2024 Regular Municipal Election Information

2024 Official Election Results

Below are the official results of the 2024 City of Fruita Municipal Election. Matthew Breman has been elected Mayor of the City of Fruita for a two-year term. In the City Council race, Richard Parrish, Aaron Hancey, and Andrea Stolarczyk have been elected to the Fruita City Council for four-year terms. The change of City Council is scheduled to take place on April 16, 2024, during the regular City Council meeting. The meeting will begin with old business the current City Council considers, followed by the farewell of Mayor Joel Kincaid and City Council member Ken Kreie, whose terms were completed.

Following old business, Mayor Breman and the newly elected Council members Richard Parrish, Aaron Hancey, and Andrea Stolarczyk will take the oath of office to begin their new terms and consider new business on the City Council agenda that night.

The official results for Referred Issue 2A regarding the revenue retention measure for TABOR passed.

City of Fruita
Regular Municipal Election
April 2nd, 2024
Official Results
Fruita Mayor (Vote for One)
	Total
Candidate Names	Number of Votes	Percentage of Votes
Matthew Breman	2123	100%
Total Votes	2123	100%

Fruita City Council (Vote for Three)
Candidate Names	Number of Votes	Percentage of Votes
Frank Graziano	1369	22%
Richard Parrish	1658	26%
Aaron Hancey	1755	28%
Andrea Stolarczyk	1585	25%
Total Votes	6367	100%

REFFERED ISSUE A (Vote for One)
Answer	Number of Votes	Percentage of Votes
Yes	1587	59%
No	1124	41%
Total Votes	2711	100%
Pass/Fail	-	Pass

_____________________________

The City of Fruita regular municipal election will be held on April 2, 2024 and will be conducted by mail ballot and ballots will be sent out to registered voters in mid-March 2024. The ballot will include the election of one Mayor for a two-year term and three City Council members for four-year terms each, and Referred Issue A.

REFERRED ISSUE A

WITHOUT INCREASING EXISTING TAX RATES OR ADDING NEW TAXES OF ANY KIND, SHALL THE CITY OF FRUITA BE AUTHORIZED, FROM JANUARY 1, 2025, THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2030, TO RECEIVE AND EXPEND ALL GRANTS AND TO COLLECT, RETAIN, AND EXPEND ALL REVENUES GENERATED IN EXCESS OF THE REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE LIMITATIONS ESTABLISHED UNDER ARTICLE X, SECTION 20 OF THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION FOR THE PURPOSE OF IMPLEMENTING THE CITY’S CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN INCLUDING THE MAINTENANCE OF CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS?

Learn more about the TABOR Review Committee and the committee's recommendation.

Learn About the 2024 City Council Candidates

On February 28, 2024, the Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce will host a candidate forum open to the public at Fruita Monument High School starting at 6:00 p.m.

Candidate for Mayor: Matthew Breman

Matthew, along with his wife Catherine and their son Marcus, has called Fruita home since 2005. Grounded in the principles of servant leadership, Matthew has been actively engaged in our community. He dedicated 12 years to the Board of United Way of Mesa County, serving as its President for four years. Additionally, he contributed five years to the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce (GJCC), where he held the position of Chairman for one year. Currently, Matthew serves on the boards of GJEP and the Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce.

Since 2020, Matthew has been a valued member of the Fruita City Council, currently holding the position of Mayor Pro-Tem. Born in Pittsburgh, PA, he earned his undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida. Matthew began his career in the entertainment industry at Nickelodeon Studios and later pursued his MBA at Rollins College. His professional journey led him to executive roles at Walt Disney Resort. Since settling in Fruita, he has successfully operated his own company and is a senior-level leader in a publicly traded company.

Candidate for City Council: Frank Graziano

Hello, my name is Frank Graziano and I am running for a position on Fruita City Council. Before moving to Fruita I was on the Steering committee for Thunderbird High School to work with the school district on financing for a new coating on the school’s track and a new basketball court. After visiting my son’s family several times, we fell in love with Fruita. We retired here in August 2017. I have been involved in Youth Sports and enjoy giving back to our community.

I also have a passion for vintage cars. I was approached by Tom in Parks and Recreation to establish a car show to run during the Mike the Headless Chicken festival. We are now going into our 4^th year with monies going to the Fruita P.D. along with the Lower Valley Fire department.

I was asked to help Fruita P.D. put on their Cops and Cars show, raising over $10,000 for Special Olympics.

I have always been interested in local government. I believe involvement is the key to keep Fruita the special place it is. Every friend that comes up to visit us is always depressed to go home. I am sure just about anyone that visits Fruita feels the same way.

While there is a need for every city to continue to stay current, completely changing and going away from what has kept us special, is a NO GO, as far as I believe. If elected, my goal is to always keep Fruita special.

Candidate for City Council: Richard (Rich) Parrish

(970-210-1036)

rfparrish1948@gmail.com

Rich was born and raised in Utah. He graduated from the University of Utah with a B.A. and M.B.A. He married and brought his family to Grand Junction in 1979 to be the branch manager of a regional wholesale distribution company. Shortly after retiring in 2013, he went to work part-time for CASA of Mesa County where currently he is a part-time volunteer coordinator. He and his wife, Val, have eight children (6 graduates of FMHS and one 12-year-old at FMS) and 13 grandchildren. He and his family have lived in Fruita for the past 11 ½ years.

He has served on the following boards of directors: Crime Stoppers of Mesa County (40 yrs.), CACI Educational Foundation, Family Health West, Western Colorado Horticultural Association and Charisma Chorus. He has served in various leadership positions with Boy Scouts of America, on committees with United Way and Mesa County Valley School District 51 and as a lay leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has volunteered with the FMHS Booster Club and at Grand Junction Community Food Bank, tutored at Mesa County Library, company advisor at 6 sessions of Colorado Business Week and served on the Mesa County Citizen Review Panel.

Rich loves to live in Fruita as it is a great place to raise children and enjoy wonderful places to exercise, to work, have fun and worship. He would like the opportunity to serve this community on the city council.

Candidate for City Council: Aaron Hancey

Aaron Hancey, a Colorado native, has been a resident of Fruita since 2014 when he was hired by West Star Aviation to serve as the Financial Controller for the Grand Junction, CO and Chattanooga, TN facilities. He currently resides on a small farm with his wife, Lori, and their four children who currently attend FMS and FMHS. In 2018, Aaron started a consulting practice to support growing businesses as a consulting/fractional Chief Financial Officer. His volunteer activities have included serving as an FWorks on-site coordinator, youth leader for his church, BSA leader for 13 years, and missionary service in Norway for two years. Aaron and his family have loved living in Fruita and have enjoyed its small-town feeling!

Aaron has a passion for supporting small, locally owned businesses, and his ownership of the Fruita Sno Shack, as well as his professional consulting work with several local businesses and organizations, gives him a unique perspective on the future of our community.

From May 2021 to October 2022, Aaron served on the City’s Planning Commission where he successfully fought for the property rights of the existing community and growth of Fruita.

Aaron was appointed in October 2022 by the Mayor and City Council to fill a vacancy on City Council. With this appointment, he has continued to support the community by increasing transparency and engagement, helping to increase housing options with non-single-family developments, increasing parking in the downtown area, minimize regulations, and many other community-centered successes.

Candidate for City Council: Andrea Stolarczyk

Andrea Stolarczyk is a Colorado native and six-year Grand Valley resident. She has gratefully called Fruita home for the past three years alongside Tony, her husband of two decades, and their teenage children, Hudson and Isabel.

She is a seasoned business owner, working mainly as a creative entrepreneur in fine art, graphic design, and visual arts instruction, with notable collaborations including those with Hayden Outdoors, Colorado Landscapes, and Smith Fork Ranch.

From 2021-2023, she taught over 150 art classes at the Fruita Community Center through Fruita Parks and Recreation. She enthusiastically supports local arts and business, serving on the Fruita Arts and Culture Board since 2021 and the Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors since 2022.

The impact of her work extends across the Valley. Andrea was Art Director for The Wellspring Project for two consecutive years and Artist-in-Residence for the Bureau of Land Management and Colorado Canyons Association from 2022-2023, an effort that culminated in a nearly sold-out exhibition of over 250 attendees.

In 2023, Andrea received recognition by the Community Impact Council of Mesa County for her "exceptional philanthropic contributions" and won the inaugural Fruita Fall Festival Art Award that same year. Her commitment to local arts abounds through active engagement in Art Tag Fruita and as a Grand Valley Creative Alliance Open Studio Tour Artist.

She is currently the Creative Director for Our Lady of Perpetual Motion.

Andrea’s greatest strength is her creativity, especially as expressed locally and collaboratively. She loves Fruita with a passion.