A war of words continues between opponents and supporters of a $1.1 billion city financing plan for an entertainment district on Greeley’s western edge, with the issue committee that seeks to put repeal of the city plan on the November ballot accusing the plan’s supporters of false and misleading statements.
In a news release issued Monday, Greeley Deserves Better, which last week learned it had collected more than enough petition signatures to place the repeal question on the Nov. 4 municipal ballot, said it had served Thomas Donkle, registered agent for the Greeley Forward campaign that supports the city’s action, with a cease-and-desist letter stating that the supporters’ campaign committee has “asserted false and reckless statements about the Greeley Deserves Better initiative almost since the inception of the campaign.”
The ordinance approved May 6 by the City Council authorizes a $1.1 billion financing plan for the entertainment district dubbed “Catalyst” on city-owned land near Weld County Road 17 and U.S. 34 that would include an ice arena, hotel and water park and anchor Windsor-based developer Martin Lind’s proposed Cascadia mixed-use project.
A letter sent Friday from attorney Suzanne Taheri of Denver-based West Group Law + Policy cites an Aug. 11 “paid advertisement” on Facebook posted by Greeley Forward that alleged that “Greeley Deserves Better acted ‘in collusion’ with a Colorado Chapter of ‘With Many Hands.’ You state this without evidence, because there is none.”
With Many Hands, an organization with roots in New Mexico and California, posted several Facebook ads during the petition-gathering campaign and in June advertised for a 20-hour-a-week Greeley “organizer in training” to be paid $10,000 for work between Aug. 1 and Nov. 1 to work for a “Choose Greeley Not Millionaires” campaign. According to the posted job description, the person would “build a core team of 10 members” to hold community meetings and support the repeal campaign.
A portion of a job posting from With Many Hands advertising for a part-time organizer to work in Greeley at a three-month salary of $10,000.Representatives of With Many Hands, a nonprofit corporation that is a spinoff of the 49-year-old Tides Foundation, have not responded to repeated calls and emails from BizWest seeking comment about why they are involved in a Greeley issue.
However, the complaint served on Donkle asserts that Greeley Forward’s advertisements “falsely claim or imply that Greeley Deserves Better has coordination and affiliation with ‘With Many Hands.’ These statements are categorically false. Greeley Deserves Better has never had any coordination, payment arrangement, partnership or affiliation whatsoever with With Many Hands. When With Many Hands approached Greeley Deserves Better seeking payment to collect signatures, we refused any such arrangement.
“Our signature gathering effort was conducted entirely by our dedicated volunteer team of over 50 Greeley residents, supplemented by professional services from a legitimate signature gathering firm we hired as insurance to meet our tight 33-day deadline. We have specifically rejected any coordinated effort with With Many Hands and have no control over their separate activities.
“Your allegations of ‘collusion’ are made without any factual basis and constitute knowing false statements designed to mislead voters about our completely independent grassroots campaign.”
Greeley Deserves Better also accused Greeley Forward of false claims that “petition signers were misled about the scope of the initiative” and that an “unlicensed company” was involved “when no such license is required by city signature gatherers.”
“While it’s expected that some mudslinging occurs during a campaign, the law does not permit patently false statements,” Taheri wrote. “Greeley Forward has repeatedly and with a pattern of knowing misrepresentation attempted to smear the many volunteers and citizens who want their voices heard on this important issue. There’s a reason the campaign submitted the highest number of signatures in Greeley’s municipal history; it’s because there is overwhelming grassroots support from all corners of the city. Greeley residents are no fools; they know a bad deal when they see one.”
Another paid advertisement on With Many Hands’ Facebook page.Taheri wrote that Greeley Forward’s “advertisements falsely allege Greeley Deserves Better is funded by ‘Dark Money,’ ‘outside interests’ and tied to ‘a California group with ties to George Soros.’ These statements are patently false. Greeley Deserves Better is 100% Greeley-driven, co-chaired by Pam Bricker (former Executive Director, Greeley Downtown Development Authority) and Dan Wheeler (local business owner and property manager), with grassroots funding from local business leaders and everyday Greeley citizens. All campaign finance reporting will be filed properly with the City Clerk, demonstrating full transparency.”
In a response emailed to BizWest on Monday afternoon, Donkle wrote that the Greeley Deserves Better “statement is clearly written to soothe the feelings of the donors and outside interest groups who are upset at what we’ve uncovered. We stand by our statements exposing the Dark Money and outside influences who have and continue to fund and shape this effort.
Donkle wrote that “the statement from the Denver law firm is riddled with errors, including use of “completely fabricated quotes.”
Donkle said “the formal complaint submitted into the City of Greeley against With Many Hands shows documented proof of more than $9,500 in illegal Facebook ads and an additional $10,000 to hire a campaign operative — all by a group that is not registered with the City of Greeley, as required by law. The complaint includes screenshots showing coordination of signature collection dates, times and venues.”
Donkle’s statement alleges that the professional petition-gathering firm, The Field Group, is not licensed to do business in Colorado, and that “it’s also interesting that there’s no website or record of The Field Group anywhere.”
Finally, Donkle wrote, Greeley Deserves Better “has yet to disclose the questions used in its Push Poll” that showed overwhelming support for the repeal “or reveal who funded it.”
Greeley Deserves Better submitted petitions containing 8,279 signatures on Aug. 6, and the office of Greeley city clerk Heidi Leatherwood reported last Wednesday that 5,538 of them were valid. Leatherwood’s office had to certify that the petitions contained at least 4,586 valid signatures from registered voters residing in Greeley — “equal to 10% of the total vote cast in the last general election,” according to the city’s code — to either place the issue on the November ballot or force the City Council to repeal the ordinance.
If the council opts to place the question on the ballot, it must do so no later than Sept. 5 to meet county and state deadlines, Leatherwood’s office said. The council’s next regular meeting is Sept. 2.
But before that can happen, her office must deal with a protest filed Aug. 8 by four Greeley residents who challenged the legality of the petitions in a 22-page notice that called the proposed ballot measure “fundamentally unconstitutional,” contending that under state law an administrative decision by an elected body cannot be reversed by voters.
This article was first published by BizWest, an independent news organization, and is published under a license agreement. © 2025 BizWest Media LLC.
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