The October Surprise.  Every political science major (like Mayor Paul) knows the advantage incumbent politicians gain by using their insider power to create an issue that will either help their re-election efforts or hurt the chances of their opponents.  The political dictionary defines October surprise as a “news event late in a political campaign that has the potential to influence the outcome of an election. Because Election Day is typically held…

Everyone knows the old expression “you can’t fight city hall” means the establishment in Lakewood.  The recent controversy around the citizens’ growth initiative has stirred up all the special interests who run Lakewood.  In addition to the developers and financial interests, the opposition to the citizens’ initiative has brought out the usual groups who seek government support (advocates for affordable housing and bicycles, business associations, and nonprofits).  In addition to…

         It is a well known fact one of the ways the special interests retain control over the establishment both here and around the country is to use the court system to defeat efforts by the people to take control of their government.  The latest example of this is Lakewood’s growth initiative.               When it became clear the special interests were…

Over the years the establishment has been very good about keeping tight control over their minions.  It is well known when three or four candidates run for a Council seat it can result in some strange upsets.  The most recent example was when Charlie Able won a Ward 1 seat with a little over 40% of the vote.  It was slightly more than his establishment opponent.  However the other establishment…

             We’re all familiar with the phrase “politics make strange bedfellows”.  We have previously discussed the unholy alliance between the developers and the liberals [see December 2016].  However, the recently proposed building permit moratorium took this to an all new level.  Reformer Ramey Johnson, supported by the Council independents, proposed a six-month moratorium on new building permits for large multi-family residential projects.  The liberals led…

  The establishment’s efforts to grow Lakewood by annexing over 300 acres of southern Rooney Valley from neighboring Morrison has taken a radical turn.   After the initial proposal met with a hailstorm of opposition it appeared the developer and his politician allies would wait out the November election in hopes their chances would improve in 2018.   The latest word is the developer now figures he better get the best…

                An issue that often comes up in politics is the “carpetbagger” question.  The qualifications to run for elected office usually include a residency requirement (except for some special districts, like fire and water, where property ownership is sufficient).  This usually requires a potential candidate to live in their district for at least one year (12 consecutive months) prior to the election.  While…

           Since the current City Council, under Adam Paul, is unable (or unwilling) to control or limit the rash of new residential development (mostly apartments), a citizens group has proposed a Strategic Growth Initiative to place an issue on November’s ballot that would impose a 1% per year growth limit on residential construction.            Pursuant to the City Charter’s initiative rules, Lakewood…

The race for Ward 3 took an unexpected turn with the incumbent’s decision to run for state representative.  When Perlmutter declared his intention to run for Governor it set off a round of musical chairs throughout Jefferson County.  State representative Brittany Peterson declared she would be running for Perlmutter’s CD7 congressional seat.  The possibility of State House District 28 being vacated by Peterson was all the incentive Shakti needed to…

            Here’s Johnny.  He’s Back! Like a Jack Nicholson scene from the Shining, Crazy Jon Ludwigson is back in the race for the Ward 4 seat being vacated by the term-limited David Wiechman.  The son of former Council member Carol Kesselman has long been the favorite of the establishment.  However, always a bridesmaid, Ludwigson has been passed over a couple previous elections.  This time things seemed to be…