The people of Glenwood Springs have spoken on ballot question “A” and the result is a repudiation of unfettered growth and the secret and illicit plans of the current city council. Almost 80% of the voters said they no longer trust the city government to act in their best interests. The mayor’s response was to downplay the will of the people by belittling the voter percentage.

But the facts are clear: Mayor Real Estate and her council’s scheming and ineptitude have cost the taxpayers a fortune, created lawsuits, divided us and let important aspects of our city languish and deteriorate, all while gleefully welcoming developers of monstrous apartment complexes.

—A hamstrung council, now and in perpetuity, due to the loss of trust resulting in ballot question “A.”

—A disdain for the concepts of open government. One councilperson opined, “This whole transparency thing is going to hurt our community … we’re going to have, potentially, a less effective council… .” Mission accomplished.

—Multiple rounds of exorbitant search firm fees to find a new city manager.

—The incompetent discharge of a city manager, wasting $100,000 in your tax dollars via a separation agreement.

—A Colorado Open Records Act lawsuit for an illegal meeting to fire the city manager. Council could have disclosed the recording, but instead they fought to keep their secrets until a judge determined they were wrong. Nearly $100,000 in tax dollars was spent on legal fees.

—A meaningless and unnecessary resolution on Gaza that did not mention Israeli hostages or Oct. 7 but did divide the community for no reason.

—No action on our homeless problem. Despite throwing tax money at a consultant, the issue persists.

—Unfinished and unfixed streets, while council fiddles, our infrastructure crumbles.

—A new attempt to change zoning laws to cram yet more housing into our neighborhoods.

—Endless construction, more congestion and traffic as council tries to add more and more housing.

—A direction and focus solely for more housing units (for Realtors to buy and sell), disgust for transparency, disdain for the will of the people, illegal meetings and a generally incompetent, inept government.

The next municipal elections are in 2025. One would hope that a landslide election would be a wake-up call for the mayor and her callous council, but that seems unlikely. So, beware of this government, as the only real change will come when there is a new council led by someone who knows what they are doing.