WEEK OF JUNE 12, 2025
VOLUME 23 | ISSUE 5
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Voters eye home rule as election approaches Public debate has intensified as June 24 balloting nears BY JULIA KING SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
At a school awards ceremony, Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly presents a Superhero Award to a 10-year-old who remained calm when calling 911 during an emergency. PHOTO BY HALEY LENA
Dispatchers surprise boy with Superhero Awards 10-year-old showed maturity, poise during moment of crisis BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
When faced with an emergency, there can be a lot of emotions running through a person’s head as they dial 911 and speak to a dispatcher. But when 10-year-old Eli Carey had to call 911 to help his baby brother earlier this spring, he remained calm. “Eli did something incredible that not a lot of adults can normally do,” said Nick Bloss, a dispatcher with Douglas County Regional Dispatch. The Douglas Regional 911 Communications Center provides dispatch to more
than a dozen agencies throughout Douglas and Elbert counties — including the Douglas County Sheriff ’s Office, fire rescue and emergency medical services — and receives thousands of calls. So when Bloss received the call from Carey, she was amazed by his maturity. “It’s not often that we have children callers,” said Bloss. “He showed a level of maturity that we don’t see very often.” On April 30, around 10:40 p.m., Carey saw his 8-week-old brother choking, and he immediately wanted to do something to help. He was initially nervous to call 911 because he was unsure who he was going
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to talk to, but once he got on the phone, he gave his address, including the correct spelling of the street he lives on, as well as a phone number. “As a dispatcher, the most important thing I need from you during an emergency is your location, otherwise I won’t be able to get you help,” said Bloss. “So Eli did an amazing job giving me his address … at 10 years old, he didn’t need to ask anybody.” He told dispatchers that he was with his brother and that his parents were trying to discharge whatever he was choking on. SEE AWARDS, P31
Douglas County voters have begun to receive ballots for a June 24 special election that could change how the county is governed. Introduced by county commissioners in March, the home rule vote has grown into a countywide conversation marked by division and debate. The ballot asks whether the county should write its own home rule charter — and if so, who should help write it. Nearly 9,000 residents attended or livestreamed a county-hosted town hall on May 28 designed to explain the home rule process. Commissioner Abe Laydon opened the meeting by framing the measure as a chance to reclaim local autonomy. “It’s not that deep. This is all about local control,” he said. “Are we OK with how the state handled the COVID pandemic? And are we OK with how the state has enabled illegal immigration?” County Attorney Jeff Garcia followed with a 30-minute presentation on the legal and procedural mechanics of home rule. But as the meeting moved into public comment, tensions rose. Only six questions were taken, leaving more residents in line, and the session ended with commissioners calling for order as attendees demanded additional time to speak. One resident who did get to ask a question during the public comment period challenged both the need for structural change and the tone of the presentation. SEE ELECTION, P2
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