The structure of Unify Montrose
Unify Montrose is a partnership between Montrose residents and Unify America, a national, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps communities collaboratively solve problems using the model of public deliberation. Unify America’s long-term mission is to replace political fighting with problem-solving.
Unify America was incorporated in Illinois, where our founder Harry Nathan Gottlieb grew up and lives with his family. Harry has spent most of his time living in Montrose since the start of May.
Unify Montrose is the pilot deliberation pilot of Unify America.
Who’s paying for this project?
There are several Colorado-based foundations that have provided support for Unify Montrose, including the El Pomar Foundation and the Boettcher Foundation. Unify America has also received funding from the Kettering Family Foundation, the Dakota Foundation, and individual donors.
The largest source of funding to date for Unify America, however, comes from Harry and members of his family. He started two successful companies, Jellyvision and Jackbox Games. That allowed him to get Unify America off the ground in 2020, and it is the primary source of funding for this pilot in Montrose.
What’s the connection to the City of Montrose or Montrose County?
In Montrose, neither the City nor the County are providing any funding for Unify Montrose.
Community leaders, about seventy altogether from across the political spectrum, attended focus groups and meetings in February, March, and April 2023 to help the Unify America team understand, from the perspectives of residents, business leaders, and other community leaders, the challenges in Montrose.
Childcare was one of five community issues that rose to the top of the list. The civic spirit of all of those leaders we met, and some strong encouragement for us to do our pilot in Montrose, is what led us here.
After sharing some initial and worthy skepticism, Mayor Bynum (Democrat) and County Commissioner Hansen (Republican) were both open-minded and took the time to fully understand the deliberation we were here to run. They invited us to present to the City Council and County Board. At those meetings, we found that Montrose’s elected leaders were supportive of processes that bring in genuine public involvement in decision-making.
The City and County both gave their assent to cooperate with our deliberation effort, but without committing to the results. The City and County helped us promote the pilot to would-be delegates, invited us to speak to groups about the deliberation, and made introductions to community leaders whom they believed should be involved.
Any politics involved?
Unify America's board of directors, funders, and senior leadership team include no elected leaders, lobbyists, political party leaders, or political pundits. While political figures like former Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams (Republican) and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (Democrat) have been partners on specific projects (like the Colorado Unify Challenge), elected officials, lobbyists, and political party leaders have not and do not influence the direction of the organization.
