Westsider Westsider 11.8.2013
North Jeffco
POSTAL PATRON
November 8, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourwestminsternews.com
North Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 12, Issue 44
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Jeffco voters choose Williams, Newkirk, Witt Crystal Anderson
canderson@ourcoloradonews.com Jefferson County constituents voted in three conservative candidates to Districts 1, 2 and 5 in the general election Tuesday. Conservative candidates Julie Williams, John Newkirk and Ken Witt showed an early lead in the races after polls closed at 7 p.m Tuesday evening. Wednesday morning results indicated Julie Williams won over opponent Tonya Aultman-Bettridge with 76,706 to 48,414 votes, about 61 percent to 39 percent. “I think the people have spoken, it’s because of my boldness — I spoke out on some issues that weren’t being talked about and now they are,” Williams said Tuesday evening. Williams is a Colorado native who grew up in the Jeffco school district. She has served with the Special Education Advisory Committee in Jeffco for more than four years and is currently a co-chair with the
Atchison cinches mayoral election
Newkirk
Williams
Witt
organization. She has also served in several aspects of the special needs community and owns an orthodontic practice serving children in Jefferson County. “We are honored and humbled to focus on increased academic achievement, parental and community involvement. I believe this team can move those and other issues forward,” Witt said, referring to the joint effort of the three like-minded candidates. In the race for the District 2 seat, Newkirk defeated opponent Jeff Lamon-
tagne by 67,289 to 56,892, a margin of about 54 percent to 46 percent, in results posted Wednesday morning. “As a lifetime Jeffco resident and graduate of Jeffco schools, it’s very humbling for me to be a part of this board,” Newkirk said. Newkirk grew up in Jeffco and continues to stay active within the district. He has participated with several youth activities and volunteered with youth programs at his church. He currently serves on the Commission for Judicial Performance in Jeffco, the Kiwanis Club, WatchDOGS, and the Colorado Association of Funders. He is the current president and owner of Colorado Computer Associates, Inc. in Denver. In the District 5 race, candidate Witt tallied 72,981 votes to 52,153 for Gordon Van
de Water, a margin of about 58 percent to 42 percent. “It’s humbling to see the results,” Witt said. “The community of Jeffco is ready for genuine reform in education.” Witt is a Colorado native who has taken an active role in the Jefferson County School District with several PTA organizations and accountability committees. He is currently a technology and information security executive and has held several roles in citizens groups and different businesses. Candidates Tonya Aultman-Bettridge, Jeff Lamontagne and Gordon Van de Water could not be reached for comment election night. Aultman-Bettridge has lived in Jefferson County since 2004, and has a background in youth work specifically youth and family public policies. Jeff Lamontagne, grew up in Colorado
Voters continues on Page 16
mill levy override fails
By Ashley Reimers
areimers@ourcoloradonews.com With the unofficial votes tallied, the next mayor of Westminster will be Herb Atchison, earning 41.41 percent of the vote. Coming in second was Bob Briggs earning 30.88 percent, followed by Mary Lindsey earning 27.71 of the votes. As for the number of actual votes, Atchison received 8,750 votes, Briggs received 6,524 and Lindsey received 5,856 votes. The city of Westminster requires all mayor candidates to earn at least 40 percent of the vote. If that percentage isn’t met by a candidate, a run-off election is required. But in this case, Atchison earned Atchison just over 40 percent. He was first elected to city council in 1997 and served two terms before leaving because of term limits. After the release of the unofficial results, Atchison said his biggest relief is the fact that the city will not be facing the added expense of a run-off election. Going forward, a top priority for Atchison is seating the new city council members and getting them up to speed as quickly as possible, but said he’s also excited to continue his work in Westminster. “I’m looking forward to the next four years, and I’m hoping to get some movement forward,” he said. “We are starting to see things happen at the former mall site, and I’ve already reached out to several people to set up meetings to start to work together and grow those relationships.” Briggs said he’s disappointed with the results, but accepts that fact that voters are always right, saying “it’s up to them to hire who they want as mayor and this Atchison continues on Page 16
Adams County School District 50 school board members Dino Valente and Bob Landgraf and superintendent Pam Swanson, holding granddaughter Sophie, watch as votes come in for Question 3B Tuesday night at Ciancio’s Restaurant. The unofficial results indicated 60 percent of voters opposed the District 50 mill levy override in the south Adams County portion of Westminster. Photo by Pam Wagner
Pinter, Baker, Garcia elected to council By Ashley Reimers
areimers@ourcoloradonews.com Three Westminster residents can now call themselves city councilors with unofficial election results released Tuesday night. Emma Pinter, Bruce Baker and Alberto Garcia earned the most votes for Westminster City Council. Pinter came out on top, receiving 8,911 votes, followed by Baker who received 7,036 and Garcia who earned 6,321 votes. David DeMott received 5,860 votes, Suzanne Ramirez received 5,822 votes, Debbie Bergamo received 5,090 votes, C. Mi-
Pinter
Garcia
Baker
chael Litzau received 4,947 votes and A.J. Elserougi received 3,128 votes. Pinter, Baker and Garcia will be elected to four-year terms. Upon her victory, Pinter thanked the
Westminster voters. “I am looking forward to a lot of great things for our city in the next few years,” she said. Current city councilors whose terms will end this month are Mary Lindsey, Mark Kaiser and Scott Major. All results are still unofficial at this time.
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