Weld Said with Mary Metzger | A Greeley Free Press Podcast

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 about parks, housing, public trust, and of course, Cascadia, what the project means for Greeley, how the city got here, the growing financial concerns, and why community oversight matters. We also discuss the idea of a Community Benefit Agreement and what that could look like for future development in Greeley.Throughout the episode, one question keeps coming up: who gets to shape a city, and how do people stay part of that process?Because Greeley’s future works best when the people who live here have a voice in it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit greeleyfreepress.substack.com

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, and showing up for the city in a quieter way.At 99 years old, Mary Fagerberg is still connected to the work she helped begin in 1956. Her efforts are a reminder that some of the most meaningful contributions to a community don’t come quickly, and don’t stop after a season.Together, they share stories of the gardens they care for, the people they’ve impacted, and why growing things (literally) still matters.🌸 Upcoming Events🌿 Plant & Bake Sale📅 May 9, 2026🕗 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM📍 Sanborn Park, GreeleyA longtime community favorite, this annual sale features vegetables, annuals, perennials, and—new this year—native plants to support water-conscious gardening. Proceeds fund local garden projects and community beautification efforts.🌷 Greeley Garden Tour📅 June 20, 2026🕗 8:00 AM – 2:00 PMTour five private gardens across Greeley and see the creativity and care happening in backyards and neighborhoods throughout the city. Tickets are $15 and available online and at select local businesses.🔗 http://greeleygardenclub.com🌿 Did You Know? The work of the Greeley Morning Garden Club can be seen throughout Greeley and Evans, in spaces both visible and quietly tucked into neighborhoods.Some of the gardens they help care for include:* Centennial Library Circle Garden* Pearl Usher’s Memorial Garden at Madison STEAM Academy* Anna Stead Memorial Garden in Evans (Southmore Park)* Linn Grove Cemetery gardens, including the estuary, Soldier Field star, and Mary’s Garden* Guadalupe Community Center vegetable garden, where food is grown for community useThey’ve also supported gardening efforts across the city through grants, tools, and partnerships - helping others start and sustain their own growing spaces.🌱 Why It MattersThere’s a version of Greeley that gets talked about all the time—growth, development, what’s coming next.And then there’s the version that’s already here.The one held together by people who show up without recognition. Who plant, weed, water, and care for spaces most of us pass by without thinking twice.For decades, much of that work has been carried by women like Mary Fagerberg and the members of the Greeley Morning Garden Clubn- quietly shaping the look and feel of this city.They are part of the heart of Greeley.And like many things that matter, their work doesn’t continue on its own.It needs new hands. New energy. A new generation willing to step in, learn it, and carry it forward. If you’re interested in learning more about the club, visit the website and show up for the next meeting or event! 🌱 Photo Gallery from 70th AnniversaryWe didn’t get our episode out in time for the 70th Anniversary Party, but we’re sharing a few photos here from the event. The first photo is Fagerberg from many years ago. Second photo includes our guests Mary and Deb. The rest are a few of the items that were on display at the celebration. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit greeleyfreepress.substack.com

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 yet, there are those who believe the system is too broken to wait. That peaceful means have failed. That urgency justifies force. That they are fighting for the very people who have suffered the most.This is where the dissonance lives for me.Because somewhere in that urgency, I feel a loss of listening. A shift where empathy is replaced by ideology. Where the desire to fix things overrides the need for consent. Where people begin to move ahead without bringing others with them, especially the very people they claim to stand for.That kind of “help” starts to echo the same patterns it’s trying to dismantle.If we are not careful, revolution becomes another form of control. Another version of oppression, just wearing different clothes.I want to do this work. I want to show up, organize, and be part of change. But I also want to be deeply aware of how I show up.Not to dictate. Not to impose. Not to center myself.To listen.To ask.To follow the lead of those most impacted.To sit in discomfort instead of rushing to action that may cause more harm.Because burning everything down might feel powerful, but it can also leave the most vulnerable with even less.Real change, I think, asks more of us than urgency. It asks for humility. Patience. Relationship. Trust.A friend once told me something simple that has stayed with me: bring people along, don’t step over them.And it reshaped how I move in the world.So I come back to what I’ve always told my grandchildren:When you know better, do better.Right now, for me, that means unlearning.It means listening more than speaking.It means doing the work in a way that makes people feel seen and heard.Not in a way that serves me.But in a way that serves them. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit greeleyfreepress.substack.com

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 renters’ rights, policing, homelessness, water, and the future of major developments like the Cascadia/Catalyst project and the proposed data center.Rudy shares his perspective on what it means to be working class, how he approaches his role on City Council, and what he believes community members can do to have their voices heard. At the same time, the conversation acknowledges a broader reality: many residents across Greeley are experiencing these issues differently than how they are often understood at the city level.Rather than aiming for easy answers, this episode focuses on creating space for a candid, community-centered conversation about power, policy, responsibility, and trust and what it means to show up for the place you call home.We hope you enjoy this conversation. You’re welcome to share your feedback as a comment here, on YouTube, or on our social platforms. This episode was recorded on Thursday, April 2nd, 2026 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit greeleyfreepress.substack.com

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 daughter of a longtime plant worker - about what’s happening on the ground. From early morning picket lines to family ties inside the plant, this is a closer look at the people at the center of the strike.Because this isn’t just about work.It’s about what it takes to get by.And what it looks like when people stand together.If you’d like to be a guest on Weld Said, send a message to our editors. Thanks for listening! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit greeleyfreepress.substack.com

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, socially, and emotionally - and the bigger question it raises: what accountability and care should exist when the system gets it wrong? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit greeleyfreepress.substack.com

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 in Weld County.Weld Said features conversations with community members about the issues, ideas, and lived experiences shaping life in Weld County, Colorado.  But I think the more you get comfortable with being uncomfortable Yeah. The better life is. Yeah. Because you, you are not sitting in complacency of life and you, um, miss a lot of the beautiful things that are in the mess of life that, you know, there’s so much joy in the mess, even in these moments where you feel like everything’s falling apart.You see people in a different light. Yeah. And it gives you hope that things can change.Thanks for listening! This post is public so feel free to share it.Interested in being a guest on a future episode? Reach out and join the conversation. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit greeleyfreepress.substack.com

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-growing county.“ Here’s a fun trick when dealing with challenging people, when we can recognize that underneath that tough exterior is actually just a hurt little kid, is someone who has been through life experiences that have brought them to that point.It allows us to have more compassion for them. Um, I don’t know that I have ever met someone that I have sat down and I have talked to that I haven’t felt connected to and haven’t been able to have empathy for…”Tiffany SimmonsShare this Podcast! Interested in being a guest on the show? We’d love to hear from you. Reach out and share your story.#WeldSaid #WeldCounty #Greeley #CommunityVoices #Colorado This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit greeleyfreepress.substack.com