Labor Day has always been about more than a long weekend. It’s rooted in the fight by working people for dignity, fairness, and a voice in the economy they helped build.

For me, that history is personal.

My great-grandfather, Gustave “Gus” Sturholm, came to America from Finland as a child, worked as a coal miner in Wyoming, later became general manager of the Workingmen’s Commercial Company, served in the Wyoming Legislature, and sat on the Rock Springs school board.

He was also a Republican.

His story is a reminder that supporting workers, public education, fair rules, and economic opportunity has never belonged to just one party or one ideology.

This Labor Day, I wrote about his life, our family’s immigrant story, and why that history still matters today.

More than 20,000 Douglas County residents followed the law and earned the right to place a specific reform proposal before voters. The commissioners responded by adding prejudicial fiscal language and creating a competing measure that preserves countywide elections. This is bigger than 3-to-5—it is about whether elected officials respect citizen participation or manipulate the process to protect their own power.

Photo by Priya Shahi, Rocky Mountain PBS

Douglas County has grown into one of Colorado’s largest counties, but its governing structure has not kept pace. Learn why expanding the Board of County Commissioners from three to five members would improve representation, accountability, and access for residents across our communities.

Court of appeals finds Douglas County Commissioners likely violated open meetings laws.

When public comment is limited not just by time—but by who is chosen to speak—it raises serious concerns about fairness, transparency, and whether dissenting voices are being filtered out of the process altogether.

Douglas County residents are being asked to accept a massive public investment in the proposed Zebulon Sports Complex but without the transparency and accountability that such a decision demands.

Irene talks to Denver7 about the Crowsnest Annexation.

Coordination and transparency between municipalities is essential as Douglas County grows.

Democracy isn’t supposed to be tidy—but it is supposed to be open.

Douglas County commissioners have eliminated general public comment from meetings and restricted public dialogue across platforms. That’s not transparency. That’s retreat.

Photo of rope and stanchion placed at the most recent Board of County Commissioners meeting held January 13, 2026.