The number of candidates for the April City Council election is set at eight after one prospective candidate did not collect the required number of signatures.
L. Roger Johnson had been listed as an unofficial candidate for the District A seat, but did not deliver the 50 signatures from registered Grand Junction voters required to appear on the ballot.
That leaves eight candidates for four open seats: Rick Taggart and Mark McCallister for District A, Greg Haitz and Dennis Simpson for District D, Abe Herman and Jody Green for District E and Kraig Andrews and Randall Reitz for the At Large seat.
A fourth candidate for Grand Junction City Council has publicly announced his intention to run.
Dr. Greg Haitz opened Rimrock Wellness Center more than a decade ago and said he will focus on helping the economy and community recover after the COVID-19 pandemic.
âIt was hard on families with kids in school, then having them sent home,â Haitz said in a statement. âIt was hard on businesses with changing rules and uncertainty. Businesses need to be open because we all have to be open for business.â
Haitz is running for the open District D seat, which is currently held by Mayor Duke Wortmann. Wortmann is not seeking a second term. Haitz said that while he still has school age children and runs a business, he wanted to serve on the Council to help small businesses during this time of uncertainty.