| It's becoming quite clear that Michael Badagliacco of Montrose DOGE could care less whether or not the information he spreads is factual. In the latest edition of The Montrose Mirror — where folks can submit op-eds without fear of facts being checked and truth be damned — Badagliacco surmises that the trio of Commissioner Sue Hansen, Ray Langston and myself are responsible for the uprising at Montrose County. It must be true, after all David White witnessed the three of us holding court outside of the county public works building, according to one of his previous ramblings. We did have a conversation, one of us asked Hansen a question and she answered it. What White didn't 'report' — and I use that word loosely when it comes to White — is that I also went up to the dais and asked Mijares and Pond a question. Mijares to his credit engaged, but Pond turned his head. Badagliacco may want to check his sources. Another example in which Badagliacco doesn't seem to care if the information he spreads is true is this gem: At the last Republican Central Committee meeting, Badagliacco reported to the 30 or so people who attended that Montrose County School District Superintendent Carrie Stephenson has passed up $10.7 million because she refuses to follow President Trump's executive order regarding identifying students by two genders, male or female. Never mind that there isn't a school district in the land that's lost federal money because of the EO, Stephenson responded to the so-called 'Keystone cops' organization Montrose DOGE after they published the same information in the Montrose Mirror on April 7. First off, DOGE is too chicken to put their actual names on the claims in the Mirror. Stephenson sent an email to their info@ email address explaining how their claim is inaccurate and requested them to retract or provide actual information to substantiate their claim. What did the mysterious info@ DOGE do? They (I wonder if it bothers them that they identify as they/them) sent her a copy of the school district budget overview. Huh? Did they think her budget was a surprise to her? Did they think she was going to reply "oh yeah, that $10.7 million"? This is what we're dealing with these crackerjack forensic accountants. Here is DOGE's response to Stephenson; "Total federal funding in for the year is just over $10,700,000. If you choose to not recognize only 2 genders according to the EO signed by President Trump, you will forgo federal funding. So, given that information, we believe the information published is correct." Some men suffer from ED. Badagliacco and his band of misguided brothers seem to be suffering from EOD (executive orders disorder). Badagliacco has misinterpreted Trump's EO's before, but he carries on as if he's the local liaison. There's no little blue pill for that, just common sense, which seems to be lacking. They're killing me with their 'we don't need no stinkin' facts attitude. Stephenson has asked again for a retraction, but no response from DOGE mysterio. The more Badagliacco writes or speaks the more he discredits himself. Badagliacco also wants us to believe that it's standard practice when there's an organizational change at the top, whether it's business or government, that cleaning house of management is normal. He says he experienced it himself. Hmmm, my experience is if you've shown talent or value to an organization usually you're retained. Leaders like talent and institutional knowledge. Marti Whitmore has both in spades, but still was asked for her resignation. No reason given other than Mijares and Pond wanting someone different. Frank Rodriguez, Whitmore and Emily Sanchez are gone and they're not coming back. Yet, Badagliacco wants to keep defending Mijares' actions, which have been a major failure to date. In the same issue of the Mirror, Pond wrote a piece called, "They're coming after me because I'm the one in the way." If he means he's in his own way then he's right. He says the ones who are coming to the meetings speaking their minds are part of a progressive conspiracy out to get him. He's not paying attention. And as I wrote in my last column, the Montrose Economic Development Corporation statement should speak volumes, but it's falling on deaf ears. He wants to be a firebrand politician who wants statewide and even national attention, but he's just a face in the crowd. I thought about creating one of those 'marked safe from' social media memes. I'd mark myself safe from a Sean Pond-resolution — but then there was the CORA resolution. According to his piece in the Mirror, Pond's in the position as commissioner to defend your Second Amendment rights. I didn't realize there was someone with the county trying to take it away. He's going to defend the Constitution — again, who's after the Constitution at the county? He also believes parental and property rights are under attack in the county, but offers no examples. Pond also believes that all of his supporters are holding back while the organized folk are getting their people to the meetings. From his piece: "Watch who's showing up to meetings. Look who's booing, shouting, packing the room, and flooding the microphones. At the last meeting, they brought about 80. But they're not the majority. They're just the loudest." The 80 are actually three times as many people as those who put him in office. This social media diva claims there's a majority out there to support him. He's called on them before to come to his defense. Yet they never show, could it be that they don't exist. Who are the 80? Again Pond, those are your constituents, maybe you should hear them. Pond also states that I've never introduced myself to him or shook his hand. I don't need to go to the great Sean Pond. I've been at every meeting, but he can't seem to make eye contact. He claims that's proof that I'm not practicing journalism and that what I write is my personal opinion. Well, that is why these pieces I write land on the opinion page. They are opinions. At least I put my name on my writings, unlike they/them at Montrose DOGE. Dennis Anderson is publisher of the Montrose Daily Press and Delta County Independent. | 
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