Sometimes quitting is the best decision someone can make.
Val Nosler Beck launched a campaign for State House District 23, serving Wheat Ridge and the surrounding area, in the 2026 election. Last month, she decided to drop out.
Nosler Beck runs a small business specializing in political campaign management and community engagement consulting. Her resume spans the U.S. Senate and House, work with Gov. John Hickenlooper during his time as Denver’s mayor, and roles within the State’s Department of Revenue, Department of Human Services, Department of Local Affairs, and the Colorado Lottery. Most recently, she served on Wheat Ridge City Council.
As even her youngest daughter, who is in grade school, pointed out, fear—of losing or of not being good enough—was not what drove her mother’s decision.
Her health struggles began during her time on City Council, when she first felt lethargy and pain in her back and stomach. Doctor appointments and emergency room visits didn’t produce answers. She was told it might be a women’s health issue or something related to diet.
By June 2023, the symptoms became debilitating. She couldn’t sit up straight.
Wadsworth. PHOTO COURTESY OF VAL NOSLER BECK
At the height of her illness, she was juggling her children’s unexpected school closure and supporting clients through Denver’s mayoral race. ER staff assumed she’d pulled a muscle. Only after repeated hospital visits and a CT scan did she receive the true diagnosis: stage 3c colorectal cancer.
Nosler Beck underwent treatment at CU Anschutz, including radiation, a year of chemotherapy and managing an ostomy bag. She has been cancer-free since July 2024, but lives now with a disability.
“That gives you a very different perspective on the world,” Nosler Beck said.
She remembers the challenge of rebuilding her business and her life after being declared cancer-free.
Running for State House seemed like a natural way to use both her career background and her recent medical experiences to push for improvements in local schools and Colorado’s healthcare system.
But a recent bout of illness forced a pause. After weeks of feeling unwell, her medical team ran tests to check whether her cancer had returned. Ultimately, they discovered she had contracted Salmonella poisoning. Her weakened post-cancer immune system left her bedridden for days.
She took the advice of her husband and loved ones: look out for yourself first. Remove the stress of a campaign. Focus on healing.
“The only way I can really serve other people and be the person I want to be is if I take care of myself first,” Nosler Beck said.
Nosler Beck sees herself, as many in public service do, as a giver. Stepping back is her way of modeling that people in public life are allowed to prioritize their own wellbeing.
“I think centering myself in my own health journey is the right thing to do right now,” Nosler Beck said. “It’ll probably be one of the best political moves I’ve ever made.”
She doubts this will be the end of her political path. Her love for Wheat Ridge runs deep. For now, caring for herself and her family is where she feels she can serve her community best.
Nosler Beck is part of the Bacher family, early settlers of Wheat Ridge in the 1870s and 1880s. Her daughters are sixth-generation Bachers. Their ancestors’ photographs appear on public art installations on 38th Avenue and in City Hall. The family worked as produce farmers and held early county roles; her great-grandfather helped establish Wheat Ridge’s water and utilities systems.
“I always joke that one of the only reasons I’m a political consultant is because I’m related to half the state of Colorado,” Nosler Beck said.
This Thanksgiving, the extended Bacher family gathered at Nosler Beck’s home to honor her late great-aunt Ramona “Moni” who died at 97 this year and had long been the holiday matriarch.
“Me stepping away from running for office is because I want to prioritize my health, so that I can be the matriarch our family needs,” Nosler Beck said. “I’ve made sure that my family grows up here. That’s how special this place is to me. I want people to feel that love of place like my family does.”
Nosler Beck remains grateful for Wheat Ridge’s support, especially during her cancer treatment. She remembers days when her daughters didn’t know who would be picking them up from school, and how teachers and parents at St. Peter and Paul Catholic STEM School and the former Wilmore-Davis Elementary stepped in.
“They take care of my kids,” Nosler Beck said. “I don’t think they do that because my kids are special. I think it’s just how they are.”
She feels safe letting her children swim at Anderson Pool on summer days and appreciates that kids in Wheat Ridge can “just be kids” and sometimes get a little wild. The Wheat Ridge Piranhas swim team and the Rise Dance Studio have become like second families.
Although she’s stepping away from a public-facing role, service is still important for her. She is repurposing her planned Dec. 20 campaign event into a party and fundraiser for the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and The Action Center. She’s opening her 1963 mid-century-modern home, with decor to match, to welcome the community.
For now, Nosler Beck is focused on her corner of the world. One of her favorite quotes is from designer Charles Eames: “Choose your corner, pick away at it carefully, intensely, and to the best of your ability, and that way you might change the world.”
“That’s how I feel about raising kids,” Nosler Beck said. “That’s how I feel about taking on a big project. That’s how I feel about serving in local government. We could pick that corner over there and make it look a little bit nicer. Then you change the room. You change a building. You change a block. Then you change the city.”
