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Week of October 13, 2022
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 24
VOLUME 18 | ISSUE 17
CD7 candidates explore wide-ranging topics Voters have a chance to hear views during LWV forum BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The three candidates for Colorado’s 7th U.S. congressional district answered a host of questions from stopping gun violence to the U.S. economy during an online candidate
forum on Sept. 28. Republican Erik Aadland, Libertarian Ross Klopf and Democrat Brittany Pettersen, who answered 15 questions during the forum, hope to be elected to the seat in the U.S. House of Representatives vacated by Ed Perlmutter, who decided not to seek reelection. Members of the House serve two-year terms. In addition, as part of redistricting, which takes place every 10 years, the far-reaching district now
includes part of Douglas county plus all of Broomfield, Jefferson, Gilpin, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Lake, Park, Chaffee, Teller, Fremont and Custer counties. This is the first election bid for Aadland, who is a West Point graduate, and served in Iraq and Afghanistan before working in the energy sector all over the world. Aadland called addressing out-of-control inflation by reining in government spending, curtailing crime includ-
Inside Jeffco Kids First, and Ganahl’s furor over students
ing securing the country’s southern border and restoring sound energy policy that balances with protecting the environment his top three priorities. Klopf, who unsuccessfully ran for election in Colorado House District 28 in 2018, is a civil engineer with experience in transportation and water resources engineering. Klopf emphasized throughout the forum SEE FORUM, P16
Arvada City Council to vote on 12.3% water rate increase BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Jeffco Kids First logo. BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Over the summer, the members of a Facebook group called Jeffco Kids First began shifting their concern away from pandemic policies in schools to identities it deemed disruptive to learning. A leading voice in the group told parents to empower their children to find “furries,” kids who dress up in animal accessories, and to record them. “If any of your kids would be willing to record anonymous audio of their experiences with furries hissing, barking, clawing, chasing, and how it affects their school day,
FACEBOOK SCREENSHOT
please send to me or let me know ASAP!” Jeffco Kids First creator Lindsay Datko, a parent in Jefferson County Public Schools, posted. Details like these have not been widely publicized because the Facebook group is private, meaning only members can see what is posted. After being denied entry to the group, Colorado Community Media gained access through a member who wanted the group’s content to be public. School officials say the group’s activities can be disruptive and harmful to kids. But it has some strong backers, including Heidi Ganahl, the Republican Party’s nominee in
this fall’s Colorado gubernatorial race. She’s also a member of the group. “Boy, Jeffco Kids First has been such an impactful and amazing community, and I’ve gotten to know a lot of you over the past couple of years,” Ganahl said in a post in Jeffco Kids First. “You are warriors fighting for our kids every day in the classroom and in school. I want to be a voice for all of you.” Ganahl has used the issue to spark furor during press interviews. “Not many people know that we have furries in Colorado schools,” SEE JEFFCO KIDS, P2
Arvada’s City Council will vote on a 12.3% rate increase for water and wastewater (sewer) customers at the Oct. 17 business meeting. According to Arvada’s Director of Utilities Sharon Israel, the proposed increase would amount to a roughly $19 increase per bimonthly bill cycle, which would help fund improvements to aging water infrastructure in the city. The existing tier system would remain in place if the rate increase is passed by council, meaning that per bi-monthly cycle, tier 1 customers would pay $5.03 more per 1,000 gallons, Tier 2 customers $6.29 more per 1,000 gallons, Tier 3 customers $7.56 per 1,000 gallons, Tier 4 customers $10.07 per 1,000 gallons. The wastewater rate increase would be $5.82 per 1,000 gallons (a 9.8% increase). A $4 bi-monthly service fee increase, and a $2 bimonthly wastewater service fee increase is also included in the proposal. Arvada’s water rates have increased by between 2-4% annually in recent years, Israel said. She also stated that Arvada has historically low water rates, and SEE INCREASE, P4