November 11, 2021
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An edition of the Littleton Independent A publication of
VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 51
Centennial council races see partisan undercurrent Carnes wins by hefty margin; Alston’s victory narrower BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Centennial voters chose a new city councilmember in the west end of the city, favoring Robyn Carnes by a large margin, and they stuck with an incumbent councilmember in the east, Marlo Alston, in a tighter race. In both races, partisanship played a subtle — and sometimes not-sosubtle — role in how the campaign season unfolded. They were the only contested races in the city’s election, in which Mayor Stephanie Piko and council members Tammy Maurer and Mike Alston Sutherland were unopposed for reelection. The four winners of the election that ended Nov. 2 will serve four-year terms on the ninemember council, which consists of two members from each of the four districts, plus the mayor, who is elected citywide. ‘I’m a little bit center-right’ In the race for Centennial’s council District 1, SEE COUNCIL, P2
School board race sees voters stick with status quo BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
other divisive flashpoint that has swept across school districts. Dale Elliott, an Air Force veteran, came in last in the race, signaling most voters’ lack of desire to engage in the issue. Instead, voters’ top two picks for board seats were a board incumbent and a community college educator. Angela Christensen, who was appointed to finish a term on the board last year, topped the other four candidates with 26.2% of the vote in unofficial results as of
In what may be remembered as one of the most contentious Cherry Creek school board races in recent years — and amid a national focus on the issues of masks in schools and the teaching of race in American history — voters chose to keep the district going in its current direction. Two candidates in the race for Cherry Creek school board — incumbent Kelly Bates and Kristin Allan — were both backed by the Cherry Creek teachers’ union, and both won their races against two opponents each in the election that ended Nov. 2. Bates, running in board District D, came away with 51.9% of the vote in unofficial results as of Nov. 8, with challengers Jennifer Gibbons garnering 33.6% and Schumé Navarro at 14.5%. Meanwhile, Allan, in District E, took 49.8% to Bill Leach’s 30.4% and Jason Lester’s 19.8%. Board seats represent different portions of the school district, but all school district residents voted in both races.
SEE SCHOOLS, P8
SEE CHERRY CREEK, P5
Robyn Carnes, winning candidate for Centennial City Council in the city’s far-west District 1, right, poses with Mayor Stephanie Piko, who was unopposed for re-election, at a Carnes campaign event at Hopscotch Taproom Social at The Streets at SouthGlenn on election COURTESY PHOTO night, Nov. 2.
Voters skip hot issues in Littleton school board election Nearby districts faced tense contests over controversial social, political battles BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
As school boards become new battlegrounds for the country’s bitterly divided electorate, voters in the Littleton Public Schools Board of Education election
Masks, racial ed don’t drive change in Cherry Creek election
rejected hot-button issues, electing candidates steeped in public education experience. The race itself proved to be an outlier among other board races in districts across the Denver metro area, such as Douglas County and Cherry Creek, that saw tensions rise between candidates over mask-wearing policies. Candidates for LPS school board largely stayed above the fray, unanimously agreeing that masking policies had to be followed. One candidate, however, staked much of his campaign on his opposition to critical race theory, an-
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 20
ACCESSING THE OUTDOORS
Colorado provides recreational opportunities for people with disabilities P14
