School board race sees big money, stark partisanship
Andrea Haitz, a local realtor running for District C in the Mesa County Valley School District 51 board race, has nearly doubled the next highest candidate in campaign contributions during the race.
Contributions to Haitz’s campaign, which as of Sept. 29 had received $28,314.33 (plus a $1,000 loan), included $10,000 from Grand Junction resident Linda Kemp, $3,000 from the Mesa County Republican Party and $500 from Mesa County Commissioner Cody Davis. Haitz’s campaign also reported a $1,000 contribution from Tom Heule, of Breckenridge, after the most recent financial reports were disclosed.
Haitz’s two opponents in District C, incumbent Trish Mahre and Austin DeWitt, have raised $15,558.88 and $519.24, respectively, as of Sept. 29.
INCREASING POLITICIZATION
The $3,000 contribution from the Republican Party also reflects an increased level of partisanship in 2021 compared to previous school board races, which are considered nonpartisan races.
Haitz, Will Jones and Angela Lema are running as a block endorsed by the Mesa County Republican Party and also supported by the far-right group “Stand for the Constitution,” members of which have been vocal in criticizing the current school board and administration.
Former school board vice chair Paul Pitton, who resigned recently, said in his resignation letter, “Politics have crept in and have no place in the public school system.”
Postings on Facebook from the campaigns of Haitz, Jones and Lema have urged residents to vote conservative in the school board election.
Some people have taken issue with the group running as a conservative block in an election that is supposed to be nonpartisan.
“This is another perversion of a nonpartisan election by Mesa County Republicans,” Pasquele Verrastro wrote in a Facebook comment to the Mesa County Republican Party. “Our kids deserve better than populous politics in our schools.”
Mesa County GOP chair Kevin McCarney responded to an email by a resident questioning the decision to endorse candidates, particularly without having hosted a forum for the candidates (the party later hosted a candidate forum for all the candidates), by writing:
“We did discuss the endorsements deeply. I know it has been traditional for the GOP to stay out of the “NonPartisan” elections, but we also know that Left leaning organizations are routinely involved in the elections. This is how we end up with a School Board full of Left-Leaning folks in the most Conservative County in Colorado. This is how we end up with a Bond Issue for a school that could be up 3 times the average cost to build a school. The real deciding factor for us was the Contemptible way the D 51 School Board treated concerned citizens at a recent meeting. There comments eerily echo the noise coming out of the Department of Justice about treating concerned parents as Domestic terrorists.”
OTHER ENDORSEMENTS
Jones, Haitz, and Lema also received the endorsement of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce, which often weighs in on local races in their voter guide. The Chamber however, also endorsed Mahre, saying voters could choose either her or Haitz.
The Mesa County Democrats have advertised a fundraiser for candidate Nick Allan in their email newsletter, which is accompanied by a note that they don’t endorse candidates in nonpartisan elections.
Similarly, the Mesa Valley Education Association does not make official endorsements, though members do work to support some candidates.
The Mesa County Democrats and Republicans did not respond to requests for comment on endorsing political candidates in this election.
OTHER FUNDRAISING TOTALS
Allan, who is running in District D, has raised $14,722 as of Sept. 29, including $50 from current District E board member Amy Davis, who is not running for re-election.
Jones, Allan’s opponent, has raised $12,764.33, including $5,401 from Cortez Realtor JaCee Apple and $500 from Grand Junction resident Jamee Simons.
In the District E race, David Combs has raised $7,610 plus a $1,000 loan, including a $1,000 donation from Susan Brewer of Mesquite, Nevada.
Lema, the other District E candidate, has raised $14,407.33, plus a $1,000 loan, including $500 from Grand Junction resident Kim Wright.
Most of the expenditures in the race have been for advertising such as yard signs and Facebook ads.
Haitz has spent $12,2575.83, Mahre $6,434.43, DeWitt $479.71, Allan $11,938.82, Jones $894.52, Combs $3,028.46 and Lema $14,407.
Lema and Haitz have both employed Cutter Consulting LLC, a media consulting firm based in Colorado springs, for their campaigns.
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