7/20/24: Geographic Wards in Westminster (Part 1)
Part 1 of my Wards series...stay tuned for more
For its entire history, Westminster, Colorado has had an all at-large City Council system where council members are elected by the entire voting population of the city rather than by districts or wards.
An all at-large system may have worked when the city was smaller, but in modern times it only serves to dilute minority representation, overlook localized issues, reduce accountability, favor well-known candidates, limit voter choice, and hinder equitable resource distribution. I won the election in 2021, but it took a Herculean effort to effectively reach a city with 116,000 residents, which is not fair to expect of every candidate.
So, we did something about it. With my efforts and others, we got a question on the ballot. On November 7, 2023, 53% of the Westminster electorate voted Yes for the following ballot question:
Shall the Westminster City Council propose by 2026 a system of electing some or all City Council members from geographic wards rather than at-large?
Next, in May 2024, we formed a special Wards Advisory Committee, comprised of individuals appointed by City Council. We each got to appoint one person from the community: Annie Miller (my appointee), Bev Bishop, Bill Christopher, Tom Jurgens, Anita Seitz, and Elyce Jarvis. The Committee was tasked with providing providing City Council a recommendation on:
The number of wards/districts within the city.
The number of council members per ward/district.
Whether to include at-large council members (with the Mayor elected at-large)
On July 18, 2024, I decided to attend the final Wards Advisory Committee meeting and I was so glad that I was able to observe democracy in action. In this meeting, they reached a consensus on a set of three options of recommendations that the consultant will present to us on City Council this Monday, July 22.
The Advisory Committee debated the representation needs of Historic Westminster, population distribution within wards, fiscal concerns, and the feasibility of voter approval for different ward structures, including multi-member wards and the electoral residency requirements for councilors.
With the consultant's guidance, they took into account the values of effective communication, access to representation, city-wide recall ability, geographic representation, and responsiveness to the entire city, as well as equity, fiscal responsibility, and community input.
Here are the three options for Wards we will choose from at City Council:
Option A (7 total on City Council): 4 wards (one Councilor each) with 2 at-large and 1 Mayor
Option B (9 total on City Council): 3 wards (two Councilors each) with 2 at-large and 1 Mayor
Option C (7 total on City Council): 3 wards (two Councilors each) with zero at-large and 1 Mayor
If Council makes a decision on Monday then staff will draft an ordinance and put it up for a vote in August to place a charter amendment on the November ballot.
If that ballot question passes, then we will embark on the DESIGN of the wards. THAT’S when the fun begins.
Link to my full voting record.
Some ways I try to meet you where you are:
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Text or call me: 720-447-5606
Door-knocking (not for an election) to meet you where you are, connect you to resources and hear from you about issues I should prioritize
City Council Town Halls around the city
Obi’s Community Resources Master List