And no, the work being done isn’t in a good way.

Yes, you are free to complain and ask why I am writing and criticizing a party I am not a party to, and I’d agree it’s a quality question worth asking. Well, here’s why. The main thing I’m about to write about is one of the main reasons I left the party I’m writing about. The other reason is it appears the main goal of local Republicans is not to unite the party, but rather to divide it, so it’s as successful as the beloved Republicans are on the state level. Or control, which is the more likely culprit.

And just in case you haven’t been paying attention, the Republican party doesn’t do so well on the state level, and locally it’s an on and off disaster on the city level in Grand Junction and Palisade. So, just how long can the county hold out?

As history tends to repeat itself, especially in politics, I’d say not long. And that’s despite the fact yet today one could run for any county-wide position as a Republican while on life support in any of our amazing, local hospitals and still win in a landslide. Heck, Lauren Boebert wins Mesa County even if she’s bound to bring her puff and petting to a theatre near you.

But in politics, nothing lasts forever. So, I wonder why Mesa County Republicans are hell-bent on speeding up the process? Splitting rails locally, Abe-ly, if you will.

But here we go again. We have a primary where none should exist, and this time it’s over the position of Mesa County treasurer. Think about that. Is the position of Mesa County treasurer so important the Republicans need two candidates? Or is the real question: Why does the position mean so much to Mesa County Republicans that the party would cast aside one of its best foot soldiers it has seen recently to basically endorse a previous party player who just moved back from across the hills?

Before I delve in, let me qualify where I’m coming from. I’m going to vote FOR whoever survives this fracture (because that’s what it is) and ends up on the ballot. That’s mostly because I never vote to put democrats in charge of tax money, but also because I know both candidates and know they are good people. I also know both have a right to run as Republicans. But as things went with the puppet planting of JJ for local power brokers over Janet, it doesn’t make their running against one another a good thing in the long-term.

Let’s ferret this out candidate-wise as well. I know Greg Haitz a little bit. I know his wife, Andrea, a little better. He subscribes to the paper, and his wife as a school board member has been the subject in more than a few stories in my paper the past few years. I believe if Andrea could have run under a party banner for school board it would unquestionably be the Republican one. They both are staunch conservatives, so everything makes perfect sense related to Greg’s candidacy.

That said, I’ve known Rose Pugliese for years. I consider her a friend. She’s helped me through the legal stresses of my divorce and my dad’s estate. We’ve spoken often, and while we’ve lost some contact when she moved across the way, there’s no question about Rose’s conservative values in her time as Mesa County Commissioner and in the Colorado Legislature or in anything else she does. I get why she’s running for office as a Republican to continue her public service.

So, for me, this doesn’t come down to why either of these fine folks are running. It’s why are Mesa County Republicans allowing two Republicans to run for the same office that’s a guaranteed win? How does this not split the party locally? Local Republicans are turning a walk-in-the-park race into another Tina Peters moment, because it’s impossible to not have a Greg wing on one side and a Rose wing on the other. What’s one thing Independents always say? Two wings of the same bird when it comes to democrats and Republicans in government, and it’s never in a good way.

The same thing happened with Janet and JJ and is still happening with the Tina sycophants.

All this kind of maneuvering (and that’s what it is) does is create Independents. It’s time Republicans learned it isn’t virtue to allow all comers to run or allow all voters to vote in primaries regardless of party (un)affiliation? I mean, how much more screwed up could this coming election’s gubernatorial posse that the party is allowing to destroy our chances of any Republican winning statewide be? Eventually, the antics catch up with you. And unlike Lauren carpetbagging to a new district, there’s no other voter-safe state to run for governor of Colorado in.

And even though Mesa County is still safe for Republicans running for county-wide office, why didn’t the local party just say, “Sorry, Rose, we already have someone, who has given time and talent above and beyond, running for that position. Maybe next time or another office?” Because you can’t argue Greg hasn’t been and done all that the past several years.

Must be a control thing to local Republican leadership. It sure isn’t about membership. Because what good is being done for loyal, faithful, active members who decide to become candidates if the party doesn’t jump and back you 100 percent from the get-go? After all, that’s what the democrats do. And the more democrats do it, the more they win.

One other thing democrats love to do is back primary Republicans they know can win primaries but not general elections. There’s a whole book about it (and other democrat strategies in taking over Colorado) called The Blueprint, written by Republicans who figured this all out; however, way too late.

Which begs one question: What’s going to happen to Republicans in Mesa County if they keep doing business as usual? If history is any indication, it won’t turn out well in the end. We can only hope the Independents they’ve created are filling the void and not democrats. Then again, if history (and Grand Junction and Palisade council voting) is any indication, that won’t be the case.

Winning too easily will do that to a party.

In Truth and freedom.

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