By RMV Editorial Board
This list wasn’t shaped by editors or ideology. It took shape because readers kept stopping, reading, and sharing these guest commentaries.
After the list, we step back and look at what that pattern tells us—and why it matters going into the new year.
1. Undercover as a 13-year-old, an officer finds what parents fear most
By John DiGirolamo, a Christian author and speaker writing about child safety, online exploitation, and human trafficking.
What followed was hard to ignore. Ordinary online conversations slid into grooming faster than most parents would expect, and the response made clear how many families are actively trying to understand those risks—more than 10,000 views and tens of thousands of interactions.
2. Tina Peters requests presidential pardon as new evidence bolsters her claims
By A.L. Goodwin, who closely follows election integrity cases with attention to court filings and legal procedure.
Goodwin examined former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters’ request for a presidential pardon, detailing new evidence and filings submitted in support of that request. The piece laid out why the case has moved beyond state-level proceedings and into a broader national context.
3. Colorado’s legal tyranny—how it happened and how we take it back
By Montrose County Commissioner Sean Pond, a U.S. Navy veteran who writes about constitutional limits, local governance, and state overreach affecting rural Colorado.
Writing from inside county government, Pond examined how legal authority in Colorado has shifted away from voters and local control. The commentary traced how constitutional limits have been eroded through state mandates counties are now required to implement.
4. Democrat lawmakers target faith as discriminatory under HB25-1312
By Chase Davis, lead pastor of The Well Church in Boulder, writing on faith, law, and public life.
Davis reviewed HB25-1312’s language and legislative path to explain how certain religious beliefs would be treated as discriminatory under state law. The commentary looked at how that would land in real settings, including churches, schools, and families.
5. A political refugee in Colorado: The painful choice to leave my homeland
By C. J. Garbo, a political strategist and law enforcement veteran who writes about legislation, public safety, and constitutional limits in Colorado.
The author shared a firsthand account of leaving Colorado after years of policy changes reshaped daily life. The piece showed how policy changes can accumulate into life-altering decisions for individuals with limited ability to opt out.
6. It’s costly to live in Colorado—and now we top the charts in personal debt
By Mike O’Donnell, a small business advocate and nonprofit executive who writes about Colorado’s economy, public spending, and household financial pressure.
O’Donnell used state and national data to show how Colorado’s cost of living and expanding government spending have pushed household debt above every other state. The commentary linked those trends to policy decisions that affect taxes, housing, and everyday expenses.
7. Bill search reveals how Polis grew Medicaid—yet he blames rising costs
By Cory Gaines, a college physics instructor and writer behind the Colorado Accountability Project who examines government process, legislation, and public records.
Gaines traced a series of Medicaid-related bills to show how the program expanded incrementally over multiple legislative sessions. The commentary demonstrated how cumulative policy changes, rather than a single vote, drove cost growth while allowing state leaders to deflect responsibility.
8. Debunking the “Californians Turned Colorado Blue” myth: Organic change or engineered illusion?
By Mark Cook, a cybersecurity and election integrity analyst who educates communities nationwide on county-level hand-count vote tallying through HandCountRoadShow.org.
Cook analyzed voter data, migration patterns, and election records to challenge the claim that Colorado’s political shift was driven mainly by out-of-state newcomers. The commentary argued that internal demographic changes and election mechanics played a larger role than commonly acknowledged.
9. When Democrats steal political yard signs, are they protecting our democracy?
By Russ Andrews, secretary of the Colorado Republican Party and a longtime Western Slope resident who writes about party organization, fiscal issues, and statewide political strategy.
Andrews documented repeated incidents of political yard sign theft and the limited response from local authorities. The commentary raised questions about selective enforcement and whether political speech receives equal protection under the law.
10. The Constitution isn’t a suggestion—it’s a line in the sand
By Montrose County Commissioner Sean Pond
Writing from inside county government, Pond argued that recent state actions have crossed clear constitutional limits and bypassed local consent. The commentary focused on how those decisions translate into mandates and costs rural communities are required to absorb.
11. Colorado’s budget crisis wasn’t an accident—it was a choice
By Mesa County Commissioner Bobbie Daniel, writing from a working-class perspective on local governance, county finances, and the effects of state policy.
Daniel wrote from her role in county government to explain how Colorado’s budget pressures stem from deliberate policy decisions rather than economic surprise. The commentary linked state budget priorities directly to service cuts and fiscal strain at the county level.
12. Pueblo D70 schools handed kids’ emotional data to political NGOs without parental consent
By Kelly Notarfrancesco, an investigative journalist and former school board president who examines education policy, parental rights, and school governance.
Notarfrancesco reviewed contracts, board actions, and public records to show how Pueblo D70 shared students’ emotional data with outside organizations without documented parental consent. The commentary detailed how those decisions were made and where required oversight and disclosure broke down.
13. Secretary Griswold’s reckless assault on election integrity
By Michael J. Badagliacco (MJB), a U.S. Air Force veteran and Editor-in-Chief of the Colorado DOGE Report who writes on government accountability and constitutional limits.
MJB reviewed actions taken by Secretary of State Jena Griswold that changed election administration and oversight, citing specific decisions and public statements. The commentary argued those moves weakened transparency and departed from established safeguards meant to protect election integrity.
14. The biggest identity theft in Colorado history—victims may have no idea
By Bob Cooper, a member of the Colorado Institute for Fair Elections who works with volunteers on voter-roll accuracy and election oversight.
What Cooper uncovered wasn’t a single bad actor, but a pattern. By digging through campaign finance records, he showed how identity theft can spread quietly, with victims never alerted until long after the damage is done.
15. Two former board presidents urge a course correction for Cherry Creek schools
By Jennifer Churchfield and Aagje Barber, former Cherry Creek school board presidents focused on district governance and accountability.
Churchfield and Barber pointed to falling test scores, declining enrollment, and recent credit downgrades as signs Cherry Creek schools have lost focus on academics. The piece linked those trends to board decisions and flagged upcoming school elections as the moment when accountability comes into play.
16. The state’s mandates, your money—and why counties are saying “enough”
By Mesa County Commissioner Bobbie Daniel
Daniel laid out how state mandates shift new costs onto counties without providing the funding to cover them. The commentary detailed how those unfunded requirements force counties to raise taxes, cut services, or absorb legal and financial risk.
17. This is your moment, governor—veto SB25-003 and protect liberty
By Mesa County Commissioner Bobbie Daniel
Daniel called on Gov. Jared Polis to veto SB25-003, saying the bill would increase state control while leaving counties to absorb the costs and legal exposure.
18. How climate policy became the steering wheel of Colorado government
By Scott K. James, a Weld County commissioner and former mayor writing about state policy and its effects on local and rural communities.
James showed how climate policy grew from a single issue into a state framework guiding decisions on transportation, energy, land use, and local authority. The commentary served as part of a multi-part series documenting how incremental laws, rules, and agency actions combined to centralize decision-making without a single up-or-down vote.
19. Erasing my line in the sand: How Montrose County proved Colorado’s “blueprint” is complete
By Montrose County Commissioner Sean Pond
Pond used Montrose County as a case study to argue that statewide political strategies are now producing predictable outcomes at the county level. The commentary contended that the recall and subsequent shifts marked the completion of a broader blueprint rather than an isolated local event.
20. With HB25-1312, the state can claim your kids and call it compassion
By C. J. Garbo
Garbo walked through HB25-1312 to show how its language shifts decision-making authority from parents to the state. The commentary focused on how that shift would be enforced through medical and educational systems rather than through direct parental consent.
21. Denver’s broken permitting system is driving up housing costs—and it’s time to fix it
By Robert Treta, a Denver-based builder and architect who writes about permitting, housing costs, and how city process affects development.
Treta drew on professional experience in construction to document how Denver’s permitting system adds months of delay and significant cost to housing projects. The commentary argued that those delays directly drive higher prices by pushing financing, labor, and compliance costs onto buyers and renters.
22. When the state disarms the innocent, violence gets time to work
By C. J. Garbo
Garbo analyzed a documented violent incident to argue that disarmament policies delay intervention at the moment it matters most. The commentary focused on how enforced helplessness increases response time and widens the window for violence to occur.
23. One in 20 workers is a state employee—who’s footing the bill?
By Mike O’Donnell
O’Donnell analyzed workforce and budget data to show that one in 20 Colorado workers is now employed by the state. The commentary argued that administrative growth at that scale shifts costs onto a shrinking private-sector tax base while delivering diminishing returns in services.
24. The unraveling medical crisis that Colorado parents must pay attention to
By Lori Gimelshteyn, a speech-language pathologist and co-founder of the Colorado Parent Advocacy Network, one of the state’s leading grassroots organizations defending parents’ rights over their children’s care, education, and upbringing.
Gimelshteyn analyzed medical and policy developments to show how parental decision-making is being displaced by institutional protocols shaped by ideological frameworks. The commentary argued that gaps in oversight, consent, and accountability have allowed those practices to advance faster than evidence and safeguards.
25. SB25-086 tramples the Constitution in the name of control
By Michael A. Hancock, a writer and technologist who examines the intersection of constitutional rights, digital speech, and government power.
Hancock focused on how SB25-086 would push private platforms into acting as state enforcers of online speech. The piece argued that this approach sidesteps constitutional limits while expanding surveillance and control in the name of safety.
What this list tells us
Looking across these pieces, a few things stand out—not because we planned them, but because readers made them visible.
First, proximity mattered. Commentaries written by people closest to the issue—parents, local officials, professionals working inside broken systems—consistently held attention. These weren’t abstract arguments. They were written by people who had already lived with the fallout.
And again and again, readers leaned toward pieces that showed how decisions actually unfold, not just what someone thinks about them. Bills were broken down line by line. Budgets were traced back to decisions. Rules were followed from adoption to enforcement. The commentaries that traveled farthest slowed the conversation down instead of speeding it up.
Third, repetition wasn’t a weakness—it was a signal. When the same names appeared more than once, readers didn’t move on. They leaned in. Consistency built trust. Staying on an issue mattered more than novelty.
Finally, these pieces shared a common restraint. Even when the subject was urgent or personal, the strongest commentaries relied on records, lived experience, and plain language.
They didn’t ask readers to agree. They asked them to understand.
That pattern says something important about the moment we’re in. People aren’t looking for louder voices. They’re looking for clearer ones.
Where the conversation goes next
One of the clearest takeaways from this list is that many of the most compelling voices didn’t act because they were professional commentators. They were people who saw something, dug in, and decided to put it in writing.
As the new year begins, that’s worth paying attention to. If you’ve been following these stories and thinking, “Someone should say this” or “Someone should expose that” —the door is open. Guest commentary guidelines are at RockyMountainVoice.com/commentary-submissions.
The conversation doesn’t belong to one newsroom. It works best when more people are willing to join it.
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