While the Bears ended up losing a heartbreaker 30-29, it was still a special evening for UNC and the city of Greeley. Had a great time, shared the evening with so many good friends, and the commute home was only 10 minutes. Here are a few more pictures from the evening. And as always, GO BEARS!
A year ago, Ben and I attended the first game of the UNC football season. We hung out in the corner of the end zone, had a few beers, and watched the City Council be recognized before kickoff. I was in the middle of the campaign, and had no idea what the upcoming couple of months were about to bring. Fast-forward to last night, where I walked to midfield at halftime with my fellow city council members and had my name announced over the PA system. While we were waiting, I took a few minutes to reflect on how special the moment was. I could see the dorm that I arrived at in the fall of 1995 as a wide-eyed freshman. Right next door to that was Turner Hall, where I met Jennifer Gonzales for the first time. The memories of courting her, being on staff as RAs, the shooting in McCowen Hall, our graduations, and then several decades later, Andrew and Ari’s graduations. I recorded a video for mom and dad, acknowledging with a sense of humility and disbelief that their son was about to stroll to midfield of the first ever night game as a Councilman for the City of Greeley. I wish they could have been there, and I’m hopeful that maybe they somehow knew, and smiled down upon me. I’m grateful Jen was there, and wish the kids and their partners could have been there as well.
Pretty big deal for UNC Football, as Nottingham Field officially has lights! And what better way to kick off the season then with a Friday Fest in the parking lot of the stadium and sponsorship from the City of Greeley. It was great to see so many friends and city staff, as well as all of Council for the pre-game festivities. We then made our way to the VIB box for free food and drinks for the rest of the evening.
I was recently selected to participate in the 2026-27 Colorado Municipal League Leadership Academy. This opportunity will bring together 23 elected officials from around the state once a month for a full day of learning. We kicked things off a few weeks ago by gathering in Alamosa at Adams State College. But first, the happy hour and introductions It was fun to meet and start to get to know a wide variety of elected folks, all the way from the City and County of Denver to tiny 300 person towns in the mountains. Our first full day together started at a local co-op farm, a peek at the low flow Rio Grande River, learning about Robert’s Rule of Order, and a panel discussion of several Mayors.
Once and awhile there is still something special that I get to do at the day job. Last week made the drive to Ft. Morgan with balloons, and gift basket and some cupcakes to participle in a Make-A-Wish for a young man and his family. His wish? To have high speed fiber connectivity in order to game with his brother. I was able to watch the installation, then present the goodies and take some photos. My intern Anna also “graduated” from ALLO, as summer ended and her junior year began. I’ll miss her, the positivity she brought to the events, and all the music I was able to educate her on over the summer. And finally, just like the good old days, my friend and coworker Tom were able to fill 22 backpacks with school supplies for kids in Eaton and present them to the owner of Eaton Pizza to be handed out.
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Never a shortness of excitement at the side hustle. The old city hall is officially rubble now, which will be cleared out for a parking lot. Rep Evans was in town for another check presentation, this time for 8.6 million for our water project. A few headlines of upcoming decisions (spoiler alert: the council voted down the possible tax 4-3).
