Every year, right about the time the Christmas Eve service wraps up and the last thumbprint cookie mysteriously disappears (don’t look at me!!), I disappear too.
From Christmas Eve until the first Monday in January, I check out. Completely.
I don’t answer emails. I don’t return phone calls. I’m sure it’s maddening if you’re trying to get ahold of me, and yes – I’m sorry. I’ll catch up in that first week of January and get back to full speed, but for those few days, I go off-grid on purpose.
I hang out with my wife and family. I meet friends for coffee or dinner. I plan my annual “this is the year I finally get serious” diet. And I recharge. Not the fake kind of “self-care” you see on Instagram—actual quiet, prayer, reflection, and laughter with the people God’s put closest to me.
That recharging is coming to a halt, and I’m ready. So ready—to step into a fresh 2026.
My Final Election Year
This year is my final election year. I was drawn to public service in the late 1990s as a Johnstown Planning and Zoning Commissioner. That was an appointed gig. I first ran for council in 2002. You graciously said yes. I had election years again for council in 2006, 2010, and 2014. I ran for Mayor in 2016, and you graciously said yes. I ran for County Commissioner in 2018 – you said yes – and in 2022 – you said yes. Thank you.
I ran for the United States House of Representatives in 2024. I never made it to the ballot, but I ran nonetheless. Thank you, God, for keeping me from my own blind ambition. Gabe is so much better at the job. No, I was born to be a County Commissioner.
I have logged 8 “election years” – putting my beautiful wife through that meat grinder. Now – Just. One. More. I’m asking you, humbly, for one more term doing the job I truly believe God intended me to do – serving as a Weld County Commissioner on your behalf.
In 2026, I’ll be chairman of the Weld Board of County Commissioners. It’s mostly a symbolic honor, but it does come with a little extra work and a little extra responsibility. I intend to use that chair, not as a throne, but as a tone-setter.
Here’s the tone I want to set:
- Can we make Weld County government even leaner?
- Can we use technology to make it more efficient and less frustrating for you?
- Can we make it smaller, more affordable, and more effective all at once?
- Can we actually do what Republicans are always talking about and cut taxes –
even in a year when citizens are demanding more,
and even as we begin construction of a new justice center?
I think we can.
I don’t believe in “Republican cosplay” – talking small government while quietly growing it in the back room. Either we mean what we say, or we stop saying it. This year, I want to prove that Weld County can be a model of what conservative, efficient, locally accountable government looks like. We are already. Let’s make it even more so.
More Responsibility, More Communication (and a Smaller Waistline)
In 2026, I want to increase my content and communication efforts with you.
The older I get, the more I have to say. (Age will do that to you. So will watching the news.)
The Scott Sheet is still a hobby – a labor of love, not a government program – so it may take another week off here or there. But even during this break, I’ve been working on systems behind the scenes to make it easier and more efficient for me to communicate with you on a regular basis.
Why the focus on systems?
Because in addition to chairing the board and running for re-election, I have to get back into the gym.
I’ve eaten my feelings more than I’d like to admit this past year. “Stress eater” is a cute way of saying, “I’ve grown to approximately the size of a starter home.” That has to change.
I want to prolong my life, not shorten it. Not just for me, but for my wife, my family, my community, and yes – for the work I still feel called to do.
Health, service, and communication all compete for the same 24 hours. If I’m going to honor God, serve Weld County well, and still show up to the gym without collapsing, I’ve got to be deliberate about how I use my time and how I talk with you.
Time Is Short, and There’s More to Do
Maybe you feel this too:
I’m at a place in life where I feel like I have more to do and more to say than ever – but with every tick of the clock, there’s less time to do it.
I want to relaunch the podcasts.
I want to write more stories.
I want to offer not just commentary, but a push – a nudge toward action and involvement.
Because if all we do is sit around arguing with each other online, nothing changes. The country doesn’t get better. Our community doesn’t get stronger. Our kids don’t inherit anything more solid than what we’ve got right now.
All of that – podcasts, longform posts, community conversations, calls to action – takes time. And time is precious. And it is not guaranteed.
That urgency is sitting heavy on me as we step into 2026.
The 24-Minute Gut Punch
During this break, something cut through the noise and grabbed me by the heart.
People sometimes ask, “Who does the radio guy listen to?” For years now, one of those voices for me has been Glenn Beck. Glenn is a year or two my junior, but I have enormous respect for him. He’s been an inspiration, a kind of north star on how to mix faith, history, humor, and hard truth in the public square.
If I could rewind and do my career over again… well, I can’t. But I can still learn from people God’s using now.
Recently, Glenn gave a speech at a Turning Point USA event that stopped me in my tracks. It moved me to tears.
It’s about 24 minutes long. And I know, I’m the same guy who just said “time is short.” But I also believe some things are worth your time because they change how you use the rest of it.
That speech is one of those things. It’s embedded at the end of this post. Please watch it.
I’m not going to try to summarize it or steal his thunder here. I’ll just say this: if you let his words sink in and you respond – not just emotionally, but with action – it’ll pay dividends in your life, your family, and your community.
Consider it an investment: 24 minutes that might reshape how you spend the next year.
Where We Go From Here
So here’s where I am as we step into this final election year:
- I’m rested and recharged.
- I’m ready to serve as chairman and push for leaner, smarter, more affordable county government.
- I’m committed to communicating with you more – and doing it in a way that respects your time and mine.
- I’m heading back to the gym, because if I’m asking you to stay in the fight, I need to be healthy enough to fight alongside you.
- And I’m deeply aware that time is short, and there is still so much to do.
I love you. I’m grateful we have this connection – whether you read The Scott Sheet, listen to the podcasts, catch me on social media, or just bump into me at the grocery store in Johnstown.
Happy New Year.
Now, carve out 24 quiet minutes, and watch Glenn below.
Then let’s get to work – together – in 2026.
