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November 27, 2014 VOLU M E 6 | I SS UE 48 | 5 0 ¢
BrightonBanner.com A D A M S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
E-cigs treated same as tobacco Brighton City Council amends municipal code to enforce new items By Lou Ellen Bromley
broleyclan@hotmail.com
A member of the Guardians of the Bell, rings the 991-pound bronze bell embedded with war artifacts.
Foundation seeks to honor vets By Crystal Anderson
canderson@colorado communitymedia.com
POSTAL ADDRESS
Seven tolls resonate for the fallen. In May, the Honor Bell will ring for the first time, symbolizing honor, dignity and respect for Colorado’s fallen veterans. “Honors are rituals, and military honors that are given is a ritual where they do things in a certain manner,” said Frank Griggs, founder of the Honor Bell Foundation. “What we wanted to do is come up with a way of honoring veterans beyond just taps, beyond just presenting the flag — a final toll, in honor of this individual.” A nonprofit organization, the Honor Bell Foundation seeks to recognize deceased veterans with a tolling ceremony at their funeral. After the presentation of the flag to the next of kin, the 35-second ceremony will consist of seven tolls, each with their own meaning: response, service, protection, defense, sacrifice, suffering and loss of life. “Honor, respect and dignity are really at the hallmark of what we’re doing,” said Michelle
Founder Frank Griggs stands among fallen veterans at the Fort Logan Cemetery. Courtesy photos
Vets continues on Page 13
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P L EA SE R ECYC L E T H I S C OPY
Brighton City Council voted 8 to 1 to regulate electronic cigarettes under the same rules and regulations governing the sale and use of tobacco in Brighton at Tuesday night’s city council meeting. Changes to the municipal code and land use and development code will now include the e-cigs. The changes were adopted to clarify where the devices could be sold, where they can be used in a public setting and to prevent the sale of these items to anyone under the age of 18. The FDA is currently studying the impact on public health and safety from secondhand smoke/vapor produced by these devices, because the materials used in them could be any number of products, including simple flavors, nicotine or other potentially harmful products. Until such time as the FDA completes the study, the e-cigs will now come under the same laws governing tobacco use and sale in Brighton. Council members voted to approve the municipal code to create new fees and charges for the use of water, wastewater and sewer. With this new rate schedule the average Brighton resident will see a small increase in their water bill. The increase is needed to continue to provide water service to residents and for maintenance on the water systems. The costs include an 8 percent increase in the water fund, a 4 percent increase in wastewater fund and an increase of $0.64 for storm water service fees. The city council also approved an E-cigs continues on Page 2
Democrats suffer whiplash in vote tallies 1936 was last strong year for Adams County Republicans By Vic Vela
vvela@coloradocommunitymedia.com A lot of things have happened since 1936 — Hawaii and Alaska becoming states and the inventions of canned beer, color television and the Slinky, just to name a few. But prior to this month, Republicans doing really well in Adams County elections is something that had not happened in 78 years. “Before the Depression and the Franklin Roosevelt era, Adams County up until that point been a Republican county,” said longtime Republican Adams County politico and historian Bob Briggs. “The whole aspect of the Depression changed that and the Democrats have been in control since then.”
Here’s a fact that really puts the election results from Nov. 4 into perspective: Until recently, a Chicago Cubs World Series appearance had been a more modern-day historical moment than there being a majority of Republicans holding elected offices in Adams County. That salt-in-the-wound reality is something county Democrats continue to ponder now that the votes from Nov. 4 have all been counted from an election where many Democrats lost races few thought were even possible to lose. “I never saw Democratic candidates out there doing anything, any sort of campaigning, and they took their wins for granted,” said Adams County Republican Party Chairman Gary Mikes. “We passed them up and by the time they realized it, they were done.” The results from Nov. 4 are striking: • Republican Beth Martinez-Humenik defeated former Democratic state Rep. Judy Solano for an open state Senate seat that had been held by termlimited Democrat Lois Tochtrop. The win gave Republicans a one-seat majority in the chamber. • Democratic state Rep. Jenise May — who sits on the Legislature’s important Joint Budget Committee and who easily won her seat in 2012 — lost to JoAnn Windholz. What’s more stunning about May’s defeat is that Democrats considered her seat
so safe, they pegged her to head an operation aimed at getting more Democrats elected to the House. • Democratic Attorney General candidate Don Quick lost Adams County by four points to opponent Cynthia Coffman, who won the election. Quick is the former district attorney for Adams County. • Of the 32,222 Adams County voters who cast ballots in the 6th Congressional District race, they overwhelmingly supported Republican Congressman Mike Coffman over Andrew Romanoff by a margin of more than 11 points. • Republican candidates won two county commission seats and, for the first time since 1936, they will hold the offices of sheriff, assessor, treasurer and clerk and recorder at the same time. All of this in a county where Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 26,000 registered voters, about a 10-point advantage. And Adams is a county that is right up a Democratic candidate’s alley — a diverse, blue-collar county where many middle-class workers and families reside. “Anytime you have losses like that it’s going to be alarming, sure,” said state Democratic Party Chairman Rick Palacio. “We’ll take a long look at the Dems continues on Page 11