November 12, 2020
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
GoldenTranscript.net
VOLUME 154 | ISSUE 49
Jeffco school board member resigns, leaving opening BY YESENIA ROBLES FOR CHALKBEAT COLORADO
From left, Judy Baker, Jane Tracy, Congressman Ed Perlmutter, Nola Krajewski and Megara Pullen attend a ribbon cutting and plaque dedication honoring John Tracy in Golden. PHOTOS BY BOB WOOLEY
Tracy memorial plaque dedicated in Golden Family and friends pay tribute to his character and love for the city PHOTOS BY BOB WOOLEY BWOOLEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Dozens of people gathered for a ribboncutting and memorial plaque dedication honoring long-time Golden newsman and city booster, John Tracy. The plaque is located on the south side of the Golden Visitors Center, near the walking path along Clear Creek.
Jane Tracy stands for a portrait at the dedication of the memorial plaque honoring her late husband John Tracy in Golden.
Democrats roll to victories in an increasingly blue Jeffco Voter rolls show definite shift over last decade BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
It’s been over 100 years since there was a Jefferson County Board of Commissioners without a Republi-
can commissioner. But that will be the case come January after Democrats won the two seats up for election in 2020 to take over the entire board for the first time since the late 1880s. It’s a result that might have seemed surprising — shocking even — as recently as 2017 when Republicans still held two of the three seats. But it was par for the course in
2020 as Jeffco voters also preferred the Democratic candidates running for president and Colorado’s US Senate seat by double digit margins, flipped the First Judicial District Attorney’s office blue and chose to send Democrats to the state house in six of the seven districts with more than 250 voters in Jefferson County. SEE JEFFCO, P6
The five-member Jeffco school board soon will have an open seat. Board member Ron Mitchell announced his resignation during a board meeting Thursday night citing health needs and a desire to spend more time with family. “All of my past sins from a health point of Mitchell view are beginning to catch up with me and one of the things I need to do is a better job of taking care of me,” Mitchell said, adding that he didn’t want the public to worry. His resignation will be effective Nov. 12. Mitchell, 75, represents Jeffco’s District 5 which includes the southern part of the district bordering Denver and Arapahoe County. Mitchell is serving a second term on the board which was set to run until next November. Mitchell was first elected to the board after Jeffco voters recalled three conservative board members. He ran for reelection unopposed in 2017. During his tenure, Mitchell served as board president and most recently as one of two board vice presidents. His colleagues on the board praised him as they accepted his resignation. Board member Stephanie Schooley recalled meeting Mitchell when she was a parent at a school meeting. “You made our community feel heard and feel like we were a part of a conversation that mattered,” Schooley said. Mitchell choked back tears as he recalled his long history with the district, first as a student, and later as SEE SCHOOLS, P11
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 20
KEEPING THE FAITH
COVID-19 forces churches in the metro area to adapt in a variety of ways P14