Let me start with a whisper you can almost hear across County Road 49. At 5:35 p.m. tonight on 630 KHOW, I am going to say something out loud that you have probably already guessed. Folks have been nudging me in the grocery line and at football games. They lower their voice like we are swapping state secrets, then grin because it is not much of a secret. The worst-kept one in Weld County, if we are being honest. So here it is, with a friendly reminder to keep it under your hat until 5:30 Monday afternoon. I am going to ask you to hire me for one more round – a third and final term as your Weld County Commissioner.
That sentence lands with the weight of the last several years. I grew up here. I raised my family here. I have been blessed with the kind of neighbors who bring casseroles to your porch before you know you need one. Serving this county has been the honor of my career, and if you let me, I would like to finish my career in public service right where it started. At home.
When I first ran in 2018, I talked about a new day for Weld. Not a revolution, just a return to what works. In 2022 we sharpened the point and said we would stay Right For Weld. Not right as in perfect, right as in aligned with the values that actually match how people live. Government should be limited, efficient, and accountable. It should do a few essential things and do them well. Protect public safety. Keep roads and infrastructure dependable. Respect taxpayers and property rights. Defend local control. It should not try to run your life like a meddling landlord.
You hired me. Twice. With my fellow commissioners and an outstanding county team, we have kept Weld on solid fiscal ground while protecting taxpayers. We have invested where it counts so that people and commerce can move, not mutter at orange cones for eternity. We backed law enforcement and first responders so families and businesses can feel safe. And when one size fits all rules from Denver or Washington did not fit Weld County, we said so, firmly and with a smile. Different clowns, same circus, but the same principle every time. Local control matters because local people live with the results.
A lot of governing is not flashy. It is coalitions, board meetings, funding formulas, and the unglamorous work of telling the truth about costs before the bill comes due. Along the way, you asked me to lead, and I did. I chaired the Weld Board of County Commissioners in 2022 and am slated to serve again in 2026. Regionally, I chaired the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Upper Front Range Transportation Planning Region. I rolled up my sleeves with the I-25 and Highway 34 coalitions and helped launch the GoNoCo34 transit effort so our roads and transit planning keep pace with growth.
Inside the county, I have worked shoulder to shoulder with our emergency communications team, health and human services, public health, IT, planning, public works, and the 911 board to keep county government responsive and effective. At the state level, I chair the Works Allocation Committee, serve on the Child Welfare Allocation and Joint Alignment committees, and represent county commissioners on the Colorado Benefits Management System Executive Steering Committee. And yes, I was humbled to be named County Commissioner of the Year by Colorado Counties, Incorporated. It is a nice plaque, but the truth is it belongs to the people of Weld County, who demand results, not headlines.
Why ask for a final term now. Because the job is not finished. Weld County is growing. That is a blessing and a responsibility. We must manage growth so it builds our future without bulldozing our past. We need to protect our agricultural heritage and our energy economy. We are a county that feeds families and helps power the world. Drill, baby, drill is not a chant. It is shorthand for energy security, good jobs, and the ability to fund the basics without turning taxpayers upside down to shake out their pockets. We also need to keep pushing on roads, bridges, and safe communities while partnering with all 32 municipalities. If you have driven I-25 or Highway 34 at rush hour, you know exactly why this matters.
Limited government is not a bumper sticker. It is a guardrail. It keeps county leaders in the right lane so we serve our neighbors rather than ourselves. That means budgets you can read, priorities you can spot without a decoder ring, and a healthy suspicion of programs that grow like weeds and never seem to die. It means taking care of what we own and being transparent about what we cannot afford. It means remembering that every dollar we spend started on someone’s kitchen table.
I can hear the counterpoints already, and they are fair to raise. Some will ask if a conservative approach can really keep up with growth. I would answer that it is the only approach that keeps up without burying us in debt and regret. Some neighbors think counties should act more like mini-states, running more programs with more funding. I respect the heart behind that, but I have seen how that movie ends. Subsidies are not the same thing as solutions, and bureaucracy is not compassion. Our job is to protect space for families, churches, nonprofits, and businesses to work out real-life problems together.
You deserve to know what I intend to do with a final term. Protect a conservative, common sense approach to county government. Keep finances strong, transparent, and boring in the best possible way. Prioritize roads, infrastructure, and public safety because freedom is not worth much if you cannot get to work and your kids cannot play in the park. Partner shoulder to shoulder with our cities and towns so growth is orderly, dynamic, and true to who we are. And keep defending local control so decisions are made as close to you as possible.
Here is the plan for Monday. At 5:35 p.m., I will be on 630 KHOW to talk about all of this and probably crack a smile at the whole worst-kept-secret thing. Until 5:30, let’s pretend we are very stealthy. After that, tell your friends, your neighbors, and the guy behind you at the store. If this vision makes sense to you, I am asking for your support. Your prayers matter to me. Your time and your voice in your neighborhood matter to your neighbors. And if you are able, your financial support helps us keep the message clear and strong. You can learn more, volunteer, or chip in at JamesForWeld.com/victory. Of course, this link won’t work until later on Monday. It’s a secret, dontchaknow.
Thank you for trusting me with this work. Weld County is strong because Weld County families are strong. If you re-hire me for a third and final term, I will give it everything I have, then I will step aside and let new leadership carry the torch. That is how this is supposed to work. Serve with purpose, finish with integrity, and leave things better than you found them.
Monday night, we will finally say the quiet part out loud. It is not much of a secret, but it is a promise. One final term to finish the job and keep Weld County Right For Weld.
