CANDIDATE PROFILES: Ward 1

Three candidates are running to replace the term-limited Oscar Madera for Commerce City Council from Ward 1 during this November’s election. Here is a look at the three contenders:

JOSE GUARDIOLA
Guardiola previously served as an At-Large member of City Council from 2018 to 2022. Currently serving as the Executive Director of College and Career Readiness for Sheridan School District #2, the 45-year-old Guardiola has lived the past 42 years in Commerce City. He received a bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science with a minor in Chicano/a Studies from MSU Denver, and a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration Leadership from Adams State. 

According to his campaign website, Guardiola’s focus will be on “ensuring Ward 1 receives its fair share of city resources and fixing what matters most: safe streets, reducing crime, addressing homelessness, and creating good-paying, local jobs that let families stay close to home.”  

He is also strongly supportive of union jobs, saying: “As someone who grew up in a union family and has dedicated my life to ensuring our families have a path to success, I understand the importance of fighting for union jobs and creating a strong economic base in our community.” Regarding public safety, he says on his website that he “will always make sure our first responders are well resourced while also fighting to make sure we receive our fair share of city resources to ensure all of our safety needs in Ward 1 are addressed.”

According to his responses on the City’s Elections page, Guardiola sees the top three challenges facing Commerce City as being managing the city’s rapid growth, housing affordability/homelessness, and public safety and community trust.

ALEXANDER (JAKE) JACOBSON
Jacobson, who ran unsuccessfully for the Colorado State House of Representatives in 2016 for House District 32, is making his first run for Council. According to the profile on the City Elections website, Jacobson said he is running because “when I first moved here to Commerce City I was very touched by just how friendly everyone was. People went out of their way to welcome me and to offer assistance with my new home. So, recently I have decided to serve them in the City Council.”

Jacobson’s profile states that his top priorities would include a property tax exemption for those over the age of 65 and attracting new businesses and citizens by creating “an atmosphere of welcome to developers of new housing.”  

Another common refrain on Jacobson’s profile was of fiscal responsibility and trimming the city budget: “There are obviously needs which must be met, but deficit spending is never a way to run a relatively small city such as Commerce City. We need to be fiscally responsible to the people. It is their money.”

LUCY MOLINA
Molina is a community activist focused on environmental and social justice. She ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2021 and was appointed to the Adams County School District 14 Board of Education in 2022. According to her profile on the City’s Elections page, her priorities will be investment in public schools and after-school programs, the creation of “safe, sustainable jobs that put people before profit” and  the establishment of a public bank. 

Molina lists the greatest challenges facing the city as: 

1) environmental injustice – saying that “Refineries and oil/gas operations threaten our air, water, and soil. Commerce city proclaimed a Climate Emergency. We must start holding polluters accountable.” 

2) Affordable housing /gentrification – saying that the city needs to hold “We need affordable housing protections and community-based safety solutions. Development without displacement that protects long time residents and welcomes new neighbors”; and 

3) trust in government, saying that “Transparency, accountability, and real community engagement are essential” and that “public banking could also build trust.”

In a statement posted on her Facebook page, Molina stated that “Ward 1 is home to some of the largest polluters in Colorado, and right now dark money and special interests are working to expand fracking and continue harming our health and environment. I believe justice is not charity — it’s a responsibility. I’m running to protect our families, stand up to polluters, and ensure Commerce City grows in a way that is healthy, fair, and sustainable.”