Westsider WESTSIDER 2/1/13
North Jeffco
North Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 12, Issue 4
February 1, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourwestminsternews.com
Election process change snuffed Mayoral candidate will still need 40 percent on first ballot to win By Ashley Reimers
areimers@ourcoloradonews.com The power of community input and persuasion was strong Monday night during the Westminster City Council meeting. So strong, that four council members changed their vote regarding an ordinance that would have removed the requirement of a mayor candidate to earn at least 40 percent of the vote. Two weeks ago during the Jan. 14 coun-
cil meeting, councilors Herb Atchison, Bob Briggs, Mark Kaiser and Mary Lindsey voted to approve the ordinance on first reading, while mayor Nancy McNally, mayor pro tem Faith Winter and councilor Scott Major voted against the ordinance. But after great opposition from community members, the ordinance was unanimously shot down. “I want to thank everyone for coming tonight and all of the comments I have received,” Lindsey said. “I come prepared to change my vote that I had given two weeks ago. I would like to look at this at a better and later time.” If approved, the ordinance would have removed the 40 percent voter approval rate for a mayor election and the need for a run-off election. The overall candidate with the most votes would be the winner, even if he or she
only earned a small percentage of the votes. This new process caused concern for many residents who urged council to deny the ordinance during Monday’s meeting. “I join the chorus in saying that this bill needs to die,” said Larry Valente, Westminster resident and Adams County School District 50 school board member. “We need to go forth in a different manner.” Rep. Cherylin Peniston, D-Westminster, also spoke to council giving her insight concerning the ordinance. “It is our responsibility not to undermine or lose the trust of our citizens and I believe that is what this bill does,” she said. “The citizens feel as if they have now lost the trust of the councilors. I feel this change crosses the line.” With the denial of the ordinance, this
year’s mayoral election will run as it has since 1993 when the 40 percent requirement was established. Three council members, Major, Briggs and Atchison have officially filed their candidate affidavit to run for mayor this year. Briggs’ and Atchison’s original vote to approve the ordinance caused alarm for many residents and their fellow council members. Although McNally strongly opposed the ordinance from the beginning, she credits the resilience of the community for the final outcome of the vote. “This issue hits the core of my being,” McNally said. “Every voice counts. You did pay attention and from the bottom of my heart, thank you for paying attention and thank you for caring. It’s not about the seven of us, it’s about you and how you make your choice in who runs this city.”
Perlmutter pushes for weapons limitations By Darin Moriki
dmoriki@ourcolorado news.com
Teenage mother Jacquelline Cossio, left, shows her baby Genesis to Westminster Mayor Nancy McNally who was visiting during the grand opening of Hope House Thursday, Jan. 24, in Westminster. Photo by Andy Carpenean
A place for hope, second chances Resource center for teen moms opens By Ashley Reimers
areimers@ourcoloradonews.com Hope House is a place for second chances and new beginnings. It’s a place where teen moms can gain an education and a new outlook on life. And now, teen moms in the Westminster area will have a resource center in their backyard offering free services. Hope House is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping disadvantaged teen moms become self-sufficient. The Westminster resource center opened on Jan. 24 at 9088 Marshall Court. The center focuses around GED and mentoring programs to teenage girls who are parenting their children. Executive Director Lisa Steven said the both programs seek to empower atrisk teenagers to strive for personal and economic self-sufficiency and experience hope for a healthy future with their child. “It’s really about empowering these teenage moms to build a stable life for their kids,” she said. “But there is a lot of complexity in that, so it’s about support-
ing these girls and giving them access to gain self-sufficiency.” The mentoring program matches a teen mom with a trained volunteer mentor who helps the mom work toward self-sufficiency through a structured curriculum. They meet two to four times a month to develop goals for reaching pre-determined self-sufficiency markers, such as obtaining safe housing. The GED program helps teen moms earn their GED through individual instruction. GED and career prep specialist Katie Morton said the teen moms meet three times a week for their GED classes and the program has an 80 percent graduation rate. “Usually it takes the girls around seven-and-a-half weeks to earn their GED, which is much faster than the average rate, which is around six months,” she said. “One reason why it’s faster is because the girls are getting one-on-one help.” Hope House also offers a residential program for teen moms who are homeless or are living in an unsafe environment. The five-phase program empowers and equips parenting teenage moms as they move toward personal and economic self-sufficiency.
Jacqueline Cossio is in the residential program. She found Hope House on Google when she was searching for housing. She and her eight-month old daughter Genesis moved into the safe house in July 2012. Since then, she’s earned her GED and volunteers in a dental office. She has plans to go to college to become a dental hygienist. “Hope House has given me so many opportunities. Now that I’m in the residential program, my baby has her own room and a safe place to live,” she said. “She’s just a really happy baby. It feels good to be able to give her a good life. That’s why I’m doing this and it’s so worth it.” Westminster Mayor Nancy McNally said she’s excited to have Hope House in the community because it’s offering educational and mentoring opportunities that are priceless. “Hope House is showing these young moms that they can have a bright future and can provide for themselves and their child,” she said. “I am glad that Hope House found Westminster to be a good fit because they offer the teen moms in our community hope for the future.” For more information on Hope House or volunteer opportunities, visit www.hopehouseofcolorado.org.
U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, who serves the seventh district, reiterated his support for federal gun control efforts during a phone conference town hall meeting Friday. “On one side of the district is Columbine and on the other side of the district is Aurora,” Perlmutter said. “I was going to too many funerals last July and visited with families, first responders, law enforcement officers and medical staff. It was a very horrible, gruesome situation and murders that were done with an assault rifle and some other weapons with high-capacity magazines.” The mobile town hall meeting — which included about 11,000 residents — followed his announcement a few hours earlier to become the co-sponsor in the House of Representatives for the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013, which would prohibit 157 specific weapons and ammunition magazines that have more than 10 rounds. Perlmutter supports banning some assault rifles, semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. The bill was introduced to the Senate by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein and was expected to be introduced to the House of Representatives this week as of press time on Jan. 28. “The terrible toll that it takes on individuals, families and communities have to be considered when you’re looking at this,” Perlmutter said. “These 150 types of weapons should really be in the hands of military and law enforcement personnel — they’re not meant for selfdefense or hunting. We don’t want to do anything to the Second Amendment rights of those who want to hunt or need something for self-defense, but these are for really for military or law enforcement.”
During the bill’s introduction, Perlmutter read a letter crafted and signed by 14 relatives of seven moviegoers killed in the Aurora theater s h o o t ing that voiced support for the ban. “ O u r l o v e d ones were Perlmutter gunned down and an entire generation of our families taken away in a matter of seconds,” the letter read in part. “We listened to the 911 tapes played in court and sat in agony as we heard 30 shots fired within 27 seconds, wondering if one of those bullets killed our children.” Under the proposed bill, Perlmutter said gun owners who now own an assault weapon will be allowed to keep it but will be subject to a background check, if they choose to sell or transfer it to another person. Perlmutter said the bill is particularly important because it would close loopholes left in the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which barred the future manufacturing of 19 specific semi-automatic firearms and banned the possession of magazines holding more than ten ammunition rounds. Perlmutter said the battle to pass the bill through Congress will not be an easy one. “It’s going to be a very difficult bill to pass,” Perlmutter said. “I don’t want anybody to have any illusions about that. There is a lot of work to be done, but I am supportive of that and will work on behalf of those families from Aurora and Newtown.”
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