Local elections are based on candidates and all municipal “electeds” are unaffiliated in Colorado. However, as you move to state and national elections, voters tend to vote based on party.  As voters, are we changing the factors by which we decide on candidates or is there another problem?

Rooted in the history of representational democracy, citizens, regardless of their background and affiliation, take their turn to serve.  For town councils in Colorado, candidates are nominated without regard to party affiliation; the pay is minimal, and time commitment can be extraordinary. 

I was appointed to the Palisade town council in 2014 and stood for election in 2016. Each member comes with their perspective based on life experience, which manifests in priorities and approach to issues. The thing tying us together is a deep-rooted love for our community – why else would we serve?  

I understand there are cases of single-issue candidates; I personally have not experienced this and doubt in practice it can last long once elected.  The issues we consider are so diverse.  

Given that members are elected without party affiliation and serve without party affiliation, decision making by the council, in general, is pragmatic.  Information and background are provided by staff.  Citizens, outside experts and advocates testify; the town attorney weighs in, council confers, and decisions are made.  

The process is not perfect, and council does look back at some decisions wishing we had taken a different approach or known more, but for the most part decisions are sound and made for the right reasons.  And, there are organizations and associations that stood up to advise and protect communities – CIRSA and CML to name a few.

It would be naive to say that everyone comes in without some bias, but I have witnessed sincere intent to collectively discover the best path forward based on the information presented and discussion of the issues. The process happens without any outside party influence or platform and comes close to true American democracy as it was crafted, in my mind.  

I do not know the party affiliations of my fellow council people, nor do I care.  In fact, I’d rather know about them as a person, their background, their family and their interests.  

I recently asked, “what factors go into your decision about voting for a town council candidate?” on a local message board and got the following responses:

• Honesty and integrity
• I want to know that they can envision the health and progress of my community in a holistic way.

At the Town Council level for me it is all about personal relationships. I look for these things, in no order of importance:

• Experience in life.
• Align with my values.
• Knowledge of the town and surrounding areas.
• A plan for growth.
• Fiscally responsible.
• Understanding of basic economics and town planning.

I would vote for the best interest of the town. We have wine, peaches, a distillery, a brewery, great festivals, all in a small quaint town. … Anyone who wants to change that can go back where they came from, in my book!

I would add approachable – it is important to be open and looking for those conversations solicited and unsolicited at the local coffee shops, brew pubs, grocery store or post office.  

The degree of separation among citizens in a town this size is small.  You know them or someone they know knows you and can vouch for you.

In 2018, I ran for the Colorado state legislature as an independent. Going from a pool of about 500 voters to about 33,500 changes the voters’ filtering process dramatically.  No longer is the degree of separation close enough to rely on – and voters fall to group affiliations – like parties – for guidance.  

Further, I observed that “factors that go into your decision” as seen above, change from individual character to party platform and relative power positions. This is where unaffiliated or independent candidates face significant barriers.  Although in Colorado, unaffiliated registration is the largest voting bloc and growing at the fastest rate, the forums and filters are not available or used, in general, for voters to elect independents. Instead, people turn to their party affiliation or preference and vote on issues a party prioritizes and the party’s relative power within the legislative body.

I would argue, this moves us further away from representational democracy and closer to partisan gridlock, promoting power struggles rather than pragmatic decision-making.

Thea Chase is a member of the Town of Palisade Board of Trustees and ran as an unaffiliated candidate for state representative last year in House District 54.