Neighborhood Gazette November 2013

Page 1

Local & Creative Gift-Giving see page 5

‘Tis the Season for Giving see page 2

Do You Love Your Pet? see page 10

Gazette NEIGHBORHOOD

Wheat Ridge | Edgewater | NOVEMBER 15 – DECEMBER 19, 2013

Wheat Ridge To Swear In New Leadership This Month BY J. PATRICK O’LEARY

W

heat Ridge will swear in a new mayor and four new councilmen this month, after voters picked two to fill seats vacated by mayoral candidates and replaced two incumbents. Term-limited mayor Jerry DiTullio unseated current District I councilman Davis Reinhart in a four-way race in which the winner garnered just 31 percent of the vote. While in District IV newcomer Genevieve Wooden dethroned current councilman Joseph DeMott in a relatively low-turnout contest. Current District II councilwoman Joyce Jay battled and beat District III’s Mike Stites for DiTullio’s soon-to-be-vacant mayor’s chair. Voters gave Jay’s former seat to Zachary Urban, and Stites’ to Tim Fitzgerald. DiTullio, Urban, DeMott and Dick Matthews actively campaigned together with mayoral candidate Stites as part of a “From Different Paths…Moving Forward Together” platform. Voters rejected three of the five, including Stites, but Jay’s seat was filled by Urban, who campaigned on Stites’ slate. Stite’s seat was filled by Fitzgerald, who defeated the Stites-aligned Matthews. Stites-aligned DiTullio ousted Reinhart from District I, yet District IV incumbent

DeMott lost his seat to Wooden, a supporter of Jay’s. What this means for future council decisions is not clear. Stites voted against submitting a sales tax increase to the voters in this election, DiTullio exercised his mayoral veto to keep it off the ballot, and Urban penned a column deriding the increase. Yet Jay also voted against the increase as a council member. Most candidates on the Stites-led ticket opposed recent changes to 38th Avenue, especially parking and lane reductions, and actively questioned city surveys showing early success of the changes. Yet their two victories were offset by two losses, and did not appear to add additional “nay” votes to council for that topic. To play this game of political musical chairs, candidates raised a combined total of $52,985.16 and spent $45,653.18 through the first campaign-reporting period (ending Oct. 24), according to the first of two campaign reports filed with the city. The numbers provide of snapshot of fundraising and spending 12 days before the election; the final figures won’t be available until after the Dec. 5 final campaign-reporting deadline. Continued on page 4

Ridge at 38 Rings in the Holidays on the Green, Dec. 8 BY LAURA POOLE

H

oliday Celebration, the annual gala that revels in the joy of the season, is nearly upon us. Dec. 8 will mark this year’s festival with all kinds of fun, family-friendly activities that will lead up to the lighting of the 25-foot evergreen. Let the kids meet Santa, ride the Polar Express, drink hot chocolate, ride on a horse-drawn carriage, and much more. Hosted by Ridge at 38, a Holiday Celebration kicks off at 3 p.m. at the Green,

LIGHT-UP CANDY CANE NECKLACES were a hot item at last year’s Holiday Celebration, hosted by Ridge at 38. PHOTO BY JOYCE JAY

located on the north side of 38th Avenue between Upham and Reed streets. Free activities for the family include getting a picture taken with Santa and his elves, carolers, live music and performances, a horse-drawn carriage, crafts for kids, a Polar Express-inspired trackless train ride, and more. Ridge at 38 is also very proud to promote local and unique artisan shops to better connect our community, so feel free to browse around to find unique holiday gifts from vintage clothing to fine art and jewelry. There will also be free hot chocolate, cider and cookies being handed out all night, and all the fixings for s’mores will be available in front of Right Coast Pizza. Stores will open their doors and have specials and snacks, and there will be a festive competition to see who has the best storefront. The lighting of the tree will commence at 6 o’clock and everyone is invited to watch as the traditional evergreen sparkles and shines in front of Wheat Ridge 5-8 School, on the west end of 38th. “We’re hoping to have just as many people there having a great time and enjoying themselves in Wheat Ridge,” said Wheat Ridge 2020 Events and Communications Coordinator Mara Owen. “It’s just been great watching Ridge at 38 grow and watching all the businesses really getting along with the community.” One of the sponsors of the event is Continued on page 2

CAROLERS LENT A FESTIVE AIR to last year’s Holiday Celebration at the Green, located on the north side of 38th Avenue between Upham and Reed. The popular event will return Dec. 8, with family-friendly activities, pictures with Santa, live music, a horse-drawn carriage and hot chocolate and s’mores. For more details visit ridgeat38.com. PHOTO BY JOYCE JAY

Retail Pot OK’d, Cities Navigate ‘Uncharted Waters’ BY CYNDY BEAL

A

s the state continues to hash out details and taxation on retail cannabis (marijuana) and related products, Wheat Ridge and Edgewater have made their decisions. On Jan.1, 2014, both cities will allow their existing medical marijuana dispensaries to additionally operate as retail marijuana businesses. Medical marijuana dispensaries and persons in “Good Standing,” per the Colorado Department of Revenue’s Marijuana Enforcement Division, were allowed to apply for retail marijuana licenses on Oct. 1. Both city councils voted to allow retail marijuana centers within their borders. Presently there are just under a dozen medical marijuana dispensaries, with five in Wheat Ridge and four in Edgewater. (Edgewater has another in process.) Edgewater’s City Council voted unanimously in favor on Sept. 19, and Wheat Ridge City Council voted 5-3 in favor on Oct. 14. A common concern with those opposed to retail marijuana in Wheat Ridge is a possible increase in under-age consumption. Wheat Ridge council member Joyce Jay voted against adding retail marijuana to the medical marijuana ordinances. “I just couldn’t put my stamp of approval on it,” she said for several reasons, including “youth susceptibility” to marijuana and the growing health-minded activities and events in Wheat Ridge. “A person’s health is their own business,” she said, but it just “doesn’t jibe.” Council member George Pond voted with the majority and said: “The city has done a great job managing medical marijuana. There’s a model of regulations in place, and it’s been successful.”

Both Wheat Ridge and Edgewater have many regulations, including restrictions on the distance medical marijuana centers may be from one another, as well as distance from such places as schools. When Colorado voters approved Amendment 64 in November 2012, the amendment to the state constitution allowing a person over 21 to consume or possess limited amounts of marijuana, up to 1 ounce for Colorado residents, it permitted “local governments to regulate or prohibit such facilities,” according to the Colorado state ballot of November 2012. So far Wheat Ridge and Edgewater are the only two municipalities in Jefferson County to allow retail marijuana businesses. “We looked at it from purely a business standpoint,” said Edgewater council member Kris Teegardin. He added in the time the city has had medical marijuana dispensaries, the city hasn’t seen obvious problems, such as police calls to the dispensaries.

Medical to Retail In November 2000, Colorado voters passed Amendment 20. That amendment allowed patients (over the age of 18, or with parental consent) who are receiving medical treatment for a debilitating medical condition to apply for a medical marijuana registration identification card, with physician certification, through the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). In Edgewater, Northern Lights Natural Rx opened as a medical marijuana center close to three years ago. As part of Colorado’s Regulatory Structure, the dispensary is vertically integrated, meaning there is a common ownership of the dispensary and growing facility. The majority of marijuana products must be from that grow facility. Continued on page 10


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Neighborhood Gazette November 2013 by Neighborhood Gazette - Issuu