DENVER—Voters concerned about illegal immigration, crime and taxes denied another term for Mayor Tom Selders, who irked opponents when he went to the nation’s capital last spring to discuss the social turmoil caused by immigration raids.
Unofficial results showed 61 percent of voters choosing retired police officer Ed Clark over Selders for mayor Tuesday. Voters also swept out one City Council incumbent; another clung to her seat by 32 votes.
“They were trying to say Greeley is prime for a change, that we need to go in a new direction and we need new leadership,” Clark said Wednesday.
Clark believes voters were influenced by his message to improve the economy, thereby boosting funds to fight crime and improve schools, but also said illegal immigration influenced the vote.
“Absolutely, it played a factor and helped me,” Clark said.
Selders did not return phone messages seeking comment Wednesday.
When Selders spoke on immigration in Washington in May, he said he was merely stating the need for immigration policies that work. Selders bristled at suggestions that he opposed upholding the law.
At the time, his city was still dealing with fallout from an immigration raid in December that rounded up about 260 Swift & Co. meatpacking plant workers. The raid not only halted plant operations for several hours but also left some workers’ families without a wage earner and separated some children from their parents.
Dozens of people at a town meeting said they supported his comments, but others disagreed.
“He didn’t represent me when he went to Washington, and he didn’t represent a lot of people in Greeley,” Clark said. “He gave the perception that Greeley is not a town that enforces its laws. … I don’t want that message out there nationally.”
District Attorney Ken Buck said he had a pleasant working relationship with Selders but didn’t appreciate the visit to Washington.
“We’ve talked about getting more help from the federal government in Greeley to help us deal with illegal immigrants who are committing serious crimes here,” said Buck, who supported Clark’s campaign. “I didn’t appreciate the fact he went to Washington and asked the federal government not to conduct law enforcement operations like they did at Swift.”
A group called the Colorado Alliance for a Secure America sent out mailers before the election accusing Selders of advocating “instant U.S. citizenship” for undocumented workers.
University of Northern Colorado political science professor Steve Mazurana said fear of crime and opposition to tax increases—two tax measures failed Tuesday—also fed voters’ desire for change.
“There’s a concern about attracting new jobs and business to Greeley, where the perception is there’s a danger of crime and gangs. But the worst perception talked about by Realtors and small business is Greeley doesn’t have an educated work force,” said Mazurana, who supported Selders. “For the business community, it was ‘We’ve got to do something about this.’ The ‘do something’ is ‘change some of the people who’ve been elected.'”
Alliance for a Better Greeley had distributed a mailer accusing Selders of not cracking down enough on gangs. Police have said they have identified more than 500 gang members in Greeley.
Voter turnout was 34 percent, roughly the same as in 2003, which was also one year before a presidential election.
