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Resident objects to chamber‑affiliated election commission picks; council ratifies two appointees 5-0
Summary
A Fruita resident publicly opposed ratifying two election commission appointees, alleging a conflict of interest and city overspending; council discussed affiliations and, after noting only two applicants were received, approved the appointments 5-0 for two‑year terms starting March 3, 2026.
Paul Schultz, who identified himself as a Fruita resident, used the public comment period to object to agenda item 10a—the ratification of election commission appointments—and to criticize the city's spending.
"You are asking this council to ratify Laura Smith, a chamber ambassador, and Sam Bussard, who sit on the chamber's government affairs committee," Schultz said, alleging that placing people tied to a lobbying group on the election commission is a conflict of interest. He urged the council to reject the appointments and to refrain from placing new taxes on the ballot.
Schultz also alleged cost overruns on the 19 Road project, saying the project exceeded its $6 million budget by roughly $1,043,608 and that permitting and construction favored a private developer—claims he tied to his objection to the appointments. He further asserted the city had violated the federal Clean Water Act in the project; that allegation was presented as his contention and was not disputed or substantiated on the record during the meeting.
Council members asked questions about affiliations; the mayor (chair) said he had reached out to a wide range of potential volunteers and that only two applications were received. A council member moved to appoint "Laura Smith and Sam Bassar to the election commission for a 2 year term, 03/03/2026 through 03/03/2028" (motion as recorded in the meeting transcript), and the council voted to approve the appointment 5-0.
The meeting transcript includes two spellings for the second appointee: Paul Schultz read the name as "Sam Bussard" in public comment, while the recorded motion used the spelling "Sam Bassar." The council record distributed with the agenda packet should be consulted for the official spelling of the appointee's name.
No formal response or investigation into the 19 Road cost and Clean Water Act allegations was recorded at the meeting. The chair said the statutory process for appointing election judges requires timely action; councilors cited a March 23 statutory deadline referenced during discussion.
The council approved the consent agenda and the appointments and continued with the remainder of its business.
