Latest news with #MichelleGray
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pueblo GOP Chair announces 2026 run for fellow Republican's seat
Pueblo County Republican Party Chair Michelle Gray is the first candidate to file for a 2026 run in Colorado House District 60. The district, currently occupied by fellow Republican Stephanie Luck, includes territory in Pueblo West extending out to Chaffee, Custer, Fremont and Teller counties. Colorado House District 60 residents tend to favor Republican candidates, as evidenced by Luck's three consecutive victories. In 2024, Luck was reelected with nearly 70% of the vote. With a background in teaching math, Gray was a candidate for Pueblo County treasurer in 2022 and has chaired the local Republican Party since 2023. A July 24 campaign news release shared with the Chieftain states that Gray intends to "challenge the status quo" if elected and will help Republicans win additional seats in the majority Democratic state house. "The reason I am running, I have prayed about it, I've talked to my family about it," Gray told the Chieftain. "We were in agreement, and I want to bring the change that we have done in Pueblo to the state. That's why I'm running." Gray said that she is prioritizing solutions to protect agriculture and water rights and ensure access to health care for rural Coloradans — issues that she acknowledged in the press release she has disagreed with Luck on at times. "(Luck) does have a very strong liberty score, but just voting no isn't enough in this seat... We need to protect our agriculture, and we need to protect our water, and we need to make sure that our rural precincts actually have access to health care." The "liberty score" is a Colorado Liberty Republicans measure of a legislature's support of "individual rights, free markets, and limited government." Luck has recorded a 2025 liberty score of 98 — tied with Rep. Ken Degraaf for the highest of any state legislator. In addition to strengthening local agriculture, water rights and access to rural healthcare, Gray said she hopes to work with other Republicans in the Colorado House to amend or rescind "soft-on-crime bills" like those that remove or restrict immunity for police officers. As of July 25, Luck had not filed to run for reelection, according to Colorado Transparency in Contribution Expenditure Reporting (TRACER). Gray's campaign news release noted that Luck had not filed by the release's publishing and stated that Luck may have a future as a state senator — something that Gray says has been speculated — or a Fremont County commissioner. "Regardless, I thank Stephanie for her service. We just have very different approaches to what we see as impact and representation," Gray said in the release. "I'm certain she will do well at whatever she decides to do outside of her current role, but if a Primary election exists, I have to honor those trusted voices from the 5 counties that have come to me to seek my participation in this process... Healthy primaries can and do exist. Let's keep it classy.' The Chieftain reached out to Luck to inquire whether she plans to run for reelection, but she did not respond by the newspaper's deadline. Pueblo City Politics: Pueblo mayor pitches sales tax increase, changes to half-cent criteria for 2025 ballot Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@ Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Why Pueblo GOP Chair Michelle Gray is running for Colorado HD60 Solve the daily Crossword
CBC
11-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
ExxonMobil closing Moncton office, 250 jobs to be lost
ExxonMobil is closing its Moncton call centre, resulting in 250 people losing their jobs by the end of 2026. Employees at the multinational oil company's office on Ocean Limited Way in Moncton were informed Wednesday. According to the provincial government, the jobs at the business support centre will be cut between June this year and December 2026. "There are no plans or opportunities for staff redeployment within the company," states an email from the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, which was obtained by Radio-Canada. A spokesperson for the U.S. oil company confirmed the closure in a brief statement. "We've decided to close our Moncton office as we focus on other global business centers," Michelle Gray, a spokesperson for ExxonMobil, said in an email Thursday. "This decision was not made lightly, and we thank the Moncton workforce for their dedication and service." The company didn't say what led to the decision. CBC News has asked the company for more information. The email from the provincial government says the company is committed to supporting the affected employees and is offering counsellors and benefits. The email also says the province will offer additional assistance through the WorkingNB portal. The job losses are the latest in a series of cuts the company has made to its workforce in the province. In 2013, it announced the closure of its Saint John office, which affected 210 jobs. The company said it was consolidating operations in Moncton. At the time, the company had 1,100 employees in the province.
