Mayor’s Effort to Protect Developers Endangers Voters

October 30, 2014May 25, 2015

As part of his ongoing efforts to promote more development in Lakewood, Mayor Murphy had his city council create new legal protection for shoddy condo builders. Called the construction defects bill, the new ordinance makes it impossible for new condo projects to sue their builders for any shoddy construction work.

Regardless of the relative merits of having the city step in to protect his developer buddies, the measure denies the legal right of homeowners to go to court to force builders to correct their mistakes. This means the right to access the court system is diminished in Lakewood as opposed to the rest of the state of Colorado. This discrepancy in treatment will eventually lead to lawsuits against the city to throw out this different set of rules. When this happens the taxpayers of Lakewood will have to pay the legal costs of defending this erroneous rule.

The mayor promises that the state legislature will come to Lakewood’s rescue and change the state rules to match the new city rules. Given the failure of the legislature to make these changes last year it is quite a gamble the mayor is making with our money.

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2019 City Elections

This November will see the election of a mayor and five Council members. All the seats, except one (Ward 3) currently have incumbents running for re-election.

Currently Split Council

The establishment has run Lakewood since its inception. However in 2017, six of the ten Council seats were captured by independent or reform candidates without a loyalty to the mayor. This has created a unique phenomenon where the establishment is technically in the minority. As a result they have lost a number of votes including selection of the #2 Council officer, mayor pro tem.

Can Establishment Regain Total Control?

The Mayor and five Council seats are up for election in November. Only one seat is open as Pete Roybal (W3) is term-limited. In the other four wards, there are incumbents running for a second term – Charley Able (W1), Sharon Vincent (W2), Barb Franks (W4) and Dana Gutwein (W5).

Of the five Council seats up for election, three are currently held by reformers – Able, Roybal and Franks. If these three seats are won by independent candidates or if the mayor is defeated then the balance remains in favor of the independents. If the establishment picks up one of these seats currently held by independents then the balance of power could swing back to the establishment.

Lakewood Mayor

Adam Paul

The incumbent brings a mixed bag to this rematch of his 2015 race. Being the incumbent is usually worth 5 to 10 percent points, being listed first on the ballot is good for 2 to 5 points and having the financial support of the special interests would ordinarily be an unbeatable combination. No Lakewood mayor has ever failed to win re-election. Furthermore the establishment has won the mayor’s seat in every election for fifty years. However Adam has a major problem. The voters do not like his position on the issues that are most important – land use and growth management. He led the opposition to the citizens’ slow growth ballot issue (200) and was beaten badly despite outspending the citizens 38 to 1.

Ramey Johnson

The incumbent’s dismal track record plus the popularity of the Ward 1 Councilor may combine to change the outcome of this rematch of the 2015 race. In her 2015 run for mayor she came within half a percent (a few hundred votes) of beating the establishment candidate but the school board recall that year brought in a flood of voters that were out to “punish” Republicans. Without a school board race to skew the results the voters may finally be able to control this important position.

City Council Ward 1

Charley Able

The incumbent is being challenged by the wannabe legislator looking to put an office on her political resume. Taking independence to the extreme the Councilor has few political allies to help ward off the Democratic blue wave trying to sweep Lakewood.

Kyra Elise deGruy

Trading in the husband for a state legislator is paying big dividends with a flood of Democratic money, endorsements and volunteers coming in. Having lived in the Ward for more than three years now, the perennial candidate is hoping the second time is the charm. She had tons of special interest money last time but it didn’t do the trick. This time she has even more money, so if voters are for sale it will probably manifest itself in this ward.

City Council Ward 2

Sharon Vincent

The establishment incumbent is running for re-election in the establishment’s greatest stronghold. What is there to say?

City Council Ward 3

Anita Springsteen

Although the local attorney is unaffiliated she was previously registered as a Democrat. She represents the independents and reformers seeking to slow growth in Lakewood. Endorsed by Pete Roybal, the term-limited incumbent, she is supported by a broad coalition including sustainability-interested Democrats and Unaffiliated as well as Republicans who favor smaller government. Although she won’t get the special interest money she may not need it since Hollender comes across to the average voter as a stooge of the establishment.

Henry Hollender

Hollender represents the old establishment. A civil engineer who moved to Lakewood a decade ago he is a professional city planner type. Therefore, it made sense for Mayor Murphy to put him on the Planning Commission where he has faithfully pushed the establishment’s development agenda for eight years. Although he looks like a middle-age white guy he not only has the establishment backing but is also supported by the establishment Democrats including the Bernie Sanders progressive Dems.

City Council Ward 4

Barb Franks

The incumbent epitomizes a non-politician technocrat statesman. Registered as unaffiliated she has a track record of fairness, intelligence and hard work that makes her arguably the best (in a quality sense) member of Council. She is the most knowledgeable candidate and popular with most of her constituents. As a reformer she will probably gain voters from every political stripe. A vigorous campaigner she will be very difficult to beat in this ward known for its independence.

Christopher Arlen

Coming literally out of left field is a newcomer that has never been seen around City Hall until he filed his candidacy. While he acknowledges he is totally unprepared for office he does offer a flowery vision. As a liberal Democrat from out-of-state, minority and gay he offers everything (except for gender) a progressive could possibly want in a “rainbow” candidate. While he would play well in San Francisco, it will be interesting to see if the pragmatic voters of Ward 4 are interested in “identity” politics.

City Council Ward 5

Dana Gutwein

The liberal Democrat incumbent is a professional politician that probably will be impossible to beat. Including her four-year term on Council, she has been running for office for over five years. As the darling of the progressive Democrats as well as a faithful servant of the establishment she is rolling in special interest money. It would take an act of God to dislodge her from her establishment stronghold.

Chad Gardner

He claims to have spent his entire life in Lakewood. That’s fine but he is barely old enough to run for office. Although he has youthful enthusiasm it’s hard to see how he can possibly dislodge a consummate politician like the incumbent in this establishment stronghold. While the incumbent is rolling in special interest money the young man literally doesn’t have a dime. It might end up being the largest spending mismatch in Lakewood history