July 17, 2014 VOLU M E 1 0 | I S SUE 7
ArvadaPress.com J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
BLUES AND BARBECUE
Jeffco5 falls short on signatures Members to regroup on move to increase to five commissioners By Amy Woodward
awoodward@colorado comunitymedia.com The Jeffco5 — a grassroots campaign run by a small group of volunteers who want to increase the number of county commissioners from three to five — announced last week it was unable to turn in enough signatures to place the initiative on the 2014 ballot. But it wasn’t from a lack of interest from registered voters, according to Ray Goodhart, co-founder of Jeffco5. “The interest was there,” Goodhart said. He estimated that 95 percent of the people engaged agreed with their initiative. The group had the initial goal of collecting 25,000 signatures, but gathered only 10,000 — more than half of the required 17,445 signatures needed to make the ballot. The problem, Goodhart said, was utilizing their small group to circulate petitions and the group did not want to fund paid circulators. “It was an insurmountable task, unbeknownst to us, to do that without paying for outside groups. We felt that that would be weakening our message,” Goodhart said. Karen Oxman, Jeffco5 founder stated that although the group didn’t get enough signatures, it doesn’t mean the initiative is going away. “It’s really sad we didn’t get enough, I wanted to see it on the ballot, I believe it would have passed,” Oxman said. “This is not a dead issue, it’s going until it is passed.” Members will regroup to discuss their strategy moving forward which may include some members supporting candidates in favor of the Jeffco5 initiative although the group as a whole will remain nonpartisan. One particular candidate is John Flerlage, Democratic nominee for county commissioner in district 3 against GOP incumbent Don Rosier, who has been
Cody Taylor and Danielle Aznar serve up freshly barbecued bratwurst, hot dogs and smoked turkey legs.
Above, Loveland blues enthusiast Matteo strums along to the Dale Cisek Band on his air guitar. At right, The Jack Hadley Band sings away the blues during a lively performance at Blues and BBQ. Photos by Crystal Anderson
Jeffco continues on Page 2
And that’s food you can bank on Arvada Community Food Bank earns four-star rating By Crystal Anderson
canderson@colorado communitymedia.com Arvada Community Food Bank has been a growing staple for 32 years in Arvada, addressing the needs and resources of struggling members of their community and this year, those business practices are paying off. On July 1, after an evaluation process which examined the organization’s financial statements, efficiency, transparency and accountability, was given a four-star rating.
“We felt that was very important for the Arvada Community Food Bank to have,” said Sandy Martin, the food bank’s executive director. “Particularly for our donors so they know their money is going where it needs to be going, we’re financially sound, and the board is (too).” Seeking recognition in order to be transparent and accountable with their donors and foundations, the food bank applied to Charity Navigator, a national evaluation organization, to be evaluated. “We have always known we have been well-run, but this is a validation of where we are on that tier,” said Randy Weinert, community and volunteer relations manager. “We’re trying to raise the awareness of how good we think we really are.” This recognition is one of two
that has been given to registered food banks in the state, the other being the Food Bank for Larimer County. According to Charity Navigator, the four-star recognition acknowledges an organization’s business practices, and efficiency ranking them out of a possible score of 70. “The food bank did a great job of allocating the majority of its budget on its programs and services, rather than on overhead costs (fundraising and administrative fees),” said Sandra Miniutti, vice president of Charity Navigator, a charity evaluation firm. “It has also substantially grown its programs in recent years and Food continues on Page 2
Food bank volunteer, Janet Rucker, organizes milk products during her shift at the food bank. Photo by Crystal Anderson