oil and gas industry PAC “Vital for Colorado”. ________(insert the name of your fracked community here) for a Stronger Economy.  Vital for Colorado has poured money into municipal elections for mayoral and city council candidates, hoping to install candidates who will vote the industry’s way.

*Greeley for a Stronger Economy:

Nonprofit corporation, registered agent: Katie Kennedy

Filed 9/12/2017. This is the same physical address and registered agent as for: Ft. Lupton for a Stronger Economy, Broomfield for a Stronger Economy, Thornton for a Stronger Economy, and Aurora for a Better Economy. Each of these entities has poured untraceable money into pro-fracking, anti-regulation municipal elections.

These pro-oil and gas groups appear to be affiliated with an industry PAC: Vital for Colorado, whose board of directors and endorsers include oil and gas lobbyists and company CEOs, Republican lawmakers, and Americans for Prosperity (Koch brothers). In spite of pouring 190,000 into an effort to defeat Broomfield’s anti-fracking Question 301, Vital for Colorado and Broomfield for a Stronger Economy lost that battle. The two that the PAC backed for Thornton’s City Council, Sandgren and Kulmann, won their elections. Progressives overwhelmingly won seats in Aurora’s City Council and school board races. Mike Coffman should be quaking in his boots.

Koch Bros 1, People 3.

These are from GSE’s publicity in the recent election, featuring a fake Tribune article, and a scary-looking Jared Polis “throwing money” at the Greeley City Council race:

Polis fired back.