Let me begin by saying I believe the voters of Grand Junction did the right thing in re-electing Cody Kennedy to the city council. I also believe they did the right thing in electing Laurel Cole, Robert Ballard and Ben VanDyke.

Of the four, I only know Cody a little bit through email and phone conversations, and yes, from those communications I believe he’s a good man with a public servant’s heart. But honestly, I don’t know the others one iota, but I’ve had conversations with others who do know them, and I’ve been told they have many of the same qualities I see in Cody.

Full disclosure, Cody has been a frequent story source, Ben was a subject in a cover story in one of our recent editions and Laurel is a subscriber, so it leads me to one question about Robert….where’s the love? Just kidding. I’m simply trying to be transparent related to my “relationships” with our recently elected city councilpersons. So, there’s your full disclosure. Take it for what it’s worth.

And before you start, I know all too many who put very little worth into any of my efforts over the past 25 years. To those fans all I can say is, “Right back atcha.” Well, to a point, because when it comes to civic efforts and duties, I have a whole different way of looking at effort, and it usually involves no effort whatsoever. Because those efforts are usually the result of bad premises, which usually ends up in bad results for the citizens.

And speaking of efforts to help our citizens (remember, with politicians, usually efforts are solving problems the people didn’t know they have), none is more visible to the good people of Grand Junction than the debacle (boondoggle, crisis, joke of a solution) created on Fourth and Fifth streets, all under the false premise of “public safety.”

First and foremost, “public safety” (otherwise known as saving the planet) is where the green agenda is now hiding, and within it are all the agendas of just about every leftist proposal for running the world. If you see things from this perspective, you’d see why our previous council did what it did.

At its core, the truth is: There was no public-safety crisis on our two main arteries heading into downtown. But one was created because, after all, who is on the side of cars being allowed to run over folks in wheelchairs, on bikes or folks using differing modes of transportation whose means of propulsion are not destroying the planet?

But the fact is: Those people have always been darned safe using our roads along with all the cars and trucks and stuff. Then, all of a sudden it became about lowering the speed limit on Fourth and Fifth Streets, which was accomplished by putting PVC pipe in inconvenient places every 50 feet or so (which could have been accomplished using old refrigerators or dead possums in the same manner) and was bragged about as a success by folks who didn’t run again or get re-elected to council.

After all, speeds were reduced by 10 to 15 percent from what I’ve heard. So now folks drive those dangerously narrow and visually impaired streets at 30 mph instead of 35 mph.

On the flip side, business at downtown retailers and restaurants is down even more than that. The good news: Homeless foot traffic is up 3 percent.

One must ask, what was the end game for the bollard bunch? Especially since the city could have solved its speeding, safety and vision-for-the-future issues by doing what Palisade does in keeping speeds down on its streets. No, I don’t mean leaving them in disrepair – which kind of works in Palisade’s beatnik, artsy way of doing things. I mean, just put up a couple of those flashing speed signs that smile at you in your vehicle once you slow down to the desired speed limit.

Tell me that doesn’t work for you when you’re driving on the East end of the Grand Valley. The flashing gets your attention, and the smile just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy as I realize I won’t get a ticket. And it works much better than the creepy, abandoned cop cars parked all over Palisade in odd places that jumpstart driver’s hearts.

So, there you have it, new Grand Junction City Council members. Another Craig Hall, “I told you so” column, only this time with a solution. Not that it matters, because the Bollard Bunch’s (sure to be soon very, very vocal) supporters will still be against whatever I write or you do, because of their main premise in life that parallels our previous city council’s position on everything it did.

That’s what happens when you feel it’s your earthly duty to rule, tax and fee, and control the masses while doing the bidding of your benefactors. Does it feel to you, as it does me, most everything our town has done recently has been about the desires of a few and not the freedoms of the whole?

Then again, if our elected betters took that into consideration, whatever would they do?

Here’s hoping the new Grand Junction City Council takes it to heart. Sometimes doing nothing is better while letting free citizens solve problems. Even the ones you make up.

In Christ and Freedom.

Craig Hall is owner and publisher of the Business Times. Reach him at (970) 424-5133 or publisher@thebusinesstimes.com.