Rebekah Stewart for Lakewood City Council Ward 3

Earlier this week I posted about the upcoming school board election, which is shaping up as a choice between loud, strident craziness and quiet, competent leadership.

Well, the Lakewood City Council races are another place to weigh in on the kind of leadership you prefer. Because, yes, there have been some strange city council stories in the news over the last few years involving boyfriends with knives and candidates sharing "news" written by fictional characters. There have also been stories circulating on Facebook that describe potential conflicts of interest among council members. It's all so weird that I really don't know what to make of it.

What I do know is that folks who live in Ward 3 and want quiet, competent leadership have an outstanding candidate for city council in Rebekah Stewart. 

Rebekah is active member of both the South Lakewood Business Association and Alameda Connects, and has been endorsed by Congressman Ed Perlmutter, State Senator Brittany Pettersen, Jeffco Commissioner Andy Kerr, the Sierra Club and the West Metro Fire Fighters Local 1309. 

Want to learn more about Rebekah and her qualifications? Check out her web page here.

This Year's Jeffco School Board Elections: Make Sure You Vote

School board elections are weird. They happen only in off years, they're low profile, and are officially non-partisan. That means there's no (D) or (R) next to any of the names.

While this might sound wonderfully bipartisan and nonpolitical, the truth is the candidates are most indeed Rs or Ds. The problem is that your typical voter (someone, perhaps, like you!) ends up having no idea who to vote for without going out and doing a ton of research. And even then, candidate websites are remarkable vague, choosing to focus on bland platitudes. As a result, many voters simply don't mark a candidate for school board on their ballots. 

In some recent Jeffco School Board elections, only about a quarter of eligible voters have cast their vote for a school board candidate. Unfortunately, this allows ideologically extreme candidates to slip into office, because their supporters most definitely know who to vote for and what positions they're getting from their vote. We saw this in 2015, when a group of right-wing, Trump-like ideologues took control of Jeffco, to ruinous effect.

This year the pandemic has exacerbated the situation, and anti-mask, anti-science, anti-public education candidates are running for the Jeffco school board. Folks, it's scary. 

Fortunately, a slate of quietly competent, pro-public education candidates are also running. Meet Paula Reed, Danielle Varda, and Mary Parker.

Rather than bomb-throwing and making ideological stands for clicks, these three women are interested in fixing problems and moving Jeffco forward. Their slogan ("Let's work together to build bright futures for Jeffco kids") might sound a little cheesy, but they mean it. So make sure you vote this November. There's a lot riding on it. Again.

Lorena Garcia, US Senate Candidate, Meets with Lakewood Residents at Belmar's Block 7

Belmar's Block 7 Galleries have long hosted meet and greets by aspiring local politicians. The latest to turn out was progressive candidate Lorena Garcia, who came last Thursday night to the Valkarie to meet with Lakewood residents and listen to their concerns.  Garcia is running for the Democratic party nomination and hopes to face off against Cory Gardner in the fall of 2020. The thirty-six year old is a first-time candidate, but has a long history as a community organizer and advocate for social justice. Denverite describes her political views have as being in line with those of New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, while Westword notes she's running on a platform of economic equality and access to education and healthcare. If you want to learn more, there's lots about Garcia's policy preferences on her website.

It's a long road to the Democratic senate nomination, and although there are only a handful of declared candidates at this point, Garcia will likely have to face off against a long list of both establishment and outsider competitors before all is said and done. Time will tell if this newcomer's campaign catches fire, but Garcia is hard at work at the face-to-face, retail politics that a candidate needs in order to win. 

Ballot Measure 2D Passes!

Ballot measure 2D passed in Tuesday's election by a healthy 61%. It will temporarily lift TABOR restrictions on revenue raised this year by the city in excess of the amendment's complicated rules. The ballot measure was supported by all of the Lakewood city council with the exception of hard-line conservatives Ramey Johnson, Pete Roybal and Mike Bieta.   f

Yes on 2D: Parks, Police & Streets

The best way to move downtown Lakewood forward right now is to vote yes on 2D.

The measure would allow the city of Lakewood to keep $12.5 million dollars in already collected tax revenue. Of that amount, $8.5 million would go to parks, playgrounds and open space. $2 million would go to traffic signals, turn lanes and sidewalks, and an additional $2 million would go to improving police services. 

Without this measure, the city would be forced to refund this money as a result of the TABOR amendment's byzantine rules, which make it impossible for tax revenues to keep up with the demands of a booming economy. 

Importantly, 2D wouldn't be a tax increase. In fact, tax rates would stay the same. The only difference is that the city would be able to keep all of the money currently being collected at those rates. That money could make a big difference, however, in a city with lots of popular projects but not enough money to fund them.

Really, 2D should be an easy yes. Let's keep Lakewood moving forward!

Voters This Fall Can Fix Colorado's School Funding Problems

Voters at both the state and local level have the chance to fix many of Colorado's school funding issues this fall. Here in Jeffco, a bond and mill levy override will be on the ballot at measures 5A and 5B, while Amendment 73 would fix inequities in funding at the state level.

Our Jeffco public schools are shockingly underfunded compared to other school districts in the metro area, with Jeffco receiving $900 less per pupil compared to Denver, Cherry Creek, Littleton and Boulder. This gap plays out in lots of ways in the classroom, but one of the biggest is in terms of teacher quality. Mid-career educators can leave Jeffco and make $10-12K more in other districts. This is a serious issue when you stop to consider that research shows teacher effectiveness rises as teachers gain experience in the classroom. Jeffco has become a training ground for new teachers, who then move on just as they've mastered the basics. It's the old adage, "you get what you pay for," and we're not paying much.

On top of that, Jeffco's physical infrastructure has suffered from decades of deferred maintenance caused by voter unwillingness to fund repairs. The average age of a Jeffco classroom is 50 years, and stories abound of leaking roofs, rodent infestations, and elevated lead levels in school plumbing.

Jeffco's schools are so underfunded that 5A and 5B would only serve to bring Jeffco closer to the level of underfunding experienced by other school districts. The truth is that Colorado's public schools are seriously underfunded compared to schools in other states.

Colorado spends $9,575 per year per pupil. In comparison, California spends $11,495, Minnesota spends $12,382, North Dakota spends $13,373 and Wyoming (Wyoming!!) $16,442.

On the other hand, Mississippi spends just $8,702 per year per student, so at least we're (barely) beating them in terms of investing in our children. Hmm.

Amendment 73 would bring in additional money by taxing personal income over $150,000-- something that would affect few people in downtown Lakewood, where average family incomes hover at right around $48,000 per year. Even for those families who make over $150K, the tax would be minor-- just $81 a year on average for anyone making between $150-$200K a year. Really, it's peanuts compared to the benefits we'd get as a community.

Corporate tax rates and the property rate on non-residential property would also go up slightly. Meanwhile, the tax rate on residential property would actually go down slightly.

I think it's important to point out that Amendment 73 would really only impact the super-wealthy, and that anything to the contrary is part of a scare campaign aimed at seniors and others on fixed or limited incomes. The truth is that very few people would be hit with any additional taxes while our schools and communities would see big benefits.

How Downtown Lakewood Voted in the 2016 Presidential Election

The New York Times has put together a fascinating map of the 2016 presidential election. This extremely detailed map allows anyone to drill down to the precinct level to see how their neighborhood voted.

As it turns out, downtown Lakewood was Clinton territory, and by a large margin.

Downtown Lakewood can be divided into four quadrants, using the intersection of Alameda and Wadsworth as the x and y axis. So there's a northeast quadrant (O'Kane Park), northwest quadrant (South Lakewood/Meadowlark), southeast quadrant (Belmar) and southwest quadrant (Belmar Park).

Belmar (the southeast quadrant) voted the most heavily for Clinton, with Hilary receiving 61% of the vote to Donald Trump's 27%. O'Kane Park (northeast) voted for Clinton 58% to 33%. South Lakewood/Meadowlark went for Clinton 57% to 35%, and Belmar Park voted for Clinton 56% to 35%.

The only area of downtown Lakewood that was evenly divided was a precinct surrounding Colorado Christian University. This small precinct sits in the northwest quadrant but is separate from the rest of the South Lakewood area. It voted for Clinton by only 45% to Trump's 44%.

In an a blog post from 2015, I described downtown Lakewood as a Democratic bastion within a more evenly divided city. This data from the New York Times confirms this and paints and even stronger picture of downtown Lakewood as a place where your neighbors are likely to be either Democrats or unaffiliated voters who vote Democratic in elections.

Michael Gifford Has a Forward-Thinking Vision for Lakewood

To most voters, off year elections feel like sleepy affairs. Candidate signs spring up, but quietly, unsupported by the TV and radio ads that battle for mindshare during even years. Ballots go unreturned because it takes time to research the candidates. It's even possible to pretend that off year elections are less partisan, less important. That it really doesn't matter who gets elected.

If this was ever true, it isn't anymore. The outcome of this year's city council election will determine the future of Lakewood, and there are candidates with starkly opposing views.

In Ward 3, which includes Belmar and much of downtown Lakewood, the race to replace outgoing council member Shakti is a perfect example. 

Michael Gifford is the candidate with the most forward thinking vision. He talks about environmental stewardship, jobs and career program for young people, and smart growth-- taking the growth that is coming to Lakewood and channeling it into well-designed spaces (like Belmar) while preserving the feel of existing neighborhoods. 

Gifford is opposed by Michael Bieda, who sits firmly in the Lakewood-should-be-preserved-in-amber camp. Bieta equates the development of high density urban areas like Belmar with increased crime, traffic, and "longer waits at the super market."

To me, the idea that smart design like Belmar is somehow responsible for all that ails Lakewood is ludicrous. If Bieda has his way, the blight along Colfax will sit crumbling forever, awaiting the magical return of 1950's car culture retail. Businesses and development that could revitalize Lakewood's aging inner core will go elsewhere. Traffic will increase as residents drive elsewhere to work and play.

Gifford's vision is clearly the superior one, but there have also been questions about Bieda's temperament-- ColoradoPols has the details, but the gist is that Bieda was formerly a District Judge who was voted out of office after receiving a "Do Not Retain" recommendation from the Office of Judicial Performance.  

So yes, I understand that off year elections are sleepy. But the best way to keep them that way is to elect quality candidates like Michael Gifford-- candidates with proven track records and a vision for the future. 

Keep Colorado Local

I travel a fair bit, and have always noticed how in most other states, liquor sales are dominated by the big grocery chains. Selection is limited, and prices aren't any better than in Colorado.

Belmar's Mile High Wine & Spirits personifies the local character of Colorado's beer and wine sellers: lots of variety, local craft products, knowledgeable staff.

Ballot measures this fall will likely ask voters to upend our current system and allow out of state grocery chains to sell beer, spirits, and full strength beer. While this would make it possible to buy wine and hard liquor at the same time as your groceries, any added convenience would be more than wiped out by the lowest common denominator selection that I've seen in other states.

The big grocery store chains have deep pockets and a lot of incentive to undercut our local independent liquor stores and drive them out of business. And I think there's a legitimate concern that Colorado's amazing craft beer and spirits ecosystem could dry up without outlets like Mile High that are willing to carry their products.

Fortunately, Colorado's small liquor stores are fighting back at Keep Colorado Local.

Huge Turnout for Democratic Caucuses in Downtown Lakewood

The Democratic caucuses brought out huge crowds in downtown Lakewood last night for the contest between candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. Organizers said that, although they were expecting large crowds, actual turnout was four times what had been predicted. Parking was non existent, and long lines formed as people waited to get in.

Owing to the crowds, the process took over three hours. Caucus-goers gathered in the gymnasium at Alameda Junior/Senior High School. Speeches were kept to a minimum, and runners guided voters to the individual classrooms where their precincts organized.

Official results haven't been posted, but my impression from asking around was that Bernie Sanders won roughly two thirds of the delegates in most precincts, with Hillary Clinton picking up the remainder.

Gary Harty for Lakewood City Council

Downtown Lakewood spans three different city council wards-- wards 1, 2, and 3.

If you live south of Alameda, you're in ward 3, where incumbent Pete Roybal faces a welcome challenge this year from Gary Harty. In office, Roybal has proven himself to be unreliable as an advocate for urban redevelopment and has allied himself with the head-in-the-sand policies of Ramey Johnson. Like Johnson, Roybal seems to think that by nixing high quality, carefully planned developments like Belmar, growth in Lakewood can somehow be stopped.

The reality is that growth is going to happen, and that the city of Lakewood should be working to manage this growth in ways that add to urbanized areas like downtown Lakewood and keep it out of suburban areas where it would be inappropriate.

Gary Harty understands the importance of promoting smart growth. He favors the city's sustainability plan and has been a long time advocate of alternate transportation and cycling. All this makes Harty the clear choice for anyone who loves la vida Belmar.

A Clean Slate for Jeffco Schools

Although Jefferson County is divided into five school board districts, board members are elected at large. This means that voters-- regardless of where they reside within the county-- have the ability to cast their ballots for a candidate in every district.

This means that in the coming 2015 November election, voters who live in downtown Lakewood will have the ability to vote for all five school board seats.

That is to say, voters in downtown Lakewood will have the chance to cast their votes for a return to the open and nonpartisan cooperation that has marked Jeffco's school boards in the past, and against the waste, disrespect, and lack of transparency of the current board.

Which candidates are in favor of a clean slate for Jeffco? They are:

• Ali Lasell
• Amanda Stevens
• Brad Rupert
• Susan Harmon
• Ron Mitchell

This is, without a doubt, the most impressive slate of school board candidates Jeffco has seen in years, if not decades. And that's fitting, given how high the stakes are.

But don't take my word for it. Visit their websites. Go and meet them at a candidate forum. Then vote to recall the current board and give our schools the leadership they need.

Get the Facts on the Jefferson County School Board Recall

Why are parents and community members in Jeffco seeking to recall three school board members?

The bloggers at Jefferson County School Board Watch have put together a Recall 101 for the Jeffco community.

It's well worth the read: http://jeffcoschoolboardwatch.org/?page_id=3508

Continued Development of Downtown Lakewood at Risk in this Fall's Mayoral Election

I confess to being a little worried about the low profile of this fall's mayoral election here in Lakewood. The race for mayor doesn't have the glamor or the emotions of a presidential election, but in many ways the choice of mayor has far more direct impact on our lives.

Mayor Bob Murphy has guided our city brilliantly through a period of urban renewal and focused city government on issues like sustainability, job creation, and affordable housing. Belmar and downtown Lakewood wouldn't exist without his leadership.

Murphy, however, will not be on this fall's ballot. Instead, we have a stark choice.

Local businessman Adam Paul has pledged to keep Lakewood going forward in roughly the direction laid out by Mayor Murphy. He listens, he works to solve problems, and he favors smart growth like Belmar.

His opponent, Ramey Johnson, represents a real threat Belmar and the idea of downtown Lakewood. She has promised to focus on maintaining Lakewood's "rural character," is suspicious of urban renewal efforts like those in Belmar, is hostile to public transit, and is vehemently opposed to the taxes necessary to keep our roads paved and our parks green.

Put plainly, Ramey Johnson is anti "la vida Belmar."

So spread the word. If you love living in Belmar, if you're excited about the vibrant urban space that's grown up here in downtown Lakewood, Adam Paul needs your support.

Parents Seek Recall of Dysfunctional Jeffco School Board Majority

Jeffco United for Action, a group of parents from both the political left and right, has begun gathering signatures in an effort to recall Jeffco's dysfunctional school board majority.

The three school board members in question-- Ken Witt, Julie Williams, and John Newkirk-- have angered a broad range of Jeffco citizens with their attempt to censor AP US history, their refusal to build new schools in the overcrowded Arvada area, and their efforts to change school enrollment boundaries without consulting parents. Parents and teachers that I've talked to have spoken about a lack of transparency and respect, including the use of ever changing rules to limit public comment at board meetings and the hiring of a private attorney (with public funds!) to get around Colorado's sunshine laws and to redact contracts and other documents that have no reason to be kept from the public. Much of the anger seems to be coming from a petty, even vindictive attitude on the part of Williams, Witt, and Newkirk, who have adopted a tone at school board meetings that could be seen as verbally abusive of parents, students, and teachers. They don't seem to know how to work with others, and they don't appear to value compromise. 

It's a shame, because school boards members are supposed to be the grown ups. Well run schools are essential for any community, and even more so for an area like downtown Lakewood, which is undergoing so much urban renewal.

I'm supporting the recall effort, and I hope you do too. You can learn more at:

http://jeffcounitedforaction.org

Jeffco School Board in the News Again. Sigh.

Our far-right, tea party backed Jeffco school board majority is at it again, causing both Republicans and Democrats here in Lakewood to cringe. Here's a sampling of the latest headlines, along with links:

From Westword: Jeffco School Board's Julie Williams apologizes for posting anti-LGBT link

From Chalkbeat: Jeffco board member apologizes for sharing link to hate group on Facebook

9News: Jeffco school board member explains Facebook post

Click the links and read about Ms. Williams' "apology," if you're so inclined.

Meanwhile, the best response so far has come from Michele Patterson, President of the Jeffco PTA, who tweeted: "You only see bigoted posts in your FB feed if you're liking hateful, bigoted FB pages in the first place."

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Update:

Concerned about the actions of the Jeffco school board majority? Interested in learning more? Here are some grassroots organizations working on the issue:

Citizens for Responsible Education

Support Jeffco Kids

Jefferson County School Board Watch

Defining Downtown Lakewood: Political Leanings

Cities have their political leanings. When people mention Boulder, liberal is the term that quickly comes to mind. Mention Colorado Springs, and it's conservative.

But what about Lakewood?

Lakewood is the largest city in Jefferson County, and Jeffco is often described as the classic swing county here in Colorado, making or breaking candidates for statewide office. And yet, in the last decade, Jeffco has been trending blue, voting more and more often for Democrats over Republicans.

Much of this trend has been driven by Lakewood, which has become a Democratic bastion within Jeffco.

This is nicely illustrated by the results of the most recent 2014 elections.

Colorado House District 28 in Blue and
House District 23 in Yellow

State House Districts

Much of Lakewood (and all of downtown Lakewood) sits within the borders of Colorado House District 28, which is represented by Democrat Brittany Petersen. The rest of Lakewood sits in House District 23, which is represented by Democrat Max Tyler.

Although 2014 was widely viewed as a banner year for Republicans, Petersen won her election by a solid 55% of the vote. Her Republican opponent, Stacia Kuhn, received just 45%. Tyler, meanwhile, handily won his election with 51% of the vote vs. 41% for his Republican opponent Jane Barnes.

So, in the two races where voters consisted mostly of Lakewood residents, Democrats won by solid margins.

State Senate District

Lakewood's Democratic strength is also shown in the results of Colorado Senate District 22.

Geographically, this district is long and skinny, stretching from downtown Lakewood and Edgewater in the north all the way down to C-470 in the south. Voters in the southern part of the district are more Republican. Voters in the north of the district are more Democratic.

Colorado Senate District 22

So how did the last election pan out?

Despite Republican headwinds, incumbent Senator and Democrat Andy Kerr narrowly won re-election, garnering 51% of the vote, while his Republican and Tea-Party affiliated opponent Tony Sanchez received 49%.

Again, I think this speaks to the strength of Lakewood as an emerging Democratic stronghold-- Kerr would not have been able to win without the heavy support of Lakewood's voters.

Statewide and Federal Elections

I haven't been able to dig up detailed voting statistics for Lakewood for statewide  and federal elections, but I do have data for how Jeffco voted as a whole, and I think the results speak, again, to the way Jeffco (with Lakewood's help) is trending blue.

In the 2014 elections, Jeffco went for Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper over his Republican opponent Bob Beauprez by a margin of 51% to 46%.

Jeffco also supported Democratic Representative Ed Perlmutter over his opponent Don Ytterberg by a solid 55% to 45%.

Perhaps most tellingly, however, Jeffco voters preferred incumbent Senator Mark Udall over Cory Gardner by 47.24% to 46.99%. Gardner, of course, won the election, but (by an admittedly very narrow margin) Jeffco voters went against the statewide trend, voting instead with Denver and Boulder for the more liberal candidate.

Downtown Lakewood

Looking at this data all together, and especially at the way the Colorado state house and senate seat are drawn, we get a picture of Lakewood as more Democratic than the rest of Jefferson county, and downtown Lakewood as more Democratic than suburban Lakewood.

Protests Continue to Rock Jefferson County, Downtown Lakewood

Protests against the Jeffco School Board's conservative majority continued on Friday night, as an estimated 2500 protestors waved signs at intersections from 120th Ave in the north of Jefferson County to Ken Caryl Blvd. in the south. Newspapers as far away as Great Britain reported on the controversy.

Parents, students and teachers line Wadsworth

Blvd. in downtown Lakewood on Friday night 

to protest the actions of the Jeffco School 

Board.

The protests began last year when a newly elected conservative school board majority announced its plans to end the Jeffco school district's 45 year history of collaboration with its employee association and implement a series of controversial decisions, including the firing of Jeffco's award winning superintendent, Cindy Stevenson, and the unilateral imposition of an opaque and untested pay scheme for teachers.

It was the decision by board member Julie Williams to create a curriculum review committee, however,  that ignited the latest round of protests, sick-outs, and student walk-outs. The proposed committee would have had the mandate to seek out and bring to the board's attention classes and curriculum that failed to promote Ms. William's narrow view of patriotism, the free-market system, and history. The original text of the committee's mandate even hinted that courses that taught about safe sex, global warming, or evolution would soon be placed under the school board's microscope.

The Jeffco School Board dropped Ms. William's language at its Oct. 1st board meeting, but voted nevertheless to establish the curriculum review committee, despite nearly three hours of public comment that ran overwhelming against the proposal.

All year, I've been hearing rumblings about the Jeffco School Board's hidden agenda. Now it seems that agenda is out in the open.

Jeffco Schools Ruckus to Hurt Local Economy, Home Values

Will the ongoing Jeffco school board drama hurt area businesses and economic development?

That's the question posed in the headline of a recent Denver Business Journal article about the chaos Jeffco has seen in the wake of a right wing takeover of our local school system.

The article reports on a survey of Jeffco business owners by the West Chamber. The results should serve as a wake up call to anyone who doubts the potential of this Jeffco school board to damage home values.

Considering that the school board members who started this ruckus won't be up for reelection for three years, this makes for some scary reading, folks.

Jeffco School Board Makes the National News (in a Bad Way)

It's a truism in real estate that good schools support home values. This is particularly the case here in the city of Lakewood.

Much of the city's attraction to would-be residents has come from the fact that our city has the amenities of an urban downtown district but the school system of a well-funded suburb. Consider the fact that the innovative Belmar redevelopment is just a couple of miles from nationally recognized Lakewood High School.

So it might have been a surprise to many when teacher sick outs and massive student protests rocked our county this week.

Interested readers will find an excellent synopsis of the controversy in the New York Times and additional details in Newsweek.

Perhaps more relevant to this blog is that many supporters of the current, conservative Jeffco school board are also ideologically opposed to Belmar and other new urbanist redevelopments. The right-wing Independence Institute is perhaps the best example. The Independence Institute is ardently opposed to mass transit, smart growth, and has even gone out of its way to ridicule Belmar's row homes. They also fully supported the conservative slate in the last school board elections.

Although the current Jeffco school board is not up for reelection at this time, many of their supporters and ideological soul mates are vying for other offices this November. As the election season begins and ballots begin to arrive in mailboxes, I hope that supporters of downtown Lakewood and Belmar do their homework and support the candidates who in turn support the great things we have going for us here in Lakewood.

Photo: 7News Denver reports on today's student walk-outs in 

downtown Lakewood.