Most GV city council members will run for re-election in November

BY FREDA MIKLIN GOVERNMENTAL REPORTER

On November 7, all eight seats in the four city council districts of Greenwood Village will be up for election, as will the office of mayor.

In GV, city council terms are only two years long. Council terms for every other city in the metro area (e.g., Centennial, Cherry Hills Village, Englewood, Littleton, Lone Tree, Denver) are four years. The only elected official in GV who serves a four-year term is the mayor.

Members of GV’s city council are limited to four consecutive two-year terms. The mayor is limited to two consecutive four-year terms. Seven of the eight incumbent members of the city council, and the mayor, are eligible to run for re-election this year.

Mayor George Lantz told The Villager he plans to run for a second four-year term. Just prior to being elected mayor, unopposed, in 2019, Lantz served two terms on the city council beginning in 2015.

Correction

On March 9, we reported that a planned Westin Hotel in Greenwood Village was canceled by the city council. The hotel, which was planned to be built on land owned by GV and sold to the developer, was canceled because the developer was unable to deliver the product it had promised, a Westin, or a similar brand. The council was unwilling to accept a lesser product and returned the payment for the land. The developer returned the land to the city. The Villager regrets the error and thanks GV Mayor George Lantz for pointing it out.

Serving Arapahoe County for 40 Years

Keep up on your city, people, politics & social events SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Only $62 year

Call today to order your subscription: 303-773-8313

In GV district one, Council Member Paul Wiesner confirmed that he will run for a second term. Council Member Dave Bullock will have completed his fourth consecutive term in November, so he is not eligible to run again this year, creating an open seat in GV district one. As of press time, no candidate had publicly declared his or her intention to run for that seat.

Dave Kerber and Anne Ingebretsen are both in their 14th year on the GV City Council. Kerber and Ingebretsen were elected in 2017 on a platform of not allowing any new town- homes, condos, or apartments, regardless of price, to be built in the area south of the Landmark Towers. The vision was for that stretch of land, adjacent to the light rail station, to be redeveloped as new office buildings, restaurants, and retail. Very little redevelopment has occurred and the area looks much the same today as it did in 2017.

Both had previously served four consecutive terms on the city council, Kerber from 2003-2011 and Ingebretsen from 1999-2007. When we asked each of them if they planned to seek an unprecedented 8th city council term, Kerber said, “As of today, I am planning to run for my final term.” Ingebretsen said, “I haven’t really thought about it.”

In GV district three, Council Members Donna Johnston and Libby Barnacle answered with an unqualified, “Yes,” when each was asked if she planned to seek a third twoyear term this November.

Judy Hilton in GV district four told The Villager that she is “thinking about it,” when asked if she planned to run for a fourth and final consecutive term later this year. Tom Stahl, the other district four representative, confirmed he is planning to run for a second term.

To run for office in Greenwood Village, one must be a United States citizen, registered to vote, and at least 18 years old on election day. A city council candidate must have lived in the district in which he or she runs for at least one year prior to the election. Candidates for mayor must have lived in the city for at least one year.

The process of running for office begins in the first week of July of the year of the election, when a candidate can get an official nominating petition from the GV City Clerk. Candidates for city council must get signatures from at least 20 residents of the dis- trict in which they live and candidates for mayor need 50 signatures from across the city. Those petitions with the required valid signatures must be returned to the GV City Clerk by a specified date in late August which is no later than 71 days before the November 7 election. fmiklin.villager@gmail.com

Greenwood Village was last redistricted after the 2010 U.S. Census. No redistricting was necessary after the 2020 U.S. Census because there was no significant change in the districts in which the city’s 15,691 residents lived between 2010 and 2020.

City council members in GV earn $18,000 per year. The mayor is paid $36,000 per year.

For additional information on running for election for mayor or city council in Greenwood Village, contact Susan Ortiz, City Clerk at 303486-5752 or sortiz@greenwoodvillage.com.

St. Patrick Day has become a national celebration honoring an Irish Saint. The story goes that he chased the snakes out of Ireland. He was supposedly captured by the Romans and taken to Rome. But, somehow he survived, and made it back to the old sod and the history books.

The Irish played a huge role in Colorado because they were the primary working-class when railroads, mining, and agriculture emerged in the new Colorado territory. The gold rush began in Central City in 1859 at Gregory Gulch. 20,000 miners rushed to Colorado and then to Cripple Creek and Leadville.

Millions of Irish, who could afford a few pounds, fled the widespread Irish starvation that was occurring in the 1840s, 50s and 60s. The proud British empire owned most of the land in Ireland and poverty was widespread with famine. There was no love lost with the English landlords and there were religious issues as well; Ireland being a widespread Catholic country. The story goes that when the Spanish Armada attempted to attack England their ships were sunk, and potatoes washed up on the empire shores. These potatoes eventually helped ease the starvation in Ireland.

A large work force of Irish, largely men, arrived in America. Many were enlisted off the boats to fight for the Northern army in the 1860s. Thousands of Irish died in the civil war. The rest spread out across the new land and there were so many Irish seeking work in Boston they put signs in the windows NINA, meaning “No Irish Need Apply.” The

Irish were the vast minority and the work force for the new land, welcome or not.

My own grandfather, Patrick Sweeney, was one of those young men who arrived at Ellis Island in 1865 at the age of 19. He won five pounds in a plowboy contest in County Cork, Ireland and left his four brothers and parents to sail to America, never to return to Ireland.

A plowboy was judged on how deep and close the furrows were with a plow pulled by a horse. Because of his ability with horses, he worked his way west driving teams of horses to construct the railroads. My daughter Susan, and husband Mike, purchased a sculpture called “The Plough Boy” in Vail by the popular late artist, Walt Horton, not knowing our early history at the time.

Because so many Irish arrived in America with the opening of the West, they became homesteaders, miners, and common laborers.

There is a story about John Mullen who arrived in Denver penniless and applied at a flour mill for employment and was told, “No job.” He said he would work for free, so they put him to work and years later he owned the Hungarian Flour Mill and made a fortune. He left his mark in Denver as a great philanthropist with the Mullen name revered in Colorado history.

There are many famous and well-known Irish men and women in Colorado history and an estimated 300,000 people of Irish ancestry in the state.

Ireland is a beautiful country with deep green rolling hills. Home to many high-tech firms and famous for lamb stews and puddings.

They say the Irish would rule the world if it wasn’t for whiskey.

Mazda3 Is very competitive choice

This Mazda3 is a smart compact four-door sedan, almost a coupe.

Fast with a “Skyactiv” transmission normal and sport modes. The 2.5L engine has a turbo engine boost providing impressive acceleration with 227 horsepower. The 4-cylinder engine provides 26 mpg in the city and 31 on the freeway.

The exterior is a metallic “Machine Gray” that is almost black and blends well with the 18” inch black alloy wheels. The car has the resemblance of a police cruiser with a shark fin antenna.

The Mazda3 is like a young colt, wanting to run and the smooth turbo engine and excellent transmission make high speeds easy.

A special driver alert keeps tabs on the speed displayed on the windshield.

The interior is black and plush, the car excels in appearance both inside and out. Final assembly occurs in Hofu, Japan and the craftsmanship is exceptional in a $35,360 sedan. Both the engine and the transmission are manufactured in Japan. The

By H. Throttle

car has a 60- month, 60,000mile power train warranty.

The dashboard is simple compared to many of the new hybrid models. Heated seats and steering wheel are easy to control, and a center dial runs the home page of radio, navigation, and communication options.

Outside mirrors are wide and efficient and the LED headlights and taillights are the best in the industry. A Bose sound system with 12 speakers provides music and channel selections. Power lumbar support for the driver’s leather trimmed seats. A moonroof adds to the mystic of this classy roadster. The price is right for the many features and the latest safety options that give this Mazda3 a perfect five-star safety rating in all categories. For work or play, this is a very competitive vehicle that offers power, economy, and style. The best feature is the superior drive and turbo engine acceleration and the steering wheel paddle shifters. It was hard to obey the speed limits, but the radar cruise control worked well along with the screen safety alerts.

PUBLISHER

EDITOR

Gerri Sweeney gerri@villagerpublishing.com

PUBLISHER Robert Sweeney bsween1@aol.com

CREATIVE MARKETING DIRECTOR

Susan Sweeney Lanam 720-270-2018 susan@villagerpublishing.com

VICE PRESIDENT/MARKETING

Sharon Sweeney sharon@villagerpublishing.com

LEGALS

Becky Osterwald legal@villagerpublishing.com

NEWS EDITOR Gerri Sweeney 720-313-9751 gerri@villagerpublishing.com

GOVERNMENTAL REPORTER

Freda Miklin fmiklin.villager@gmail.com 303-489-4900

REPORTER

Robert Sweeney bsween1@aol.com

FASHION & LIFESTYLE

Scottie Iverson swan@denverswan.com

DESIGN/PRODUCTION MANAGER

Tom McTighe production@villagerpublishing.com

ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS

Susan Lanam — 720-270-2018 susan@villagerpublishing.com

Sharon Sweeney — 303-503-1388

Gerri Sweeney — 720-313-9751 gerri@villagerpublishing.com

Scottie Iverson swan@denverswan.com

Linda Kehr — 303-881-9469 linda@villagerpublishing.com

Valerie LeVier — 303-773-8313 valerie@villagerpublishing.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Susan 720-270-2018

PHOTOGRAPHER

Stefan Krusze — 303-717-8282 octaviangogoI@aol.com

EDITORIAL COLUMNIST

Robert Sweeney bsween1@aol.com

The Villager is an award-winning, locally owned, independent newspaper. All letters to the editor must be signed. The contributor’s name, hometown and phone number must also accompany all letters to the editor for verification and we reserve the right to edit contributions for space. We attempt to verify all matters of fact but hold contributors liable for the content, accuracy and fairness of their contributions. All submissions become the property of The Villager and may be reused in any medium.

Reverend Martin Niemoller “In Germany, the Nazis first came for the communists and didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a communist. Then they came for the Jews and I didn’t speak up because wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics and didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me and by that time there was no one left to speak for me!”

2020 Member