The Greeley Tribune: Joe O’Dea is the Real Deal

This article appeared in The Greeley Tribune.

When I was growing up, we would use the phrase that a person was the “real deal.” In my neighborhood that may have been the highest compliment that one could receive. It meant the person was authentic and genuine.

Joe O’Dea, who is running for the US Senate in Colorado, is the “real deal.”

O’Dea is sincere when he says he is running to be “a voice for working Americans.” He can relate to blue collar workers because Joe was one and in his heart he always will be one.

Prior to starting his construction business, Joe was a union carpenter and worked in the trades for a number of years. He understands getting his hands dirty and having them calloused at the end of a long day.

More importantly, he appreciates the challenges that many blue collar workers deal with each day. He faced many of those same trials when he was starting out and working as a construction worker.

When O’Dea indicates that he can appreciate the issues facing public safety and the difficult job that law enforcement confronts each day, he is being honest. O’Dea was raised by a Denver police officer and having a father in law enforcement means that he heard and saw daily what was involved.

More importantly, he recognizes that one of the foremost concerns at this time is public safety. He realizes that it is important that we support those in law enforcement but also ensure that they interact responsibly in that role.

O’Dea understands the difficulties and problems of small business and that’s because he started as one with only he and his wife before growing his business to over 300 employees. As he built his business he experienced firsthand the problems that many small businesspeople do, related to financing, staffing, competing with larger businesses, and complying with a myriad of state and federal regulations.

He appreciates the impact that government has on small business and the difficulties that new regulations and laws may pose for them.

O’Dea comprehends the challenges that working class families are facing in our state. That’s because he grew up in one where he witnessed daily the balancing act that the majority of our state’s households face.

One could see, then, the impact of inflation and the difficult choices that it forced his parents and others to make. Facing similar levels of inflation today, he understands how families must grapple with rising food, gas, and housing costs.

O’Dea appreciates our state’s diverse population. His wife, Celeste’s grandparents immigrated from Mexico and her story is as impressive as his in regard to achieving the American Dream.

As a teenager she cleaned homes, worked in fast-food, and then retail. She was a good student and attended CSU where she received a B.S in Microbiology and worked for 25 years in the medical technology field.

While many speak of diversity in the workforce, O’Dea’s company is a model for others. The majority of O’Dea’s workforce at his company, Concrete Express Inc., are Hispanic and his company has uplifted the lives of many of his employees.

O’Dea is one of those rare candidates who is his own man. While he is a Republican, he holds views that don’t conform with certain party positions. He has indicated that he will listen to both sides and not be one to vote the party line.

Whether Joe O’Dea wins or loses, he will be the same authentic guy that he has always been. It’s in his DNA, as it is with others who are the “real deal.”