Dissent in City Council

The debate over medical marijuana in Greeley came to an end for the foreseeable future on Tuesday night. Both sides made compelling arguments, but the City Council voted 6-1 against allowing medical marijuana dispensaries in Greeley.

Richard Present, co-founder of Natures Medicine, believes that medical marijuana could be a huge asset to Greeley.

"We are going to provide a huge amount of taxes for you. We are making things happen in a bad economy," Present said.

Jeri Shepherd, a local attorney and supporter of Sensible Colorado, believes that allowing medical marijuana in Greeley is, "a policy that is cost effective and humane."

Councilman Carrol Martin, who cast the dissenting vote, is against legalizing marijuana outright. With other communities supplying medical marijuana to Greeley citizens, Martin said that the "only option is to control it ourselves" by allowing dispensaries in the city.

On the other side of the argument are a handful of citizens and the rest of City Council. Councilman Ed Phillipsen desires a uniform product for medical marijuana and diverse dispensaries would not be able to provide that.

Councilman Mike Finn noted that many citizens came forward to speak on behalf of medical marijuana but said he would have liked to have heard from a doctor on the subject.

My favorite part of the meeting was when many of the supporters of dispensaries stormed out of the council room. Councilman Phillipsen was speaking, made a comment the supporters did not agree with and caused them to leave.

The City Council was polite and listened to citizen input on the issue for nearly an hour; the supporters left after hearing a few contrasting opinions ten minutes into the Council's discussion. They even made negative remarks during Councilman Martin's speech a few minutes beforehand, and he was the one who supported dispensaries.

The supporters wish to be taken seriously, but how can they be when they do something like this? A handful of supporters were polite, listened to what the council members had to say and I commend them for that. The supporters who left early showed a lack of professionalism and will have trouble getting what they want if they continue to act in such a way.

The City Budget

Why do certain services get cut when it is time to plan the city budget?

When Tim Nash, Greeley finance director, put up the list of how much funding certain services will be receiving next year, I was amazed. A majority of the services are receiving no funding, many are getting reduced funding, and only a few are getting the full amounts they asked for. I know we are in difficult economic times, but it is saddening to sit there and listen to Mary Lou Walton and Jodi Hartmann plead their cases to try and get some funding for their programs. Walton's Envision and Hartmann's Transitional House are projected to receive no city funding during 2010.

I am pleased that the City Council is trying to do something about this lack of support. Mayor Ed Clark is worried about the $6500 that A Woman's Place lost in funding and wants to find ways to get that money back. Council member Charles Archibeque wants to find a way to get the Weld Food Bank more than $0 in funding. Council member Ed Phillipsen understands that there is no way to get every group the amount of money they asked for and wants to disperse the funds so each group can get some support. Hopefully the City Council can find a way to balance a reasonable budget and get these important services the funding they need.