Greeley Voters Deliver a Decisive Message: The People Have Spoken

Ballot Issue 1A Passes with 54.4% of the Vote; Campaign Calls on City Council to Respect the Will of Voters and Chart a New Path Forward

Greeley, Colo. (February 25, 2026)

Last night, by a decisive margin of 54.4% to 45.6%, with nearly all votes counted, Greeley voters passed Ballot Issue 1A, repealing the zoning ordinance that was the linchpin of the Cascadia development deal. With over 20,848 votes counted—an extraordinary turnout for a special election—the people of Greeley have sent an unmistakable message: they demand transparency, fiscal responsibility, and a real voice in decisions that affect their community’s future.

“This is a historic victory for every Greeley family that refused to be steamrolled,” said Brandon Wark, co-chair of Greeley Demands Better. “For nine months, citizens collected signatures—twice—weathered lawsuits, overcame intimidation, and stood firm against a campaign backed by limitless developer money. Last night, the voters proved that democracy still works in Greeley.”

Rhonda Solis, co-chair, added: “This was never about being anti-development. This was about stopping a bad deal that put all the risk on taxpayers and all the profit in the developer’s pocket. The voters understood that, and they acted.”

Lind’s Last-Minute Lawsuit: The Final Act of a Very Long Campaign Against Democracy

In what can only be described as the capstone of a relentless campaign to prevent Greeley voters from having a say, Martin Lind’s companies—Trollco Inc., Vima Partners LLC, and Patriot Energy LLC—filed a lawsuit on the eve of the election seeking to have the vote declared unconstitutional. This lawsuit was filed after more than 13,000 voters had already cast their ballots. It was the final chapter in a pattern of obstruction that included campaign finance complaints, ballot access challenges, procedural maneuvering, signature challenges, and an army of lawyers deployed at every hearing to prevent the democratic process from proceeding.

The lawsuit rests on the claim that PUD zoning decisions are “administrative” rather than “legislative,” and points to a pending Colorado Supreme Court case out of Telluride as potential support. Greeley Demands Better is confident this argument will fail. Colorado courts have consistently recognized for over forty years that zoning and rezoning are legislative acts subject to the initiative and referendum powers of the people. The Colorado Court of Appeals reaffirmed this principle as recently as 2024 in the very Telluride case Lind’s attorneys cite, ruling that PUD rezoning is a legislative matter subject to voter initiative.

Greeley Demands Better intends to defend the will of the voters. “We will not allow this election to be overturned in a courtroom after it was won at the ballot box. The people of Greeley did not endure months of legal warfare and turn out in record numbers for a special election only to have one developer’s lawyers nullify their votes,” said campaign attorney Suzanne Taheri. “Martin Lind has spent the better part of a year using every legal tool available to prevent Greeley voters from having their say, this lawsuit is simply the latest attempt. We are confident that the courts will uphold what Colorado law has established for decades: zoning is a legislative act, and the people have every right to weigh in through the referendum process. We will intervene to make sure the voters’ decision stands.”

A Call to City Council: Don’t Rush—Listen

With the March 3 council meeting approaching, Greeley Demands Better urges City Council not to feel pressured to act hastily. The voters did not speak in a whisper—they spoke clearly and decisively. This is a moment for council to pause, reflect, and listen to the community that elected them. There is no emergency that requires rushed decisions. There is no deadline that justifies bypassing the deliberation this moment demands.

To that end, Greeley Demands Better calls on the City of Greeley to immediately cease all discretionary spending related to the Cascadia and Catalyst projects. The voters have spoken. Continuing to spend taxpayer dollars on a deal the public has rejected—or allowing the developer to pressure accelerated spending to create “facts on the ground”—would be a direct affront to the democratic process. Every dollar spent now deepens the hole and narrows the city’s options. Stop spending. Start listening.

What This Vote Means: A New Beginning, Not an Ending

Greeley Demands Better has said from the very first day of this campaign: passage of 1A does not kill development in Greeley. It creates the opportunity for the city, in genuine consultation with its citizens, to negotiate a deal that actually works—for taxpayers, for families, for businesses, and for the entire community. The prior deal was negotiated behind closed doors, rushed through without adequate public input, and structured so that the developer collected guaranteed millions while taxpayers bore unlimited risk. That deal is over. What comes next can be better.

The city’s own consultant, Hotel & Leisure Advisors, concluded that the project “does not appear financially feasible at this time.” Independent analysis by Newmark Valuation & Advisory confirmed that development costs were dramatically understated, debt service coverage was inadequate, and revenue projections were overly aggressive. The voters understood what the data made clear: this deal, as structured, was a bad bet with other people’s money. Now we have the chance to get it right.

As City Council considers the path forward, we believe they must confront a fundamental question that this campaign has laid bare: does this city council want to continue doing business with this developer at all?

Consider what Greeley has experienced over the past year. A developer who sued the very citizens whose tax dollars he sought to spend. A developer who funded an army of lawyers to prevent voters from having a say—and then filed suit on the eve of the election to try to nullify the result. A developer whose project was brought to Greeley only after Larimer County rejected it because the terms violated the basic parameters of a public-private partnership. A developer who demanded 100% public financing while absorbing zero financial risk himself.

We believe Greeley can do better. Greeley is a growing, vibrant city with enormous potential. We don’t need to settle for a developer who treats our citizens with contempt and our tax dollars as his personal guarantee. If the council opts to proceed with a project at all, they should explore whether another developer—one with higher standards, genuine financial commitment, and a real respect for this community—might be the right choice for Greeley’s future.

Moving Forward Together

This campaign has always been bipartisan, grassroots, and driven by one simple belief: Greeley deserves better. Last night, the voters agreed. We are grateful to the thousands of volunteers, donors, and supporters who made this possible—Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who stood together for fiscal responsibility and democratic accountability.

Now the real work begins. We look forward to engaging constructively with City Council and with our fellow citizens to chart a path that brings responsible, transparent development to Greeley—development that serves the entire community, not just one developer’s bottom line.

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About Greeley Demands Better

Greeley Demands Better is a grassroots citizen initiative that successfully placed Ballot Issue 1A on the February 24, 2026 special election ballot through a bipartisan referendum petition. The campaign is co-chaired by Brandon Wark and Rhonda Solis. For more information, visit greeleydemandsbetter.com.