GLENDO – In advance of town elections on May 7, Glendo town council candidates Kelly Jones and Andrew Weeble visited with community members in a “meet the candidates” gathering last Wednesday.

The candidates are running unopposed for two seats with four-year terms, and the positions come with issues needing to be addressed. Jones and Weeble will have hit the ground running after election time, and residents put them through the paces with questions on their strengths, weaknesses, and positions on hot-topic issues such as public comments at meetings, water and sewer priorities, condemned buildings, town cleanup, overcoming discord within the community, and ideas to work with the greater Glendo area to prepare for growth.

Currently on council, Jones works from Glendo as a journalist working at a national desk for Verifythis.com, a subsidiary of Tegna, which is one of the country’s largest owners of local television stations - including 9News out of Denver. She is also a project supervisor for the Wyoming Intertie transmission project which is going in from Wheatland to Laramie. She is also a self-proclaimed “dog-mom,” taking her dog with her “everywhere.”

Jones moved into town in 2014 and lived at an RV park for four years before moving into her home; she believes progress is made one step at a time.  “A lot of problems are not only from the top down,” She said, explaining the “telephone game” is a good example how issues can get taken out of proportion as disinformation spreads and results in discord. She wants to avoid that with open, transparent meetings. Jones also clarified the decision by the council earlier this year to remove public comments from the agenda of council meetings was not meant to be permanent and is open to bringing it back at some point in the future - in a respectful, organized manner of public comments. “I believe in leading from the top down. There needs to be transparency and respect in the forums as one way to shut down rumors and slow the discord.”

“I want to promote community events and bringing people together as a community – not just the people in the town itself, but the greater Glendo area,” Jones said. “I’m happy to be here, and I work from home, so if you want to see me or say “hi,” feel free.”

Andrew Weeble has lived in Glendo for 14 years, with three kids in school and an older son in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Weeble used to be a contractor and loved it but since transitioned to owning a trucking company. 

“I want to be on the council to be a benefit to the town and the people. My goal is to see the town improve and grow,” Weeble said.

Addressing questions from the audience, Weeble said sometimes there are two or even three sides to issues, and he believes being open and honest with everything that is done on the council is a good start. He also said everyone should be treated the same, with no special treatment for one person or group from another.

“People need to know what is going on – lets be open and honest and get everybody to work together,” Weeble said.

Asked if they would choose water or sewer in a hypothetical where both needed to be addressed, but there was only funding for one, Weeble and Jones agreed council decisions need to be made after looking at the facts and researching options available at the time.

Jones and Weeble agreed there is a lot of research they plan to do to get up to speed on all the issues facing the town, and they are ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work.

They both welcome hearing from town members for feedback on issues that affect the town and believe communication and working with the greater Glendo area will be an important step to heal the community in preparation for population changes in the future.

Residents of the Town of Glendo are urged to vote in the municipal elections, scheduled from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7, at Glendo Town Hall.