Palizzi Farms Eminent Domain Fight Continues

On June 17, 2024, Taralyn Romero, Robyn Carnes, Natalie Menten, Roger Mangan, and Saundra Larsen joined the show. Discussed the Brighton developer’s use of a metropolitan district to gain eminent domain power over Polizzi Farm, a century-old family operation, and shared her own experience fighting Jefferson County’s land grab Candidate for State Senate District 16 discussed the competitive redistricted seat, constituent concerns about immigration, crime, and housing, and.

Eminent Domain Abuse Threatens Century-Old Family Farm

Start listening at 32:50 – Hour 1

Taralyn Romero exposes a disturbing case of eminent domain abuse in Brighton, Colorado, where a developer created a metropolitan district to gain condemnation power over Polizzi Farm, a family operation dating back to the 1920s. The farm’s owner, Debbie Polizzi, was not consulted before the Brighton City Council granted eminent domain authority in September 2023, and did not learn of it until February 2024 when she received a letter demanding immediate access to her land.

Romero, who fought her own battle against Jefferson County’s attempt to take her property, has become a vocal advocate for property rights. She explains how developers join metropolitan district boards, then leverage those positions to obtain condemnation powers against neighboring landowners. The legal process puts enormous financial and emotional strain on property owners who must fight well-funded government entities.

Standing room only crowds packed the judicial hearing in May, demonstrating widespread public outrage. Romero notes that one Brighton council member publicly stated on Facebook that voices from outside the city do not matter, despite the precedent this case sets for property owners statewide.

“Because when you go through something that horrific, like being sued by the government and not knowing day to day how you’re going to cover the legal fees, if you’re going to end up OK, if you’re going to have something taken from you, and if you’re going to have a life that you don’t know that you can live with, it’s traumatic.”

Taralyn Romero, Property Rights Advocate

RTD Seeks to Eliminate TABOR Refunds Permanently

Start listening at 69:34 – Hour 2

Natalie Menten warns that the Regional Transportation District plans to put a measure on the November ballot asking voters to permanently waive TABOR refunds. RTD’s current partial TABOR exemption expires when certain debt is paid off later this year, which should trigger refunds to taxpayers. Instead, RTD wants to keep collecting the excess revenue indefinitely.

The ballot language claims this would occur “without imposing any new tax or increasing any tax rate,” but Menten argues this is deceptive. If taxpayers are not receiving their refunds, the effective tax rate is higher than it would otherwise be. Individual taxpayers pay over $350 annually in sales tax to RTD, funding a system with chronically low ridership and ongoing safety concerns.

Menten connects this to Governor Polis’s broader agenda: mandatory housing density requirements tied to transit corridors, and efforts to convert the elected RTD board to appointed positions. She advocates for transit vouchers that would let taxpayers choose transportation options that actually fit their needs.

“They want to imply it’s not an increase in a new tax. So I’ll agree that’s not a new tax. It’s increasing the tax rate, though. That’s in contradiction to what their language says because if we’re not getting our refunds back, our rebate, our TABOR rebate, then the effective rate we pay is higher.”

Natalie Menten, Former RTD Board Member

Balanced Government and the State Senate Race

Start listening at 17:47 – Hour 1

Robyn Carnes, Centennial City Councilwoman running for State Senate District 16, makes the case for balanced government in Colorado. The district, redistricted two years ago, now has a plus-two Republican lead with 50 percent unaffiliated voters, 26 percent Republican, and 24 percent Democrat. She emphasizes that Republicans are one seat away from becoming a super minority in the Senate.

On the campaign trail, Carnes reports that immigration tops constituent concerns. She recounts a conversation with Border Patrol agents who confirmed Colorado is a primary destination for migrants. Crime and public safety rank second, with Colorado now the fourth most dangerous state in the nation. Housing prices and homelessness round out the top issues, with inventory shortages preventing both young families and retirees from finding suitable homes.

“If you take red and blue, and in the middle you have purple, which is not squishy. It is sensible. But when you look at the breakdown of the districts, there are so many folks in the middle.”

Robyn Carnes, Centennial City Council

Understanding Rising Insurance Costs

Start listening at 63:34 – Hour 2

Roger Mangan of State Farm Insurance breaks down why car insurance costs continue climbing. Insurance companies function as pass-through mechanisms, he explains, paying out claims to body shops, hospitals, and lawsuit settlements. Multiple factors drive increases: supply chain disruptions, inflation, vehicle thefts, hail damage, and legislative mandates.

Uninsured motorists represent a particularly acute problem. An estimated 20 to 30 percent of Colorado drivers lack insurance coverage. Mangan recommends enhancing uninsured motorist coverage to $250,000 per person and $500,000 per accident to protect against catastrophic injury claims.

“20% of the drivers in Colorado do not have insurance. And that’s a guess number because we don’t really know. The population has expanded significantly, and I’ve heard numbers as high as 30%. So one in five drivers or one in three drivers, they have no insurance.”

Roger Mangan, State Farm Insurance

Education Reform and Parental Rights

Start listening at 104:07 – Hour 2

Saundra Larsen, candidate for State Board of Education in Congressional District 4, brings a homeschool parent’s perspective to education policy. After nine years of homeschooling her children, she decided to run because policies have moved from “teaching to the test” to actively harming students through ideological indoctrination.

Larsen argues that Colorado schools are failing students academically while pushing divisive agendas. Statewide proficiency rates hover around 67 percent, with some schools as low as 5 percent. She proposes eliminating DEI programs and reducing the testing burden that consumes roughly a month of instructional time annually.

“It’s sexual abuse is what it is. They’re sexualizing our kids. They’re abusing them. They’re telling them, oh, if you’re feeling down or depressed… Instead of just getting down to teaching our kids, they’re trying to convince them that they’re a mistake.”

Saundra Larsen, State Board of Education Candidate