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November 13, 2014 VOLU M E 51 | I SS UE 1 3 | 5 0 ¢
Northglenn-ThorntonSentinel.com A D A M S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
GOP nearly sweep county Only two Democrat candidates win county office By Tammy Kranz
tkranz@coloradocommunitymedia.com
North Metro Fire Rescue firefighters work to extinguish the blaze caused after a small plane hits a home in Northglenn on May 5. The pilot survived the crash and there was no one in the home at the time of the crash. Courtesy photo by North Metro Fire
Voters approve fire district mill levy By Tammy Kranz
tkranz@colorado communitymedia.com As school district tax initiatives failed throughout Adams County, voters did favor a 3.5 mill levy increase for North Metro Fire Rescue District.
“We are very appreciative of the support from our community,” said Fire Chief David Ramos. “By passing this mill levy increase, we will be able to continue delivering the high quality emergency services our citizens deserve, while remaining cost efficient.” NMFR provides services for more than 111,000 residents in the city and county of Broomfield, the city of Northglenn and portions of Adams, Boulder and Jefferson and Weld counties — spanning an area of 63
square miles. According to the unofficial final results, voters in Adams County approved the ballot measure by 55.18 percent, or 7,176 votes; while 44.82 percent, or 5,829 people, rejected the tax initiative. The mill levy increase of 3.5 mills will cost homeowners an estimated $2.32 per $100,000 value each month. The funding will be used to add firefighting personnel, address highest priority equipment needs (such as ambulances, fire engines, firefighting gear), and update and repair fire stations.
POSTAL ADDRESS
Adams 12 ballot measures fail, district faced with growth issues By Ashley Reimers
areimers@coloradocommunitymedia.com
NORTHGLENN-THORNTON SENTINEL (ISSN 1044-4254) (USPS 854-980) OFFICE: 8703 Yates Dr., Ste. 210 Westminster, CO 80031 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Adams County, Colorado, the NorthglennThornton Sentinel is published weekly on Thursday by MetroNorth Newspapers, 8703 Yates DR., Ste. 210 Westminster, CO 80031. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT WESTMINSTER, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 8703 Yates Dr., Ste. 210 Westminster, CO 80031 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 5 p.m. G ET SOCIAL WITH US
P L EA SE R ECYC L E T H I S C OPY
“As a board, we considered all of the data and options and weighed input from residents before deciding to put a tax increase on the ballot,” said NMFR Board President John Abboud. “These results, I think, are indicative of what we heard from the community. Public safety and response times are priorities, and we needed the additional revenue to meet those priorities.” Since 2004, the district’s population has grown by 22 percent. In that same time, its emergency call volume has increased by 37 percent.
By the final ballot count, voters in the Adams 12 Five Star School District decided against a mill levy override and bond question that would have poured money into classrooms and dealt with future growth issues. For 3I, a $15 million mill levy override, 56 percent of the voters did not support the measure, while 61 percent voted against 3J, a $220 million bond. Passage of 3J would have provided students and teachers with updated text books, technology and instructional materials and invested more dollars in curriculum. Teachers would have also received additional training and support to enhance student learning. As for the bond, the $220 million would have been used to make a major dent in the growth issues the district is facing. Plans for two new K-8 schools, one in the Anthem neighborhood in Broomfield and the other in the Lewis Pointe subdivision in north Thornton, will now be put on hold as well as the construction of a preschool. The district would have also used the bond dollars to maintain and replace leaking roofs, low-functioning heating and cooling systems and faulty plumbing. And about $7 mil-
lion from the bond would have gone towards equipping and preparing students for 21st Century learning by renovating and modernizing classrooms and building more workspace for career and technical education. The loss of both measures was disappointing for Superintendent Chris Gdowski and the many supporters in the district and the community. The district must now move forward and focus on addressing the urgency of crowding in the Broomfield and north Thornton areas of the district. “We don’t have any concrete plans at this point,” Gdowski said. “But we are discussing our options and will be engaging with the community on the growth issues.” Some of those options could include boundary changes, which could require students to move to different schools with lower populations, split scheduling, year-round schooling or rotating blocks. For Shannon Bird, an Adams 12 parent, the loss of the ballot measures was tough to swallow. During the campaign Bird spent hours and hours educating the community on the benefits of 3I and 3J. And although the election is over, and the voters have spoken, Bird’s commitment to the students of Adams 12 is not done. “I believe in public education and now I have to double down on my efforts to keep our community informed on what our students need and what’s going on in our district,” she said. “Hopefully we can get more people participating in the dialogue so that next time we come to the voters there is a different outcome.” As the district moves forward, Gdowski said the staff is committed to giving their all to the students by providing the best education possible, with the resources available.
There were eight contested races for Adams County offices and the majority of voters chose Republicans to fill all but two seats. “This is historic,” said Jan Pawlowski, the Republican who won the District 5 county commissioner seat. “There hasn’t been a majority of Republicans in elected offices in Adams County since 1940 and I’m proud to be a part of it.” Voters chose the Republican candidates for sheriff, clerk and recorder, assessor, treasurer and two county commissioner seats. Only Democrats Monica BroncuciaJordan and Steve O’Dorisio won their election bids for coroner and a District 4 commissioner, respectively. The newly elected officials will be sworn in Jan. 13.
New sheriff in town
The majority of voters in Adams County chose Mike McIntosh as their new sheriff. McIntosh garnered 51.52 percent (62,632) of the votes; while his opponent Democrat Rick Reigenborn received 48.47 percent (58,905) of the votes. “I am honored to have been elected as the 17th sheriff of Adams County and want to thank our citizens for their trust and support,” McIntosh said. “The journey ahead is exciting and I look forward to serving Adams County in this new era with the Sheriff’s Office.” He replaces term-limited Sheriff Doug Darr. McIntosh has been with Adams County Sheriff’s Office for more than 26 years and has served in every division of the agency, most recently the division chief of administrative services. He has lived in Adams County for almost 40 years and graduated from Brighton High School. He served in the U.S. Navy before joining the Sheriff’s Office in 1988.
History made
The first ever District 4 and District 5 commissioners were elected. Pawloski and Democrat Steve O’Dorisio will be sworn-in as the first commissioners to fill the newly created board seats. Voters approved in 2012 a ballot measure to increase the number of elected commissioners from three to five. Members on the board will be residents in their districts but are to be elected by the voters of the entire county. It was a close race, but O’Dorisio won the majority vote for the District 4 spot — he received 50.23 percent (60,703) of the votes. His opponent, Republican Joe Domenico, received 49.77 percent (60,143) of the votes. That’s a difference of 560 votes. O’Dorisio lives in the Welby neighborhood and served four years with the Adams County District Attorney’s Office as a prosecutor. He served seven years on the Adams County Planning Commission. Pawlowski secured 50.45 percent (60,846) of the vote, defeating her opponent, Democrat Wilma Rose who received GOP continues on Page 2