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<h2>Bold leadership and vision for change</h2><h3>Born and raised in northwest Missouri and a Lafayette High School graduate, I understand the needs and aspirations of working people in our community.</h3>I was raised in a proudly working-class family, where union wages allowed us to thrive. I have been blessed with so many opportunities. I have learned from great leaders and had the privilege to hold authority and trust, both as an Army officer and as an attorney, representing unions and working people. I feel a duty and obligation to ensure that future generations in St. Joseph can thrive, just like I could.<h4>A career of service - in uniform and out</h4>In Afghanistan, I served as a Squadron Assistant Intelligence Officer, analyzing threats and advising leaders on how to keep Soldiers safe and accomplish the mission. After serving in the Army, I had the privilege of attending law school through the G.I. Bill. I saw first hand the uphill battle working people face compared to professional elites and the way that powerful interests shape law and policy to their advantage. I decided then I had to focus my work and advocacy on protecting and advancing the communities and people that shaped me into who I am today.

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Let's build a St. Joe that works for working people!

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“But I have seen the power of working people, standing up together across divisions of race, gender, sexual orientation, and national origin and that is the power that is going to see us through these dark times."

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<h3>VoteVets Endorses Collin Clibon for City Council </h3>VoteVets elevates the voices of Veterans and military families through Democratic legislative policies and electoral endorsements that impact the lives of active service members, Veterans, and the country.

<h2>First Endorsement: IBEW Local 545</h2>IBEW Local 545 has endorsed Collin for St. Joseph City Council at-large.

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<h3>Fighting for Our Community</h3>These are some of the top priorities our campaign is focused on.

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In spring 2025, the City of St. Joseph administered a survey of resident satisfaction regarding the quality of city services.I believe when residents speak, it’s imperative that elected officials listen.The published results of the survey identified areas of priority. So far during the campaign I have had the opportunity to talk with residents and walk St. Joseph neighborhoods. These conversations have refined my positions on the issues identified in the survey.Throughout this campaign, I will continue addressing concerns identified by community members, concerns found in reports like this, concerns I discuss in face-to-face interactions, and issues brought to my attention on social media.A full length report on the results of the Spring 2025 survey are available at the link below on the City's website.<a href="https://www.stjosephmo.gov/DocumentCenter/View/20651/2025-St-Joseph-Survey-Report-PDF">https://www.stjosephmo.gov/DocumentCenter/View/20651/2025-St-Joseph-Survey-Report-PDF</a>

In spring 2025, the City of St. Joseph administered a survey of resident satisfaction regarding the quality of city services.I believe when residents speak, it’s imperative that elected officials listen.

Spring 2025 St. Joseph Resident Survey

The number two priority identified in the city’s spring 2025 survey was the quality of police services. Only 10% of respondents (excluding those without an opinion on the subject) were “very satisfied” with the quality of local police protection. Similarly, only 8% were “very satisfied” with how quickly police respond to emergencies and just 4% were “very satisfied” with drug and criminal enforcement. Finally, 67% of respondents indicated that they felt unsafe in Downtown St. Joseph after dark. St. Joe’s historic downtown is brimming with potential as a destination with restaurants and unique attractions, but we will never achieve that potential if people do not feel safe there after dark.Recently the Police Department announced that they had hired enough officers to meet their established personnel requirements. This is a good start, but we also need to retain those officers and continue to hire high-quality applicants.To retain and attract more police and other first responders, I believe we should provide those public servants with childcare benefits. This is a huge obstacle for many young working people and I believe we owe it to the men and women who are willing to put their lives on the line for our community. The KCPD has worked with the State of Missouri to establish a pilot program to fund childcare benefits for their officers. I believe we need to work to provide a similar benefit for our officers.Although not directly addressed in the survey, every time I knock doors, I hear from residents concerned about homelessness in our community, and much of their concerns are connected to concerns about public safety. I think the number of homeless people we have downtown is a tragedy and while I believe most do not pose a safety threat and just need help, I understand how their presence makes people feel unsafe. Improving this issue is one way we can address resident dissatisfaction with public safety. Working with social service agencies that shelter homeless people in our community and get them on a path to success is crucial. The more details city leaders have on their operations, the more solutions we can work on together.For example, during the Walk for the Homeless, I learned that homeless people at one facility are only allowed space to store one duffle bag of personal belongings when they go into the shelter. This deters some homeless people from getting help. I tried to put myself in the shoes of someone living on St. Joe’s streets, imagining what I would do to protect myself against the elements. I imagined how many things in my life may have gone wrong to put me in that position and how I may not trust that things would get better after entering a shelter. Disposing of everything I had and everything I used to protect myself before getting into a shelter seems like a pretty big risk for someone who may not be accustomed to things working out for them.Providing storage for clean and serviceable items these folks need could be something that gets a few more people off the streets. There are no silver bullets to solve hard problems, but addressing service agencies’ granular needs can help make things better, one issue at a time.

Local government has no higher duty than protecting the well-being of it's residents. We need to employ resources effectively and creatively to address the issues St. Joseph faces.

Public Safety

Collin wrote the following op-ed, ran in the St. Joseph News-Press, describing the value of a new program to fund college educaiton for first responders and the steps agencies should take to maximize impace.

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Free college tuition for first responders will help everyone

The number one priority identified for improvement in the City's Spring 2025 resident survey was enforcement of city codes and ordinance. Specifically, 68% of respondents (excluding those without an opinion on the subject) were dissatisfied with the city’s efforts enforcing the clean-up of litter, junk, and derelict cars. Similarly, 71% of survey respondents (excluding those without an opinion on the subject) said they were dissatisfied with the image of the city.Walking through many of our city’s neighborhoods has made me better understand why code enforcement is such a priority for our residents. So many homeowners I have spoken to are very proud of their properties and keep their homes and yards in good order.Nevertheless, even one or two properties with multiple inoperable cars, piles of junk, and accumulated trash negatively affect entire neighborhoods. Accumulated trash creates pest problems. Long-term, inoperable cars turn off prospective homebuyers and reduce home values for all residents. Flagrant violations of city codes disincentivize other homeowners from investing time and energy into keeping up their own properties, creating a downward spiral in the conditions throughout a neighborhood.People’s lives are complex though. I believe residents lacking the resources to immediately remedy an issue they may have with car repairs or with disposal of certain property should not be unreasonably targeted for enforcement.Codes enforcement should be applied consistently and fairly. It should be used as a shield for responsible residents to protect the character and value of their neighborhood; it should never be used as a sword in the midst of a conflict or dispute between neighbors or to kick vulnerable residents while they are down. I think we should work with residents who are willing but may need help to get into compliance. I also think repeat and flagrant code violators deserve heavy fines.

Code enforcement should be applied consistently and fairly. It should be used as a shield for responsible residents to protect the character and value of their neighborhood.

Enforcement of City Codes and Ordinances

As an Army Intelligence officer, communicating timely and relevant information to decisionmakers has always been core to my mission. I believe elected officials should similarly keep the ultimate decisionmakers, local citizens, informed about what is going on in their community.Even as a candidate for city office, I must admit that I sometimes struggle to find information about city policies and procedures. I have also talked to residents during the campaign who want to know more about events that are happening in St. Joseph and struggle to know where to look.We live in a world with so many channels of information, it is difficult for any organization, including our city government, to reach people effectively. According to the survey, the most preferred source of information about city news and events was Facebook. Unfortunately, even that source was only identified as the first choice of 40% of respondents.If elected, I plan on maintaining a presence on social media where I can keep residents up to date on developments in city government and in the local community, both in written and straight to camera updates on a regular interval. I will also do “ask me anything” (AMA) type posts and try to apply contemporary and interactive communication strategies across a number of platforms.

As an Army Intelligence officer, communicating timely and relevant information to decisionmakers has always been core to my mission. I believe elected officials should similarly keep the ultimate decisionmakers, local citizens, informed about what is going on in their community.

Effective Public Communications

I’m so thankful to have been asked to speak here today. I am especially honored to speak about organized labor.The trajectory of my own life has been made possible by unions and the power of collective bargaining.My father pulled our family into the middle class through a union apprenticeship and a career as an inside wireman, as a member of IBEW Local 545. During my second summer in law school, another building trades union, the Painters, gave me a chance, gave me my first job after law school, and I’m still advocating for unions and their member’s hard earned pension benefits today.The battle for civil rights through good trouble has long been tied to organized labor.Labor rights are civil rights and civil rights are labor rights. The struggle for dignity has always been one of both fulfilling sacred rights of civic participation and meeting practical economic need.In 1963, the March on Washington’s full title was the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. In the meetings at the White House negotiating the details of the March, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis were joined by Walter Reuther, the president of the United Auto Workers.A. Philip Randolph, who first envisioned a march on Washington in 1941, who was instrumental in organizing the march in 1963, founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Black and white, young and old, labor joined with activists in that time and that place.Later, by then a seasoned statesman, Representative John Lewis, advocated for legislation that would provide similar legal protections in federal court for organizing workers as the protections enshrined in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.But the history of organized labor cannot be fully conveyed without acknowledging where it has fallen short. Like so many gains for working people that came in the first half of the 20th century, for many tradesmen, the right to join a union was too often denied on the basis of a workers’ race.Change and growth and justice has moved ahead, with sometimes uneven, but steady progress. While I was working as a law student, the General President and highest union official at the Painters Union was a man named Ken Rigmaiden, the first black General President of a building trades union in American history. The work to build a more inclusive labor movement continues, much as that work continues in our larger society. Institutions comprised of imperfect people are themselves admittedly, imperfect.But I have seen the power of working people standing up together across divisions of race, gender, sexual orientation, and national origin and that power is what is going to see us through these dark times.During my time with the Painters, I had the privilege of witnessing and assisting in some good trouble, and there is a sign and a chant lifted up at a rally in the midst of a labor dispute involving migrant painters that has stuck with me. As those workers fought against exploitation, against employers who threatened deportation if they did not quietly accept poverty wages, grueling hours, and unsafe working conditions, they made this simple demand –Accept my labor, protect my rights.I think this is a moral imperative and simple request to follow. But how many officials in this administration advocated for and are executing a policy of mass deportation, while living under roofs built by migrant workers?How many in the halls of power who celebrate this administration’s lawless cruelty are celebrating birthdays and anniversaries in rooms painted by immigrants?How many entrusted with authority in government today have themselves entrusted immigrants with the work of caring not only within and around their homes, but with caring for their young children and their aging parents?And today, those same migrant workers get dragged into unmarked vans, torn from the fabrics of their communities with violence reminiscent of the actions of Bull Connor, confined, and shipped off, many for no other crime than trying to make a better life for themselves.But while I breathe, I hope and still believe that our mistaken brothers and sisters who elevated this administration to power can once again hear and obey the command of the Lord, written in Leviticus, “that the foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” There is hope in the Word of the Lord and there is hope in the action of others. On May 16th of this year, a workplace of mostly Hispanic workers, tired of their poor treatment from a painting contractor in Kansas City, voted to unionize by a 2-1 margin in a worker-led organizing campaign. This kind of courage, in this kind of environment, recalls another moment in American history, when brave men and women asserted their rights against injustice, moving out from the 16th Street Baptist Church to face the evils of their time, just as we must face evil in ours. And it is only through bravery, solidarity, and hope that we can face the evil of white nationalism in our time, and echoing the words of John Lewis, I’m confident that we will shatter the hold that white nationalism has on our nation and our community and rebuild in the image of God and Democracy.

Collin spoke at the "John Lewis Good Trouble Lives On Rally", a non-partisan event hosted by EM-PAC and NAACP at St. Francis Baptist Temple. Below are his remarks.

Remarks at John Lewis "Good Trouble Lives On" Rally

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Canvassing

Knocking doors and talking with St. Joe voters.

<img src="https://run.imgix.net/409f784d-1716-43f4-be8b-c36c6312f77d/2d48a073-7e20-4e09-a49c-976364243057/2d48a073-7e20-4e09-a49c-976364243057.png?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C2025%2C1275&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="40" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed">I am honored to announce that I've been endorsed by VoteVets, an organization committed to elevating the voices of veterans and military families through progressive legislative policies and electoral endorsements.My nearly eight years as an active duty officer, in the US Army, and my continued service in the Army Reserve taught me the value of servant leadership, and I look forward to continuing to serve St. Joseph on the city council!Learn more about the VoteVet's mission <a href="https://votevets.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here!</a>

I am honored to announce that I've been endorsed by VoteVets, an organization committed to elevating the voices of veterans and military families through progressive legislative policies and electoral endorsements.

Collin Clibon Endorsed by VoteVets

St. Joseph, MO, October 16, 2025 – Thursday, Collin Clibon received confirmation from the Buchanan County Clerk, Mary Baack-Garvey, and St. Joseph City Clerk, Paula Heyde, that the petition filed to nominate him as a candidate for Councilmember at-large at the Primary Election scheduled for February 3, 2026 was accepted and his name will be placed on the ballot.Collin Clibon, a native of northwest Missouri and a graduate of Lafayette High School served eight years as an active-duty Army Officer before attending Georgetown Law on the G.I. Bill.&nbsp; “The Army taught me the value of being a servant leader, and my experiences have given me the tools to support the people of St. Joseph as we move into the future.”Clibon has been endorsed by the IBEW Local 545 for his candidacy. “The trajectory of my own life has been made possible by organized labor. My father pulled our family into the middle class through a union apprenticeship and a career as an inside wireman…another building trades union, the Painters, gave me a chance, gave me my first job after law school, and I’m still advocating for unions and their member’s hard earned pension benefits today.”&nbsp;Collin Clibon’s main policy issues are affordable housing in the community, with a focus on zoning reform and intelligent land usage, affordable childcare, including providing childcare subsidies for our city’s first responders, transparency and effective communication between the council and the citizens, and advocating for the working class.“I want to give working families the tools they need to succeed. It is time to build a St. Joe that works for working people!”Collin Clibon’s experiences serving in the military, and legal education, coupled with his strong values and dedication to public service make him an ideal candidate for the St. Joseph City Council.&nbsp; He is ready to serve his home, and the people of St. Joseph with transparency and integrity.For more information visit his website at <a href="http://clibon4stjoe.com">clibon4stjoe.com</a> or follow his social media pages by searching for Collin Clibon for St. Joe on Facebook, Instagram and

Thursday October 16, Collin Clibon received confirmation that the petition filed to nominate him as a candidate for Councilmember at-large was accepted and his name will be placed on the ballot.

Collin Clibon confirms petition acceptance for inclusion on February ballot 

Incentivize Infill Housing in St. Joseph’s Core&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In our financial system, homes are both shelter and the most significant investment middle-class Americans make over their lifetime. All people require shelter, but to preserve homeowners’ expectations of financial security, home prices, by definition, must rise.Vacant lots and derelict abandoned homes reduce the values of nearby homes, and our financial system makes purchasing homes in distressed neighborhoods against most people’s interests.New infill housing in existing neighborhoods improves the average condition of homes, stabilizes existing home values, provides opportunities for new residents to have affordable housing. The city also benefits from more revenue while serving new infill homes using existing infrastructure and not increasing costs like new “green field” development does.Zoning that Provides Affordable Options and Preserves Neighborhood Character&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; At it’s best, zoning separates where people live from hazards, odors, and noises that reduce peoples’ quality of life and prevents the kind of urban overcrowding seen in American cities at the beginning of the 20th century. Zoning has also played a role in reducing the availability of affordable housing, among other policy problems.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; St. Joseph needs modern zoning that is not categorically opposed to increasing housing density to address modern problems, namely the lack of affordable housing for low- and middle-income residents.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Each neighborhood is different, but new duplexes (or responsibly converted existing homes), built in a similar style to existing single-family homes should be allowed in most neighborhoods. A four-plex or garden apartments should be allowed in existing neighborhoods with duplexes. Basically, one level of density up from existing housing should be allowed with limited bureaucratic process (allowed “by right”).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We need to provide more housing, and reformed zoning allows government to get out of the way, while preserving the fundamental character of our city’s neighborhoods.

In our financial system, homes are both shelter and the most significant investment middle-class Americans make over their lifetime. All people require shelter, but to preserve homeowners’ expectations of financial security, home prices, by definition, must rise. Breaking out of this trap is a challenge for municipalities like St. Joe all across the country.

Write a short blurb about an issue your campaign is highlighting. Try to keep the text a similar size between the various issue blurbs.

Affordable Housing

For every situation where parents can use help, making it to appointments, enriching and educating their young children, and generally making a household work, there are potential solutions to the childcare problem.Before and after school care, expanded Pre-K, home-based providers, on-site employer provided childcare, a cash benefit, a tax-credit.Every employer and every employee has different situations, situations that can be met with a solution that can work to help make St. Joseph work for working people.Waiting for the federal or state government to solve the problem of providing affordable childcare has not worked. Focusing on local and incremental solutions, we can make progress and make St. Joseph a great place to raise a family.Ensuring that the City of St. Joseph is a model employer regarding childcare benefits is one incremental, local solution I strongly believe in. Providing greater childcare benefits for our first responders is a first step toward that goal.

With a problem as complex as providing affordable childcare, we must start by saying yes to a variety of solutions that can help working people find what works best for their families.