2/26/21
GJ Sentinel: Council candidates talk local issues at forum
The forum was hosted by the Western Colorado Alliance, in partnership with a number of other groups, including Community Impact Council and the Western Colorado Latino Chamber of Commerce. Just four of the eight candidates for the open City Council seats, Abe Herman, Randall Reitz, Dennis Simpson and Rick Taggart, attended.
The candidates touched on topics from future economic, environmental and public health challenges to how to help our local nonprofits. In responding to a question on reaching out to minority communities, Reitz said he thought the city needed to do a better job in offering Spanish language options for its constituents. He also said the City Council could do more to highlight people from those communities.
“I think the City Council needs to do a much better job of leading on this issue,” Reitz said. “I think we need to be role-modeling diversity and inclusivity. We have all these opportunities at City Council meetings where we get to highlight people in the community, talk about success stories. I think those ones should often be about people who have succeeded in our community from different backgrounds.”
- Dan West
2/24/21
The Business Times: Council candidates get down to business in virtual forum
The Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce hosted the Zoom forum, which featured all eight candidates vying for four seats in the April 6 municipal election: Mark McCallister and Rick Taggart in District A, Greg Haitz and Dennis Simpson in District B, Jody Green and Abe Herman in District E and Kraig Andrews and Randall Reitz for an at-large seat. City voters may vote for all the races.
Haitz and Herman said small businesses and employees in the service sector have been hit hardest by the pandemic. Haitz said he’s talked to restaurateurs who aren’t sure their operations will remain open through the winter. Reitz said businesses heed help to keep people employed.
Randall said Grand Junction is on the cusp of becoming “the next great Colorado city,” but a thoughtful approach is needed to maintain quality of life.
Reitz said CMU offers a shared benefit that requires a shared burden.
- Phil Castle
2/8/21
Western Slope Now: Dr. Randall Reitz Announces Campaign For City Council
The medical professional held a rally at the Ash Shelter in Lincoln Park, not only to announce his candidacy, but to have a meet & greet with people of the community.
As a father of three and a doctor of family therapy, Dr. Randall Reitz wants families to come first, making Grand Junction an open home to all.
“I think that Grand Junction is on the cusps of being the next great Colorado city,” Dr. Randall Reitz asserts, “We don’t need to be the next Boulder or the next Fort Collins, we need to be a next great Grand Junction. We might intrude on our Western heritage. We’re also welcoming new people and expanding to improve our education, improve our businesses, and provide support to families of all kinds.”
2/15/21
GJ Sentinel: City Council candidates talk business issues at Chamber forum
Candidate for District D Dennis Simpson agreed, but said the city should also play a role in managing growth and having policies in place to limit housing sprawl. At-large candidate Randall Reitz said the council needs to be smart in managing its future growth.
“I think we are on the cusp of becoming the next great Colorado city,” Reitz said. “I don’t want to be Boulder or Fort Collins. I want to maintain our Western heritage, our beliefs and freedom and family. For me that means being very thoughtful about what is smart growth.”
- Dan West
2/1/21
Daily Sentinel: Final slate of City Council candidates is set
That leaves eight candidates for four open seats: Rick Taggart and Mark McCallister for District A, Greg Haitz and Dennis Simpson for District D, Abe Herman and Jody Green for District E and Kraig Andrews and Randall Reitz for the At Large seat.
- Dan West
1/25/21
Daily Sentinel: Grand Junction council lineup finalized
Reitz, who announced his candidacy last week, said he has lived in the community for 21 years, but moved to downtown Grand Junction last fall. Being in the heart of the city was motivation to pursue a run for city council, he said.
“I was talking with friends and they encouraged me to run and I just feel like I can make a difference right now ,” Reitz said.
He said if he were elected, promoting small businesses and ensuring the city has sustainable economic growth would be one of his focuses. He also said he wanted to ensure the city was a good place to raise a family.
“We are starting to be a really high demand community and I think we need to pay special attention to how we grow, what’s going to be good growth versus growth that we will later regret,” Reitz said. “Then I’m a father of three children and a husband to my wife and I really want to have a community that will have great schools and a great environment to raise kids that will support family values for the next generation.”
- Dan West
Daily Sentinel: 5 City Council candidates turn in signatures to appear on ballot
Abe Herman and current City Council Member Rick Taggart have both had their signatures accepted by the City Clerk. Three other candidates who recently announced their bids — Greg Haitz, Randall Reitz and Mark McCallister — have also returned signatures.
Reitz will challenge current Council Member Kraig Andrews for the at-large seat and McCallister will go up against Taggart in District A. Haitz is running for the District D seat, which Mayor Duke Wortmann currently holds. Wortmann is not seeking re-election.
Reitz, a family therapist, said in a news release that he has volunteered thousands of hours in the community, including coaching youth sports. He’s also served in director roles at Marillac Clinic and St. Mary’s Family Medicine Residency and as Executive Director of Summit Community Care Clinic.
“For over 20 years, I’ve been building bridges in Mesa County,” Reitz said in a statement. “I’ve done this with my patients, in the schools, through my family’s church, and through collaborating with local nonprofits and businesses. I’ve had the chance to build large family health organizations that help this community live healthier, happier lives. I know how many folks are hurting right now and I’m running to be a voice for them on City Council.”
-Dan West
KJCT/KKCO: Dr. Randall Reitz announces City Council campaign
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) - Dr. Randall Reitz has announced his campaign for Grand Junction City Council.
Reitz announced his candidacy outside City Hall on Friday afternoon. He has previously worked as a director at St. Mary’s Family Medicine residency and Summit Community Care Clinic in Frisco, Colorado.
Reitz was introduced by his three children at the campaign announcement, before giving a short speech. He is running for an open seat in the at-large district.
“I’m hoping that we are going to come out of this tough time, and be back to a normal life,” Reitz says. “But our businesses are going to have a rough go. They’re going to need to keep their employees on staff, make payroll, make their budgets. I want to make sure the city is aware of that, and is bringing what we have as resources to support them.”
Reitz’s campaign will focus primarily on supporting local business, though he also hopes to use his experience working in the healthcare industry to help the community recover from COVID-19 and its impacts. Reitz is originally from Salt Lake City, but his family has lived in Mesa County since the 1940s.
- Simon Lehrer