Highlands Ranch
Herald
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 25, Issue 51
November 8, 2012 A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourhighlandsranchnews.com
Coffman keeps U.S. House seat Douglas County puts incumbent over top By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com Republican Mike Coffman may want to send a thank-you letter to Highlands Ranch. In a tightly contested race with Democratic challenger Joe Miklosi for the newly redrawn Congressional District 6, votes
from Douglas County are sending the incumbent back to Washington. Coffman got 49 percent of the vote to Miklosi’s 45 percent, with the rest going to Libertarian and unaffiliated candidates. Unofficial results on Coffman the morning of Nov. 7 showed Coffman getting about 11,542 more votes than Miklosi districtwide. Coffman’s margin was biggest in Douglas County, where he got 12,886 more votes
than Miklosi. In Adams County, Coffman only managed 884 more votes than Miklosi. In Arapahoe County, where the bulk of the district’s population lives, Miklosi got 2,228 more votes than Coffman. Coffman accepted the seat around 10:30 p.m. Nov. 6, more than two hours before Miklosi conceded the race. As Coffman appeared on stage at Sports Authority Field at Mile High to thank his supporters for electing him to his third term, Democrats at Miklosi’s election-watch party in Aurora were stunned. Following Coffman’s speech,
Arapahoe Democratic Chairman John Buckley spoke to Miklosi’s supporters at the Red Lion Hotel. “The votes that have been tabulated so far are predominantly the early votes,” Buckley said. “We all know that there was a tremendous Democratic turnout today in the 6th Congressional District, specifically in Arapahoe County. At 8 p.m. we still had voters in line at many polling locations.” Miklosi never made an appearance at his own party to address supporters and Coffman continues on Page 23
McNulty wins big in HD-43 race Republicans dominate in Douglas County contests Staff report
Ben Daley drains the water from a hose Nov. 1 during a class in Rock Canyon High School’s Fire Science First Responder program. Photos by Courtney Kuhlen
Class fires up local students Fire science program second of its kind in state By Jane Reuter
jreuter@ourcoloradonews.com Rock Canyon High School senior Hunter Tyson always has dreamed of working in the fire service. So when he learned about Rock Canyon’s new Fire Science First Responder program, he immediately registered. “There was no question I was going to join this program,” he said. “I love it. What’s surprised me is how much this program offers for a future career.” RCHS is one of two high schools in Colorado with a Fire Science program; Jefferson County’s Warren Tech career and technical high school also offers one. It cost the Douglas County School District about $65,000 to launch the program, including buying a fire engine, ambulance and gear for students. Students who graduate from the three-part, two-semester program will
have training equivalent to the state’s Firefighter I requirements, and receive first responder and CPR certificates. The course isn’t limited to those seeking a career in fire service. “This can give them a springboard into a lot of different careers,” instructor George Piccone said. Students could pursue jobs in risk management, fire investigation, city government, or public administration among others. Hannah Patton, another student enrolled in the class, wants to be a flight nurse. “So I’m taking it more for the medical (training),” she said. “This has made me more enthusiastic about it. It’s so much more than I expected.” Rock Canyon acquired a secondhand fire engine — about $100,000 new — for about $10,000 from the Security Fire Department near Colorado Springs. The ambulance used in the class came to the Highlands Ranch school from Delta at a cost of about $6,000. Much of the other equipment — with an estimated value of $70,000 to $90,000 — was donated by various agencies.
The program was conceived during construction of RCHS’ Career Technology Education wing, which opened in 2010 with high-tech programs and classes for students from throughout the district. “During the design process, we were looking for a career-tech program,” said Gregg Sheehan, RCHS assistant principal. “We did some surveys, and the interest in this was high.” That interest extended beyond the campus. Students from ThunderRidge and Highlands Ranch high schools also are enrolled in the program. The Littleton Fire Department has partnered with RCHS in the program. Students will do ride-alongs with Littleton firefighters, and get training in a burn building. Other instruction will focus on fire chemistry, strategy, emergency medical service, public education and physical fitness. Firefighters must be able to move quickly while carrying heavy hoses and wearing bunker gear that typically weighs about 45 pounds. “It’s really a complicated career,” Piccone said. “It’s fire prevention, physiFire continues on Page 23
Republican incumbent Frank McNulty secured a fourth term in the state House. He defeated Democrat Gary Semro by a margin of 62 percent to 38 percent, according to unofficial results posted by Douglas County. McNulty has served in the House since 2006. The Highlands Ranch resident was elected speaker of the House in 2010. McNulty was facing a familiar opponent. In 2010, McNulty also handMcNulty ily defeated Semro. The district is made up of Highlands Ranch. A look at how other races were shaping up as the vote tally was close to being finalized:
Douglas County commissioner
Republican Roger Partridge will be the new county commissioner for District 2. The Sedalia resident, who narrowly defeated former Castle Rock Mayor Randy Reed in the primary, won handily in the general election. With most of the vote counted as of 1 a.m. Nov. 7, Partridge had 63 percent of the vote. Democrat Terry Krow received 31 percent of the vote and Libertarian Matthew Hess 6 percent. Partridge takes over for Steve Boand, who is term-limited after having served since 2004. District 2 encompasses Castle Rock, Castle Pines and surrounding unincorporated parts of the county.
McNulty continues on Page 23
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