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November 11, 2021
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
LittletonIndependent.net
VOLUME 133 | ISSUE 16
Council election signals Littleton’s ‘openness to change’ Candidates who called for housing, equity largely prevail
3A will replenish funds for city projects, avoid budget cuts
BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Littleton City Council is poised for ideological change following the election of three new councilmembers, including a mayor, in the 2021 election. By electing three candidates who campaigned on issues such as housing diversity and resources for homelessness, Littleton voters have signaled a more progressive shift for the city. A fourth race was an apparent narrow victory for incumbent District 1 Councilmember Patrick Driscoll, who represents downtown and has emphasized the concerns SEE COUNCIL, P2
BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@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
Littleton city leaders were staring down a worst-case scenario if a proposal to raise the city’s sales tax had failed to pass in the election that ended Nov. 2. “This was a do-or-die vote,” said outgoing At-Large Councilmember Scott Melin in an interview with Colorado Community Media. Voters largely supported the initiative, known as 3A, which passed with nearly 59% of the vote. The proposal will raise the city’s sales tax by 0.75%, or by 75 cents on every $100 spent, and is projected to raise about $9 million annually for the Capital Projects Fund to pay for more than 70 projects that have been backlogged. It is the first time the city has increased its sales tax in almost 50 years. “It is never easy to ask for a tax increase but I credit voters for understanding the urgency of the need,” said City Manager Mark Relph in a statement. The issue had united incumbent councilmembers, as well as candidates, who said its passage was the
SEE SCHOOLS, P6
SEE SALES TAX, P8
Gretchen Rydin, left, and Stephen Barr celebrate their election to city council seats PHOTO BY ROBERT TANN during a watch party on Nov. 2 at Carboy Winery.
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
Littleton boosted its sales tax. Here’s what that means.
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 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19 | SPORTS: PAGE 26
ACCESSING THE OUTDOORS
Colorado provides recreational opportunities for people with disabilities P16
