With local election season rapidly approaching, there seems to be an ever growing list of issues for candidates to face. Although the retirement of current mayor John Gates has received a lot of the spotlight, the individual four wards also deserve attention. Ward II has found itself in an interesting spot for candidates. Up for election is current council member Deb DeBoutez and her competition local blogger Brandon Wark. While the two are running against one another with different political backgrounds, their policies and beliefs showcase they may not be so different after all.
Ward II, which is located south of 16th Street and extends just beyond U.S. 34, encompasses many of the developing housing projects within Greeley. Most recently, there has been an established subsidized apartment complex near the Greeley Mall. In addition, there have been several remodels taking place in the downtown and University of Northern Colorado campus area. These have mostly been related to quality of life, such as the parking remodels just near 16th Street.
Containing many small businesses, the economic opportunity of Ward II seems ample, but not every resident sees this light. Single mom Staci Botkin, who lives in the previously mentioned mall apartments, works two part-time jobs to support herself and her family amongst these economically unstable times.
“The job market is oversaturated,” Botkin said. “It makes it difficult for single parents to find affordable housing that fits their family’s needs.”
This is an issue that both DeBoutez and Wark both tackle in their policies as they run for Ward II. While DeBoutez has already served a term on city council, she hopes to get reelected to continue serving the community she has deep roots in. Following working for the city for 13 years, DeBoutez joined city council and made it her full-time job. Over the years, she fell in love with the people of Greeley and the smaller businesses that make up the community.
As she runs for reelection, DeBoutez plans to rein in city council to get a definitive grip on the upcoming Cascadia project. Alongside this, she hopes to see elements such as the trails, parks, schools and city hall get an overhaul in renovations. Regardless of how the project runs in the future, she wants residents to never lose their sense of community.
“I was one of the people who opposed it [Cascadia], because I don’t believe in the financing, if we’re going to be able to make the revenue to pay off the debt that’s required, very concerned about that,” DeBoutez said. “We want to be very transparent in our philosophies, in our decisions, and set an example to the community how you can have disagreements…and move on together.”
Transparency is a common theme between both candidates, as Brandon Wark cited a similar goal in his campaign. Wark is a third generation Colorado native and currently runs “Free State Colorado," an online blog dedicated to Wark’s journalistic endeavors across the state. Wark is running on the policies of repealing the food tax, lowering property taxes and overall finding ways to help people save money. Wark’s political background consists of working in the Weld County Redistricting Committee, alongside other facets. His work on his blog has led him to talk to people of all walks of life, which has been extended further as he did his door to door visits during this election season.
“That’s what I try and do is try to use a voice, but try and give a voice to people as well,” Wark said. “You can actually get organized, have a voice in your local community, and make an impact.”
Both candidates share a similar focus of smoothing out the economic troubles that Greeley has been thrust into over the past year. With a major budget gap going into the 2026 year, city council has found itself with a large amount of projects to cover. Areas such as Ward II are in an especially crucial point in the matter, as both candidates look to home in on the small business aspect and bring the community back together.
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