Weld Said with Mary Metzger | A Greeley Free Press Podcast

In this episode of Weld Said , Mary sits down with David, a lifelong Greeley community member and the founder of Last Light, a new nonprofit focused on supporting unhoused neighbors and people living close to homelessness. This conversation is about homelessness, but it is also about the way people see each other. David talks about what inspired him to start Last Light, including the example of hi...

In this episode of Weld Said , Mary talks with Fabian Rodriguez, an independent candidate for Weld County Sheriff in 2026. The sheriff’s race is one of those local elections that can be easy to overlook until you stop and think about how much the sheriff’s office actually touches. The jail. Public safety. Immigration fears. Technology and surveillance. Mental health. Discretion in policing. The re...

Most people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about county commissioner races — but those decisions shape a lot of what happens in our daily lives. In this episode of Weld Said, Mary sits down with Stacey Graham, an independent candidate hopeful for Weld County Commissioner At-Large. Stacey is working to collect enough petition signatures to get her name on the ballot, giving Weld County voters a...

In advance of the Colorado Democratic and Republican primaries, we are inviting candidates to talk more about who they are and what they believe in. We welcome any candidates who reach out to speak with us. We don’t focus on policy issues, because you can find those elsewhere. We hope you find these conversations insightful into the people behind the issues. This episode of Weld Said was a little...

In advance of the Colorado Democratic and Republican primaries, we are inviting candidates to talk more about who they are and what they believe in. We welcome any candidates who reach out to speak with us. We don’t focus on policy issues, because you can find those elsewhere. We hope you find these conversations insightful into the people behind the issues. On this episode of Weld Said , Mary sit...

On this episode of Weld Said , Mary Metzger sits down with Craig Huddleston, Greeley’s newly appointed Ward 1 city councilmember. Because Huddleston was appointed rather than elected, many residents may still be wondering who he is, what brought him to Greeley, and how he thinks about the community he now represents. This conversation offers a first glimpse into how he intends to represent Ward I....

What makes a community feel like home? In this episode of Weld Said, Mary Metzger talks with Pablo about growing up in Greeley, traveling the world, building businesses, and staying connected to the community that shaped him. Their conversation touches on downtown Greeley, entrepreneurship, books, travel, and the changes that come with a growing city. It's a conversation about the people, places,...

This episode was originally recorded Thursday, May 28th, 2026 This is a longer episode than usual, but if you’re trying to understand what’s happening with the Catalyst/Cascadia project in west Greeley, it may be one of the most important conversations we’ve released. Mary sits down with West Greeley Citizens Oversight Committee member Bob Locke and local artist and community advocate Megan McBrid...

I just love Weld Said —podcast host Mary Metzger’s gently spoken but penetrating questions asked of guests who have generously agreed to the vulnerable position of being publicly interviewed. I feel a little thrill every time a new episode appears in my podcast app. But the one aspect of this show that has vexed me is the perpetual twofold question, asked of each guest: “What do you think working...

This week, Mary sits down with Greeley Mayor Pro-Tem Melissa McDonald for an in-depth discussion about the Cascadia development, the Community Oversight Committee, housing affordability, homelessness, economic growth, and the role working-class voices play in shaping the future of Greeley. Melissa reflects on criticism she and City Council have faced, acknowledges communication challenges surround...

Greeley is staring down the Catalyst Project — with promises of economic growth, better connectivity, and an upgraded quality of life. It’s dressed in ribbon-cutting language: jobs, vibrancy, and revenue capture. Peel back the glitter, and what you get is a plan that mostly lines private pockets, and hands Greeley residents a bill with very few guarantees. The Catalyst Oversight Committee Mayor Da...

There’s something very Greeley about this episode. Mary sits down with Jennifer Mongan, owner of the Academy of Natural Therapy in downtown Greeley, to talk about working class life, chronic pain, caregiving, and the ways our bodies carry stress long before we realize it. The Academy has been teaching massage therapy and holistic wellness for nearly four decades and has recently added an esthetici...

This week on Weld Said , Mary is away handling a family emergency, so Jennifer and Megan step in for a conversation with Greeley City Council Member Deb DeBoutez. Deb shares her path to Greeley, from single motherhood and community organizing to city government and public service, and reflects on what it means to serve a city while staying connected to the everyday realities people face. We talk a...

When people talk about growth in Greeley, they usually mean new buildings, big projects, and development. But there’s another kind of growth happening here too. In this episode of Weld Said , Mary sits down with Mary Fagerberg - one of the founding members of the Greeley Morning Garden Club - and current president Deb Martinez to talk about nearly 70 years of tending gardens, building community, a...

Savior complex masquerading as revolution. I keep circling back to something that feels like a paradox. Many Indigenous leaders and community organizers call for slow, structural, and peaceful change not because they lack urgency, but because they understand the cost of upheaval. Their communities have already survived too much to risk another kind of war, even one dressed up as liberation. And ye...

In this episode of Weld Said , host Mary Metzger sits down with Greeley City Council member Brian Rudy for a wide-ranging conversation about some of the most pressing issues facing the community right now. The discussion explores how many of Greeley’s biggest challenges are interconnected. From the ongoing JBS strike and questions around worker safety, to immigration and ICE concerns, housing and...

In Weld County, thousands of people go to work every day doing jobs most of us never see. Right now, many of them are standing outside instead. Workers at JBS are on strike - calling for safer conditions, fair pay, and basic dignity. But beyond the headlines, this story is about something else, too: how a community shows up. In this episode, we talk with Jen - an organizer, an advocate, and the da...

In this episode of Weld Said, Mary sits down with Jesus Molina Harrow to talk about an experience that never should have happened. During his senior year of high school, Jesus was arrested in Greeley for a warrant that wasn’t his, spending hours in jail with no clear explanation and no support afterward. What follows is a conversation about what that experience does to a person - mentally, sociall...

In Episode 2 of "Weld Said," Mary Metzger sits down with community member Johan Lindig for a thoughtful conversation about surviving a life-threatening illness, caregiving, and how those experiences can reshape the way we show up in our communities. They also discuss civic engagement, the realities of working-class life, and why understanding how local government works matters for everyday people...

Welcome to the very first episode of "Weld Said" with host Mary Metzger! In this episode, Mary sits down with Greeley community member Tiffany Simmons for a thoughtful conversation about local leadership, working-class realities, healing, and the future of our community."Weld Said" features conversations with people across Weld County about the issues, ideas, and stories shaping Colorado’s fastest...