Just a couple of months after Democratic Rep. Rochelle Galindo took office to represent Greeley, Evans and Garden City, the Weld County GOP has launched a recall effort against her.

The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office on Friday confirmed via email they have received information related to a recall petition, and former Weld GOP Chairwoman Stacey Kjeldgaard confirmed her involvement in the effort.

Current Weld GOP Chairman Will Sander said the Weld GOPisn’t organizing or funding the recall effort, and the organization has nottaken a vote on the effort.

Sander said the organization has discussed the recall, and Sander personally doesn’t believe Galindo is representing the county’s best interests.

Weld GOP District Captain Marge Klein will serve as the registered agent for the recall committee, Kjeldgaard said.

Galindo becomes the third Democratic lawmaker to face a recall effort this legislative session, with Sen. Jeff Bridges, D-Greenwood Village, and Rep. Meg Froelich, D-Englewood, also facing a recall effort.

House District 50 saw record turnout in 2018, with Galindowinning 53.37 percent of the vote against Republican Michael Thuener whilegarnering more votes than any District 50 candidate in history.

Galindo didn’t directly address the recall, but offered thefollowing statement in an email from Colorado House Democrats spokesman ConorCahill:

Rochelle Galindo celebrates her House District 50 win this past November at the Cranford Tea House. (Tribune file photo)

“I’m listening to the voices of my constituents and am focused on delivering results for District 50,” Galindo’s statement read, in part. “I was born and raised in Greeley and have lived in various places throughout the district my entire life, and am honored to represent our community.”

Kjeldgaard acknowledges that, saying Galindo was entitled to her seat, but says Galindo’s failure to meet with Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams on the Red Flag gun bill and her absence from a meeting involving Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Weld County Republican senators and representatives is just too much to take.

“More than anything, it is ‘Where is Galindo in all ofthis?'” Kjeldgaard said. “The frustration is that chair is vacant and not beingfilled.”

The fact Galindo is bringing Senate Bill 19-181 – the oil and gas regulations bill – sponsor Colorado Speaker of the House KC Becker to a roundtable discussion in Greeley on Saturday is “the icing on the cake,” Kjeldgaard said.

https://www.greeleytribune.com/news/rep-rochelle-galindo-plans-greeley-roundtable-meeting-about-oil-and-gas-legislation/

“It blows my mind that Galindo would leapfrogrepresentatives in the county to bring somebody in from Boulder County,”Kjeldgaard said.

In an email, Cahill, the Colorado House Democrats spokesman, said Galindo wasn’t invited to the meeting with Polis and she’s still waiting on a return call from Reams after leaving him a voicemail. Reams said via text message neither Galindo nor anyone from her staff has ever called him. Sen. John Cooke, R-Greeley, who attended the meeting with Polis, said he was told by a lobbyist Galindo declined an invitation to the Polis meeting.

A Republican hasn’t won election to House District 50 since2002, and the vote total for the 2018 election (22,783) dwarfs any vote totalin that time. The next closest is the 15,449 votes cast in 2010.

Because the number of signatures required for a recall is 25percent of the total number of votes cast, recall proponents must gather moresignatures than would have been required for any recall effort in thedistrict’s history – 5,696.

Kjeldgaard acknowledged there’s a chance people will see theWeld GOP as sore losers.

“But with everything I’ve outlined, it goes beyond being asore loser,” she said. “She won. But that chair that she won is empty. We justcan’t have that.”

Galindo billed herself in the campaign as a politician representative of the people in the district, and as one dedicated to lifting up working people.

To that end, she has sponsored House Bill 19-1210, which would allow local governments to set minimum wage above the state requirement, as well as HB 19-1118, which gives renters extra time to make good before they can be evicted.

Rochelle Galindo

“I’m a champion for working families and have been fightingto ensure all Coloradans have access to the quality of life our state has tooffer,” Galindo’s statement continued. “I have been working to fulfill thatcommitment through each piece of legislation I have sponsored this session.”

When asked what Galindo has done that has gone against hercampaign promises, Kjeldgaard talked about Galindo’s promise to be accessible.

“But she didn’t meet with (Reams or Polis); that speaks volumes,” Kjeldgaard said.

Galindo promised to be accessible to constituents and has hosted a monthly town hall each of her first two months in office, with another taking place Saturday. It’s a tradition she started while on the Greeley City Council. Other council members have since followed suit. None of her fellow Weld County general assembly members host monthly discussions with constituents.

Editor’s Note: Due to a source error, The Tribune mischaracterized the type of information submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office by March 22 in an earlier version of this story.

– Tyler Silvy is a content manager for The Greeley Tribune. Reach him at tsilvy@greeleytribune.com. Connect with him at Facebook.com/TylerSilvy or @TylerSilvy on Twitter.