Dear Editor:
Did you know?
Back in June I was embroiled in a referendum on Salida Crossings, motivated by a desire to make a difference in the housing situation for Salida. Call it what you want, but I did what I set out to do and did not turn back. Also in June, I had the opportunity to work with Salida City Council and with the Housing Policy Advisory Committee for housing solutions for Chaffee County and Salida. Through this I was able to meet and work with both Rusty Granzella and Kimberly Parker.
I would like to share some experiences I have had with both of these candidates that shine a light on their character and demeanor. Two weeks after I won the support of the Salida City Council for approval of Salida Crossings (Mike Bowers and Rusty Granzella were the 2 dissenting votes), I talked briefly to Rusty and asked him why he had voted “No” on the Salida Crossings project.
He had told me he was a “Yes” up until the last moment but could not give me an answer why he decided to vote “No.”
A couple of months later, I received some information disseminated by an egregious character who had falsely characterized a situation about Ms. Parker. After much research, I found that the information being circulated was a blatant lie. This was early June when I found myself at the door of Rusty Granzella’s home, and I asked if he had time to discuss matters about the community.
He said he had time, and we commenced to talk about his campaign, my project and other mundane things of life and such on his front porch around 10 a.m.
We talked at length about Salida Crossings, and once again I asked him about his position of voting “No” on Salida Crossings, yet claiming to be a proponent of “affordable housing.” Again, he mentioned that he originally wanted to vote “Yes,” changed his mind at the last moment, but wished he had voted “Yes.”
I also approached Rusty about this information being circulated about Kimberly and the complete situation and history around this information. He said that he was not aware of the information but agreed that he was not going to use it.
I asked Rusty specifically, if this information ever became public, would he publicly stand up for women and denounce this kind of defamation and degradation of women caught in these situations.
He resoundingly said, “Yes, I will come out and denounce this immediately and will not let dirty politics be a part of this campaign.”
I also told Rusty what I would do if he did not keep his promise to me, and I know he remembers, so I am keeping my word. Remember that Rusty has known about this information since the beginning of June, and it became a news story at the end of the race. Interesting?
Did you know that Rusty ran for county commissioner back in 2010? Look it up. Do we want a person with conviction, or someone less committed?
On the other hand, I have found that she, Ms. Parker, has tenacity and desire to help the citizens of Chaffee County, to keep her word and move Chaffee County forward.
Duane Cozart
Salida
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