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Third tax day tea party rally fires ’em up

John Stroud
Post Independent Staff
Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado
Kelley Cox Post Independent
ALL |

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado – Local tea party patriots again took to the Garfield County Courthouse lawn on tax day Friday, with their message of fiscal conservatism, less taxation and more private-sector job creation.

It was the third straight year for the local event, organized by tea party activist Betty Scranton.

This year’s event was attended by about 40 people, including several conservative elected officials from throughout Garfield County. Numbers were notably down from last year’s event, which drew roughly 100 people.



Republican Garfield County Commissioner Tom Jankovsky, who unseated incumbent Democrat Tresi Houpt in last fall’s election, said he ran on a message of job creation in the county.

That remains his top priority, he said.



“Every time I make a decision I ask myself, ‘Does it create jobs?’,” Jankovsky said at the rally.

“Yes, we have to look at the environment and neighborhood issues,” he said. “But we also have to cut back on some of our regulations and become more business-friendly.”

On a national level, “This is a big election coming up” Jankovsky said. “We need to elect a majority in the Senate, and we need to change the administration.”

Silt Mayor Dave Moore noted the Silt town council is now controlled by a conservative majority, after a slate of like-minded candidates swept the town elections last spring.

“And we’re getting a lot done,” Moore said of a plan for the town to acquire property for development of a town grocery store and fast food restaurant.

“This is something that will bring some jobs to town,” he said.

On a more general note, newly elected Glenwood Springs City Councilman Mike Gamba encouraged more conservatives to get involved in government and the election process.

“For a long time, I kind of hung out on the sideline of politics,” he said. “I was aware and kept informed, but other than voting in elections I wasn’t openly involved.

“Over the last several years I decided that if I really am concerned about what’s going on and want to be effective in any kind of change, that I need to get involved,” Gamba said.

Three conservative newspaper columnists also attended the event, including new Aspen Times columnist Melanie Sturm, longtime Post Independent opinion writer Ross Talbott, and another newcomer to the PI’s line-up of columnists, James Kellogg.

Kellogg first began putting his thoughts to words with his online blog, Liberteawatch.com.

“I think we’re heading in the right direction, and I’m glad to have the God-given ability to make a difference,” he said at the rally.

jstroud@postindependent.com


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