WEEK OF JULY 4, 2024
VOLUME 36 | ISSUE 27
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Commerce City residents voice their reasons for voting in primaries
Feds budget money for 104th Avenue bottleneck Road widening, Vasquez interchange get federal grants STAFF REPORT
Commerce City Civic Center on June 25, 2024 in CO, serves as one of the many ballot drop box locations for Adams County. PHOTO BY JACKIE RAMIREZ
BY JACKIE RAMIREZ SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
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LOCAL OBITUARIES LEGALS CLASSIFIED
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Commerce City residents raced to the ballot drop box at the Civic Center to cast their votes Tuesday in the state’s primary elections. Three voters from Commerce City voiced that their reason for voting was for more representation and for exercising their right to vote. “I think it’s very important to vote because we need to have our representation given out there for who we want to stand for us in the government systems,” said Tracy Whiteheart, who lives in Commerce City, as she dropped off her ballot. “They’re people who are going to represent me. Some of them I don’t believe in everything they say, but I go with people I think do the best job for everybody.” In the race for Congressional District 8, which includes Commerce City, Gabe Evans has won the Republican primary and will face Yadira Caraveo in the general election in
November. Caraveo, who won the first-ever general election for the new 8th District in 2022, has been working to help her community members by tackling issues such as health care, language justice for small business owners, and food accessibility. Her new opponent Evans hopes to work on securing the border, restoring the respect for the rule of law and bringing down prices and costs of living. Residents of Commerce City hope that whoever lands in the seat represents them and their concerns for their city. Sea, who did not give her last name, said she votes to stay involved and to help figure out the next step for the state of Colorado. “The most important issue for me is the variety of human rights when it comes to BIPOC, LGBTQ, disabled and just a spectrum of variety of people,” Sea said. Deb Nealon from Commerce City, who has been consistently voting for 40 years, said that it was important to
vote, especially as a woman. “It’s very important to be voting in Commerce City because we have so many issues with our water and resources,” Nealon said. “It’s always important to be involved in the community and know what’s going on. Similar to the three voters, Mindy Mohr, a reader from Arvada, responded to The Voter Voices survey, conducted by 60 Colorado newsrooms including Colorado Community Media. She said that candidates for public office should focus on “their integrity, work ethic, and vision for our country or the entity they will be representing.” Earlier this year, La Ciudad spoke with Adams County Clerk and Recorder Josh Zygielbaum on the significance of upcoming primary elections, and how Adams County encourages voters to exercise their right to vote and to participate in the elections. “I got into this business because I believe that if people participate, our communities will be better. We’ll thrive,” Zygielbaum said.
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Improvement along 104th Ave. and Interstate 270 at Vasquez Boulevard are two of six Colorado projects that will share $62.9 million in federal money, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced June 26. The grants are part of the $7.2 billion Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity discretionary grant program funding 550 projects nationwide. The program supports a diverse slate of communities with projects of local and regional significance. Funding is split equally between urban and rural areas, and a large percentage of grants support regions defined as historically disadvantaged or areas of persistent poverty. It’s meant to help state and local governments to pursue multimodal and multi-jurisdictional projects that are more difficult to fund through other grant programs. “After decades of underinvestment, the condition of America’s infrastructure is now finally getting better instead of worse – and today we proudly announce our support for 148 more projects in communities of every size across the country,” Buttigieg said in a press statement. SEE BOTTLENECK, P11
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