75 CENTS
DECEMBER 22, 2016
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
CROSSTOWN SHOWDOWN
GETTING READY FOR 2017: The new
year means a new chance for healthy living P16
Council picks city manager finalists Six candidates will be interviewed by officials, residents in February BY KYLE HARDING KHARDING@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Casey Opitz drives to the hoop to score on a fast break for Heritage during Dec. 13 non-league boys basketball game against Littleton. Opitz and two teammates scored 14 points each as Heritage won the game, 69-35. Find more coverage on page 28. TOM MUNDS
SONYA’S SAMPLER A look at events in the arts community P24
GIVING BACK: Toyland program distributes gifts to hospitalized children P4
Littleton City Council has narrowed the search for a new city manager to six choices. And while council agreed to move forward with interviewing the six finalists, several members said at a special meeting Dec. 15 that none of the candidates particularly stood out to them. “I had a really difficult time doing this because nobody really grabbed me,” Councilmember Peggy Cole said. The finalists were selected out of a pool of 10 applicants who were asked by council to fill out questionnaires. Those 10 came out of 29 applicants selected by Waters & Co. Executive Recruitment, a Texas-based firm the city contracted in October to find a replacement for former City Manager Michael Penny, who was fired by council in June. The six finalists will be interviewed in a three-day process Feb. 1-3, which will include a seven-person panel of Littleton SEE MANAGER, P9
THE BOTTOM LINE PERIODICAL
‘I wish for people to feel comfortable with their neighbors across the street who might look, think, or even behave differently than them.’ State Sen. Linda Newell | Page 12 INSIDE
VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 25 | SPORTS: PAGE 28
LittletonIndependent.net
VOLUME 128 | ISSUE 22