Loveland - August 26, 2015
Loveland's City Clerk has received and validated the petitions for eight candidates vying for five potential
seats on Loveland's City Council for the November 3, 2015 municipal election. Because the petition
deadline was Monday at 5:00 PM, this is the final list of candidates whose names will appear on the ballot.
As reported here on August 6, three of the four city wards will be contested seats while Councilman John
Fogle in Ward III will enjoy a leisurely stroll into his second four-year term on Loveland's City Council as
he has no opponent in this year's election. Joining Councilman Fogle in running alone will be incumbent
Loveland Mayor Cecil Gutierrez who is also without an opponent in this November's election.
Ward I
One-term Councilman Chauncey Taylor will not seek re-election this year but is instead moving to Hawaii
after selling his now deceased step-father's beloved Johnson's Corner to a national chain. Best described
by city staff as a "compliant inheritor" Taylor leaves behind no legacy in Loveland politics as he seldom if
ever spoke during council meetings and would vote almost exclusively for the prevailing side of any issue.
A fairly conservative Ward encompassing the subdivisions of Country Club Estates, Emerald Glenn,
Greenbriar and Sunset Acres located north of Loveland High School, the mostly suburban Ward 1 is also
home to Loveland Mayor Cecil Gutierrez who resides in Alford Meadows. Gutierrez lost his first bid for
public office to former Loveland Councilman Daryle Klassen even though Klassen's name failed to appear
on all the ballots in a printing error of the Larimer County Clerk. Later, Gutierrez was successful in
capturing the seat on Loveland's City Council representing Ward I before he ran for mayor.
Longtime political activist and failed State Senate candidate Richard Ball has set his sights lower this time
for a more modest public office hoping to serve as a representative of Ward I on Loveland's City Council.
Councilman John Fogle, largely a centrist who waivers between the partisan bends of the council, is
reported to have personally recruited Ball to run for the Ward I council seat along with Republican
Councilman Troy Krenning. Ball's interest in a seat on Loveland's City Council was first reported by
LovelandPolitics back in October 2013. Like Krenning, Ball is an attorney and longtime antagonist of
Loveland's former municipal Judge Starks. In October 2013 Ball scolded the Loveland City Council for
approving a raise for Judge Starks of 3.5% and kept a good relationship with Krenning in common cause
for judicial reform in Loveland's municipal court.
Richard Ball is the son of the late Judge Conrad Ball who once quipped his family wouldn't vote
Republican after President Lincoln freed his Grandmother's slaves. Hailing originally from Kentucky, the
Ball's have preserved wealth for generations and were among the early owners of Loveland's daily
newspaper.
The other candidate for Ward I is Loveland Planning Commissioner Pat McFall who is a 25 year resident
of Loveland. McFall has been critical of the city's recent real estate dealings like the Sprout's subsidy and
wants to bring the focus of the council back towards the attraction of primary jobs into the city.
Ward II
Central West Loveland is mostly Ward II along with swaths of the older downtown area currently
undergoing city sponsored revitalization projects. Many of the city's wealthier retirees populate this
ward which includes the Mariana Butte Golf Course and gated neighborhoods in the western edge of the
city limits.
Loveland's former Chairman of the city's Planning Commission, Buddy Meyers, is seeking to represent
Ward II along with the daughter of prolific commercial property landlord Cliff Johnson and the late Lola
Johnson who served as President of the Thompson Board of Education. Their daughter, Leah Johnson is
seen by many local pundits as "too liberal" for Loveland but her more conservative father has
successfully captured more moderate endorsements and lawn sign placements using his very wide and
established network in town. LovelandPolitics reported on the Ward II match-up between Johnson and
Meyers in early March as both candidates were already campaigning.
Ward III
Loveland Councilman John Fogle is quickly gaining the reputation of being the "Donald Trump" of
Loveland politics but not for any success in business nor for his hair style. He appears relaxed at council
meetings and willing to take any side of an issue and sometimes both with little to no repercussions his
colleagues feel they would suffer in the press. Counted among Loveland's elite "inheritor" class, Fogle is
the heir to his father's Fogle auto dealership which thrived on south Lincoln Blvd. until he passed on and
his son, John Fogle, sold a majority of Fogle Osmobile-GMC to partners who now operate it as King
Chevrolet Buick GMC in McWhinney's autoplex off I-25 in Loveland's Centerra.
Fogle will be running alone as no other candidate submitted a petition to the city clerk to seek the office
of representative of Ward III on Loveland's City Council in this election cycle.
Ward IV
Ward IV promises to be an interesting contest as motivational speaker and Loveland Chamber of
Commerce activist Don Overcash challenges the only incumbent on Loveland's Council running for
re-election with an opponent, Ralph Trenary. Trenary has gained some attention to Loveland's City
Council for his episodic shouting at colleagues when he gets upset during televised meetings. City staff
have long complained about Trenary's endless "war stories" about his time editing Army manuals for his
national guard unit where he spent his military career in the Colorado National Guard.
A longtime partisan political activist, Trenary gained unwanted attention towards the national guard for
his blog posts in opposition to President Bush serving as the Commander and Chief over Colorado's
National Guard during times of wartime deployment. A lifelong Democrat activist, Trenary refused to
acknowledge he would serve a Republican President causing embarrassment to his guard unit. Hoping to
succeed his longtime friend and mentor Cecil Gutierrez into the Mayor's seat, Trenary is vying for the
endorsement of Gutierrez to be his successor when Gutierrez is expected to run for State House next
year.
Perhaps the worst kept secret in city hall is Gutierrez's private disdain for Trenary. Though political
fellow travellers, Gutierrez has commented through friends and supporters his challenges of managing
"allies" like Trenary is more difficult than dealing with their Republican political adversaries on council. A
recent example was Trenary's unquestioned commentary published in the Loveland-Reporter Herald
pretending that his basement consultancy born after his election to council could sustain him financially.
Trenary has yet to name a single paying client and is instead believed to be surviving on his military
pension and his wife's salary. A more prudent Gutierrez worries that Trenary's episodes of
self-deceptive allusions of grandeur coupled with flashes of uncontrolled anger make him a liability to
even his friends on the city council let alone a credible candidate to succeed Gutierrez.
Loveland's City Clerk has received and validated the petitions for eight candidates vying for five potential
seats on Loveland's City Council for the November 3, 2015 municipal election. Because the petition
deadline was Monday at 5:00 PM, this is the final list of candidates whose names will appear on the ballot.
As reported here on August 6, three of the four city wards will be contested seats while Councilman John
Fogle in Ward III will enjoy a leisurely stroll into his second four-year term on Loveland's City Council as
he has no opponent in this year's election. Joining Councilman Fogle in running alone will be incumbent
Loveland Mayor Cecil Gutierrez who is also without an opponent in this November's election.
Ward I
One-term Councilman Chauncey Taylor will not seek re-election this year but is instead moving to Hawaii
after selling his now deceased step-father's beloved Johnson's Corner to a national chain. Best described
by city staff as a "compliant inheritor" Taylor leaves behind no legacy in Loveland politics as he seldom if
ever spoke during council meetings and would vote almost exclusively for the prevailing side of any issue.
A fairly conservative Ward encompassing the subdivisions of Country Club Estates, Emerald Glenn,
Greenbriar and Sunset Acres located north of Loveland High School, the mostly suburban Ward 1 is also
home to Loveland Mayor Cecil Gutierrez who resides in Alford Meadows. Gutierrez lost his first bid for
public office to former Loveland Councilman Daryle Klassen even though Klassen's name failed to appear
on all the ballots in a printing error of the Larimer County Clerk. Later, Gutierrez was successful in
capturing the seat on Loveland's City Council representing Ward I before he ran for mayor.
Longtime political activist and failed State Senate candidate Richard Ball has set his sights lower this time
for a more modest public office hoping to serve as a representative of Ward I on Loveland's City Council.
Councilman John Fogle, largely a centrist who waivers between the partisan bends of the council, is
reported to have personally recruited Ball to run for the Ward I council seat along with Republican
Councilman Troy Krenning. Ball's interest in a seat on Loveland's City Council was first reported by
LovelandPolitics back in October 2013. Like Krenning, Ball is an attorney and longtime antagonist of
Loveland's former municipal Judge Starks. In October 2013 Ball scolded the Loveland City Council for
approving a raise for Judge Starks of 3.5% and kept a good relationship with Krenning in common cause
for judicial reform in Loveland's municipal court.
Richard Ball is the son of the late Judge Conrad Ball who once quipped his family wouldn't vote
Republican after President Lincoln freed his Grandmother's slaves. Hailing originally from Kentucky, the
Ball's have preserved wealth for generations and were among the early owners of Loveland's daily
newspaper.
The other candidate for Ward I is Loveland Planning Commissioner Pat McFall who is a 25 year resident
of Loveland. McFall has been critical of the city's recent real estate dealings like the Sprout's subsidy and
wants to bring the focus of the council back towards the attraction of primary jobs into the city.
Ward II
Central West Loveland is mostly Ward II along with swaths of the older downtown area currently
undergoing city sponsored revitalization projects. Many of the city's wealthier retirees populate this
ward which includes the Mariana Butte Golf Course and gated neighborhoods in the western edge of the
city limits.
Loveland's former Chairman of the city's Planning Commission, Buddy Meyers, is seeking to represent
Ward II along with the daughter of prolific commercial property landlord Cliff Johnson and the late Lola
Johnson who served as President of the Thompson Board of Education. Their daughter, Leah Johnson is
seen by many local pundits as "too liberal" for Loveland but her more conservative father has
successfully captured more moderate endorsements and lawn sign placements using his very wide and
established network in town. LovelandPolitics reported on the Ward II match-up between Johnson and
Meyers in early March as both candidates were already campaigning.
Ward III
Loveland Councilman John Fogle is quickly gaining the reputation of being the "Donald Trump" of
Loveland politics but not for any success in business nor for his hair style. He appears relaxed at council
meetings and willing to take any side of an issue and sometimes both with little to no repercussions his
colleagues feel they would suffer in the press. Counted among Loveland's elite "inheritor" class, Fogle is
the heir to his father's Fogle auto dealership which thrived on south Lincoln Blvd. until he passed on and
his son, John Fogle, sold a majority of Fogle Osmobile-GMC to partners who now operate it as King
Chevrolet Buick GMC in McWhinney's autoplex off I-25 in Loveland's Centerra.
Fogle will be running alone as no other candidate submitted a petition to the city clerk to seek the office
of representative of Ward III on Loveland's City Council in this election cycle.
Ward IV
Ward IV promises to be an interesting contest as motivational speaker and Loveland Chamber of
Commerce activist Don Overcash challenges the only incumbent on Loveland's Council running for
re-election with an opponent, Ralph Trenary. Trenary has gained some attention to Loveland's City
Council for his episodic shouting at colleagues when he gets upset during televised meetings. City staff
have long complained about Trenary's endless "war stories" about his time editing Army manuals for his
national guard unit where he spent his military career in the Colorado National Guard.
A longtime partisan political activist, Trenary gained unwanted attention towards the national guard for
his blog posts in opposition to President Bush serving as the Commander and Chief over Colorado's
National Guard during times of wartime deployment. A lifelong Democrat activist, Trenary refused to
acknowledge he would serve a Republican President causing embarrassment to his guard unit. Hoping to
succeed his longtime friend and mentor Cecil Gutierrez into the Mayor's seat, Trenary is vying for the
endorsement of Gutierrez to be his successor when Gutierrez is expected to run for State House next
year.
Perhaps the worst kept secret in city hall is Gutierrez's private disdain for Trenary. Though political
fellow travellers, Gutierrez has commented through friends and supporters his challenges of managing
"allies" like Trenary is more difficult than dealing with their Republican political adversaries on council. A
recent example was Trenary's unquestioned commentary published in the Loveland-Reporter Herald
pretending that his basement consultancy born after his election to council could sustain him financially.
Trenary has yet to name a single paying client and is instead believed to be surviving on his military
pension and his wife's salary. A more prudent Gutierrez worries that Trenary's episodes of
self-deceptive allusions of grandeur coupled with flashes of uncontrolled anger make him a liability to
even his friends on the city council let alone a credible candidate to succeed Gutierrez.
| LovelandPolitics.com |
| November 3, 2015 election. Mayor Cecil Gutierrez, 1035 Crabapple Dr, Loveland 970-619-0025 cecil_gutierrez@yahoo.com (no opponent) Ward 1 Pat McFall 1675 Tennessee St, 970-290-0102, mcfallforcouncil@gmail.com Richard Ball, 1801 N. Garfield Ave, 970-980-5693, Richard.ball.law@gmail.com Ward II Buddy Meyers 2429 Cameo Ct, 970-593-9426, Buddy@Meyersforcouncil.com Leah Johnson 703 Grant Ave 970-492-5935 leah@leahforloveland.com Ward III John Fogle 2473 Frances Dr 970-679-7649, jhfogle@frii.com Ward IV Ralph Trenary 4308 N. Harrison 970-213-9224, Trenary4loveland@gmail.com Don Overcash 5119 S. Clearwater Dr, 267-664-4957, dovercash@lpbroadband.net |
| Loveland 2015 Municipal Election Kick-Off |