Reclaiming Colorado Through Local Action and Strategic Messaging

On September 18, 2025, Kim Monson examined how Coloradans are fighting back against government overreach through local action and strategic communication. Karen Gordey detailed a citizen referendum effort in Lakewood, Wendy Warner exposed Denver’s nearly billion-dollar bond scheme, Greg Lopez revealed his federal cease-and-desist strategy on wolf reintroduction, Pam Long outlined how conservatives can reach unaffiliated voters, and Donna Tompkins rallied support for common-sense school board candidates in Douglas County.

Citizens Challenge Lakewood Zoning Overhaul

Start listening at 05:25 – Hour 1

Karen Gordey, entrepreneur and Lakewood City Council candidate, detailed how the city council split a 398-page zoning overhaul into four separate ordinances to push through high-density housing across the entire city, not just transit corridors. The first ordinance passed August 25th, followed by a marathon session on September 8th that ran until 2:30 AM, where council passed 21 amendments while residents slept.

Gordey explained that citizens are now exercising their constitutional right to petition the government through a referendum process. Two residents have come forward to sponsor what would be Lakewood’s first-ever citizen referendum. The clock started September 15th, giving organizers 45 days to gather 3,517 signatures from Lakewood voters. If successful, city council must either repeal the ordinances or send them to voters in a special election.

“And when they do that, that forces city council to either repeal the ordinance or send it to the voters.”

Karen Gordey, Lakewood City Council Candidate

Denver’s Deceptive Bond Strategy Exposed

Start listening at 19:20 – Hour 1

Wendy Warner, Secretary of the Colorado Union of Taxpayers, pulled back the curtain on Denver’s nearly billion-dollar bond question heading to voters this November. The Vibrant Denver Bond, totaling $950 million, represents a tax increase disguised as maintaining current rates. Warner explained that existing bonds are being paid off, which would naturally decrease property taxes, but the city wants to stuff more debt under the same tax rate.

Warner revealed that city officials did not even know what they wanted to spend the money on when they decided to pursue the bond. They conducted community meetings using the Delphi Technique, where facilitators guide discussions toward predetermined outcomes, then balanced spending across council districts to secure votes. She urged voters throughout Colorado to scrutinize similar bond strategies in their own communities.

“They didn’t know how they were going to do it or what they were going to spend the money on.”

Wendy Warner, Secretary, Colorado Union of Taxpayers

Federal Challenge to Wolf Reintroduction

Start listening at 34:12 – Hour 1

Greg Lopez, former Colorado Congressman and gubernatorial candidate, announced he has sent a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director demanding a 12-month cease and desist on Colorado’s wolf translocations. The Colorado Outfitters Association and Colorado Wool Growers Association partnered with Lopez on this federal-level challenge.

Lopez explained that Colorado Parks and Wildlife is merely an agent of the federal agency responsible for the Endangered Species Act. Of 25 wolves introduced, nine have either died, been shot, or failed to survive, falling below the 70% survival threshold in CPW’s own management plan. Three wolves traveled north to Wyoming seeking their original home in Oregon and were shot as predators. Lopez argued that CPW violated federal law by importing wolves from Canada, something not authorized in federal regulations or the Endangered Species Act. The federal government classifies these wolves as a “non-essential experimental population” because over 3,000 wolves already exist in the northern Rocky Mountains.

“Nowhere in the federal registry, in the 10-J rule, anywhere does it state, not even in the Endangered Species Act, does it allow for anyone to go to a different country and bring endangered species into the United States.”

Greg Lopez, Former Colorado Congressman

Bridging the Gap with Unaffiliated Voters

Start listening at 71:50 – Hour 2

Pam Long, West Point graduate and military director for Children’s Health Defense, offered a strategic framework for Colorado Republicans to reach unaffiliated voters. She noted that unaffiliated voters overwhelmingly vote Democratic, while up to 60% of evangelical Christians are not even registered to vote in Colorado. Current Republican messaging, she argued, narrowly focuses on Christian voters and party insiders, falling apart in the general election.

Long introduced the philosophical distinction between realism, which holds that universal truth and objective morality exist, and nominalism, which claims reality is subjective and changeable through redefinition. She proposed that Republicans frame issues as protecting citizens from theft rather than using religious language that alienates secular voters. Every issue can be messaged this way: theft of income through taxes, theft of energy through climate mandates, theft of security through open borders, theft of parental rights through minor consent laws. This approach, she argued, unites people across religious backgrounds who simply want moral government.

“Your values are nonexistent in the Colorado state government with the current messaging.”

Pam Long, Military Director, Children’s Health Defense

Protecting Common Sense in Douglas County Schools

Start listening at 101:12 – Hour 2

Donna Tompkins rallied listeners to support the Common Sense Slate of school board candidates in Douglas County: Keaton Gamble, Dede Kramer, Matt Smith, and Steve Vail. These candidates stand for academic excellence, parental involvement, and protecting girls in girls’ spaces. The current board has made positive changes, including switching the controversial Healthy Kids Survey from opt-out to opt-in.

Tompkins contrasted these candidates with opponents being pushed by teachers’ unions and a national anti-Trump group called Indivisible. At a recent forum, opposition candidates said they would “listen to the experts” if another COVID-like situation arose, and suggested the answer to school security is “mental health and belonging” rather than physical safety measures. With all four seats needed to maintain the common-sense majority, Tompkins emphasized that some races are decided by as few as 100 votes.

“We now know that there is a national anti-Trump group that is inserting themselves into our local school board races. They’re called Indivisible.”

Donna Tompkins, Douglas County Advocate