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Week of October 27, 2022
ADAMS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
Northglenn-ThorntonSentinel.com
VOLUME 59 | ISSUE 12
Kulmann, Salazar voice arguments in term limits case Court’s decision may affect municipalities across the state BY LUKE ZARZECKI LZARZECKI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Colorado Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Oct. 18 regarding whether or not Thornton Mayor Jan Kulmann exceeded her term limits. Decisions are typically issued one
to nine months after oral arguments. Cherish Salazar, a resident of Thornton, filed a suit that said the mayor already served her two terms — six years as a councilor and two as a mayor. The city argues that councilors and the mayor are different positions. The Colorado Constitution — Article 18, Section 11 — says local electeds can only serve two consecutive terms. In Adams County District Court, the decision seemed to favor both sides. Since Kulmann did not finish
her full term as a city councilor, the judge granted her the option to serve as mayor until 2023 because, according to the judge, Section 11 doesn’t apply to partial terms. However, that will be her final year. Due to the matter being timesensitive and having a broad impact, the case bypassed the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court decided to hear it through the rule C.A.R. 50. The arguments Attorney Josh Adam Marks, rep-
resenting Kulmann and the City of Thornton, was up first for his pitch that mayor and councilor positions are separate, and that a partial term does not count towards the two-term restriction. He narrowed his argument down to three different “significant” factors — the way the mayor is elected, the way the charter defines the office of mayor and the office of councilperson, and the way the charter views additional powers on the mayor. SEE COURT, P2
Food for Hope volunteers understand their impact Food charity that helps schools find demand is growing Lynx Reh in the pumpkin patch choosing a pumpkin to carve from Palombo Farms stock.
Braving the haunted fields along Riverdale Road Cheery Maize in the City shows its scary side after dark BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
It was a scene from a nightmare come true along the infamous Riverdale Road. A simple trip into
the the woods is met by a zombie revving a chainsaw while scary dolls come to life, jumping up on the passing vehicle. The Haunted Field of Screams is Colorado’s largest haunting
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19 | SPORTS: PAGE 26
BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
PHOTO BY BELEN WARD
attraction, built on 40-acres corn fields. It’s a mile-long journey along Riverdale Road that then veers off to walk through a corn maze with stops into haunted houses chased by a zombie apocalypse with monsters, ghosts, killer clowns and haunting scarecrows popping out from everywhere.
Emily Stromquist, the CEO of Food for Hope, understands that her group is not simply keeping bellies full. Food for Hope provides meals for Adams County school students, including in-school food banks at numerous schools in the Adams 12 Five Star, 27J and Adams 14 districts as well as Westminster Public Schools. It also offers weekend food bags and in-school snacks to help kids concentrate on their work.
SEE HALLOWEEN, P5
SEE FOOD, P10
Check out
School of Choice In this week’s paper!