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The Sky-Hi News reached out to the nine candidates for Granby’s four available Board of Trustees seats. Eight of the nine responded to the questions, and their answers are provided below.

The vote will be part of the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Ballots were mailed out starting Monday, Oct. 17. The last recommended day for voters to mail in ballots is Oct. 31, and polling stations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 8. For more information, visit CO.Grand.co.us/147/elections.

Stefan Haberer 

Name: Stefan Haberer

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Occupation: Fixed income portfolio manager for Seabird Investment Partners

Length of residence in Grand County: About 3 years

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Why do you want to be a trustee? 

The idea of running for the board was brought up by some people in the community once they became familiar with background. After having an opportunity to get to know the issues, challenges and opportunities facing Granby, I believe I can be a positive contributor to the board. I want Granby to grow and thrive, but I do not want it to lose its unique small-town charm and character, which is what attracted us here. I also believe that folks who have grown up in the community should be able to thrive and benefit if growth is carefully managed.

Everyone has a game plan, but in order to win, one must be able to execute the plan. I think our ability to succeed will be every bit as much about execution as it is about our plans. I think my greatest strength will be helping ensure plan execution.

What are your priorities for the town? 

To help ensure the town does not lose its unique character and charm. Encourage and support development that benefits existing and future residents. To protect the very special environment here for wildlife, residents, and visitors. Foster an environment of transparency and inclusion, whereby residents feel that they have a say in what happens to their town.

What qualifies you for the position? 

I have worked in the municipal finance industry for over 30 years, as an analyst, portfolio manager, trader and investment banker. I understand municipal financial statements, have a keen knowledge of the municipal bond market & a strong understanding of interest rates. My industry experience should be of value to the board and our community.

I have both an undergraduate and a Master of Business Administration degree in finance.

I am a very intense and opinionated person but have also learned how critical it is to carefully listen to others and keep an open mind.

I have no preconceived agenda. 

Seth Stern

Name: Seth Stern

Occupation: Entrepreneur and owner of High Mountain Security Ltd., High Mountain Firearms and Troublesome Tomahawks

Length of residence in Grand County: I was born in Kremmling October 21, 1979, and have considered Granby my home of residence ever since. For eligibility purposes, I returned to Granby as a full-time resident September 2021.

Why do you want to be a trustee? 

Serve the Granby community, protect Granby’s small businesses from onerous bureaucratic creep that serves no one, ensure town business has total transparency from routine business to any rumors of impropriety investigated and report results as quickly as possible.

What are your priorities for the town? 

I’d like to get the Town of Granby, Mountain Parks Electric and the waste disposal companies to take a serious look at the feasibility of waste-to-energy at the local level. We are all paying for trash and electricity at both residential and commercial levels, and the costs of transporting the waste to the Front Range seems wildly inefficient to me if we can potentially combust a majority of those truck loads into electricity. Transparency: I do not like or agree with any form of backroom deals. The public owns the government, not the other way around. 

I intend to explain every vote I cast on social media and to be very accessible to Granby’s residents both in and surrounding town. I will happily look into all credible accusations of corruption of self-serving deals being made by any Granby politician or town employee and either report to the Sky-Hi News or Grand Gazette, or publish it myself if they’re not interested. I would also like to strip back the perpetual creep of bureaucracy into both residential and commercial lives. Simply put, every form of government starts out to serve the public then nearly instantaneously pivots to serving itself. We don’t need the “Town of Granby” to thrive, we need the community to have the liberty to thrive and the rest will take care of itself.

What qualifies you for the position?

I’m a retired United States Air Force veteran, a graduate of Colorado State University with two baccalaureate degrees, both an existing and very recently opened small business owner of High Mountain Firearms and Troublesome Tomahawks, consider myself a lifelong resident despite a couple of absences for professional and life experience, I care about the community more than I do economic growth and I’m not afraid to stand up for both what’s right and what’s legal and I have something of a talent for creative problem solving.

Sharon K. Silva

Name: Sharon K. Silva

Occupation: Retired, formerly worked in telecommunications and managed a software development organization

Length of residence in Grand County: Moved to Granby full-time in 2014

Why do you want to be a trustee? 

My reason for running is primarily the growth we are experiencing in the county. I moved here because of the small quaint feeling of this wonderful community. I didn’t want to live out my retirement years in one of the resort towns down the road. I would like us to focus on proactive growth focusing on housing issues, the effects on traffic safety and impacts to our local businesses. 

What are your priorities for the town?

I want to make sure developers contribute to our community and not just extract from us. I would like to see developers participate in a more mindful approach to development by helping with water mitigation and adding such things as bike paths, hiking and walking trails that everyone can utilize.

What qualifies you for the position?

I have been a dedicated public servant with a history of serving the community through my various volunteer work. Some of those experiences include working with the Colorado Mountain Club as a hike leader, coordinating and leading adventure travel trips and wilderness trainer. At Rocky Mountain National Park, I was a backcountry ranger and school programs. At YMCA of the Rockies, I have been an outdoor winter guide and trained staff in the customer care experience. I have also served on my homeowners’ board for several years eventually becoming president. 

From these various positions, I have been able to develop a diverse set of skills. I have the ability to relate and communicate effectively, unify, and motivate my teams. By actively listening I have been able to appreciate my team’s insights and ideas. I have been able to understand critical information, build connections and trust with my teams and customers. As a manager, I learned how to connect with my team to establish credibility and encourage camaraderie. As a program manager, organization was an essential part of my job. I had to develop the ability to outline a project, assign tasks, foresee obstacles, and find creative solutions. Meeting deadlines and showing clients a plan to succeed were critical to our team’s success.

Jeffery W. Sneddon

Name: Jeffery W. Sneddon

Occupation: Retired federal contracting officer

Length of residence in Grand County: Since October 30, 2015

Why do you want to be a trustee?

I currently am a town trustee and wish to continue as such. I want to help this community and give back what it has given to me and my family. I have always felt a prevailing tendency toward public service but understood that a commitment to serve required more time than I had available. I now have the time necessary to devote to the duties required of this office. The work of the Board of Trustees is of critical importance. It is my desire to participate as a member in a way that promotes the well-being of all citizens of Granby.

What are your priorities for the town?

I will focus on promoting affordable housing. This can be greatly benefitted with the passage of Proposition 123 and Ballot Measure 6A which I support.

We also have to look at early childhood care to further help those working parents in this town and county.

The town should support local food pantries like Mountain Family Center to relieve those who go to bed hungry.

I would also give priority to economic development which is beneficial to the growth and well-being of this town. We need to support Destination Granby in their efforts to help local businesses succeed and prosper.

We should pay attention to the comprehensive plan/Imagine Granby results and act on those suggestions which benefit this town.

I would like to implement downtown design standards to make downtown vital, vibrant, and safe.

And I want to bring together all citizens of Granby. I do not like terms such as “Granby Proper”, “Old Town” or other divisive statements. We are one town, which includes all neighborhoods in all geographic locations within the town boundaries. All residents of Granby are subject to providing for the primary sources of municipal revenue by paying property tax, user tax and sales tax. All citizens deserve to receive basic municipal services such a police protection, use of parks and recreation facilities, and road construction and maintenance. And no neighborhood should be denied those services.

There are many other important issues to work on. I understand the need to focus on those issues with an open mind and work hard to grasp a complete understanding of what is best for the citizens as a whole.

What qualifies you for the position?

My dedication, commitment and work ethic. My work experience as a supervisory contract specialist with the federal government instilled an understanding for the seriousness of actions which affect the use of taxpayer dollars, and we as trustees are stewards of those dollars. Every decision we make will have an impact on the citizens of this community. I have an eagerness to participate, a willingness to prepare, and the ability to learn and expand. I can be supportive of issues raised but am willing to express my opinion.

Mike Mahoney

Name: Mike Mahoney

Occupation: Semiretired (40+ years in construction, drywall foreman)

Length of residence in Grand County: 44 years

Why do you want to be a trustee?

I want to be a voice for the citizens of Granby. As a long-time local, I am familiar with the challenges Granby currently faces; including: housing, water and sanitation, downtown enhancement, parking, and traffic flow. I will do my best to represent the interests of the Granby taxpayers. At this stage in my life, I have the time I need to devote to the trustee position.

I am in favor of Granby keeping its uniqueness and friendly small-town atmosphere for our future generations while supporting sensible growth.

What are your priorities for the town?

My top priorities are housing, balancing growth with our resources and infrastructure, and our roads.

Housing in Grand County is a top priority. Affordable and attainable housing is necessary in order to attract and retain essential workers. We need to be sure that our water, sewer, electrical, gas and other essential services are adequate to supply the new housing units before issuing more building permits. I am aware that The Fraser River Valley Housing Partnership has been formed to address regional workforce housing shortages. I hope to work with them in order to find solutions to our housing shortage in a timely manner. We cannot afford to wait! I believe the developers should be held accountable to help fund the housing for our local workforce before they are allowed to build any more high-end units. 

I am in favor of updating the North District Water Treatment Plant that is over forty years old and repairing Thompson Road. The poor condition of the roads in Granby and throughout Grand County need to be addressed ASAP. Our roads are not designed to handle the volume of traffic that has become a day-to-day issue. I would like to work with the town and Grand County to find solutions before the problem becomes worse. 

What qualifies you for the position?

I have worked in the construction industry for almost forty years. If you have ever been on a busy construction site with many different tradesmen all working at the same time, you realize the importance of teamwork, cooperation and meeting deadlines. I excel at these. I have worked as a drywall foreman for several companies. I helped launch Celebrate Recovery Grand County nine years ago and I am currently part of the leadership team. I am always willing to listen, learn, ask questions and actively participate in order to make informed decisions for our community. My work ethic, organizational and leadership skills, and my desire to see Granby grow responsibly make me a competent candidate.

Deborah J. K. Shaw

Name: Deborah J. K. Shaw

Occupation: Retired chiropractor/acupuncturist

Length of residence in Grand County: 41 years

Why do you want to be a trustee?

I have been on the board for 20 years. I have a lot of past knowledge of the town and how decisions were made. I’d like to be able to provide that information for the board.

What are your priorities for the town?

Top priorities are affordable housing. This has been top of my list for years. I don’t think the people understand how difficult it is to get someone to build them. I also want the town to have the reserves in my to survive this inflation.

What qualifies you for the position?

Education, knowledge (I’ve been on the board for 20 years) and I really care about Granby.

Daniela Gosselova

Name: Daniela Gosselova

Occupation: I currently work on “do-your-own” property improvements and reserve my time for town and county related matters.

Length of residence in Grand County: I first visited Grand County in the mid ’90s and stayed just on seasonal basis. I have been permanently living in the county for about 10 years.

Why do you want to be a trustee?

I would like to improve services that the Town of Granby provides to its residents and businesses. I’d like to ensure that everyone can live here safely and comfortably and that local businesses have the opportunity to prosper.

What are your priorities for the town?

Top priorities will be any aspects or issues that are the most important to local residents. My priority would be to provide local residents with substantial opportunities to be heard by the town, to be informed and to be involved in the decision-making process. I’d also like to deep dive into management of water resources, net-zero energy housing development and self-sufficiency standards.

What qualifies you for the position?

Other than being a matured citizen, I would take the trustee position as my year-round, full-time, job.

Jason Wilson

Name: Jason Wilson

Occupation: Self-employed contractor

Length of residence in Grand County: 21 years

Why do you want to be a trustee?

I want to give fair representation to everyone living in Granby.

What are your priorities for the town?

Affordable housing, spending and road maintenance.

What qualifies you for the position?

I have a strong business background in a community and a goal of keeping Granby a great place.

Nancy Healy

Candidate Nancy Healy did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.