8/15/24: Part 3 - Geographic Wards in Westminster
Also visuals/updates from Westminster’s State of the City
If you missed it, see my previous newsletter:
Before we jump in: August 13 was our annual “State of the City”. The event provided updates on city improvements, changes, and relevant developments; and also featured a Q&A session with three Superintendents of our school districts. I will sprinkle in visuals from that event throughout my Wards update below.
Also, if you need to catch up on our journey of changing Westminster from all at-large to a Wards system, go read last week’s update:
Part 1: Geographic Wards in Westminster (Part 1)
Part 2: Geographic Wards in Westminster (Part 2)
Part 3: Geographic Wards in Westminster
Update: much has changed in 7 days.
At City Council on August 12, 2024:
Several of my colleagues on City Council, after thoughtful discussions with two residents, reconsidered their stance on what the most suitable Ward structure for Westminster could be.
As I stated on the dais, I was OK with that and personally flexible with where we chose to land; but what I would not have been OK with was inaction or further delaying a decision. We were on the brink of kicking the can down the road again, but thankfully, we moved forward.
A quick note about change.
I try to stay hyperaware that most humans struggle with the discomfort of change. I am comfortable embracing change, thanks to my experience navigating and implementing it through my former leadership roles in the private sector. But I do at least understand the anxiety from making such a major change to our City Charter and our collective desire to make sure we do the most good for Westminster residents.
When working on a team like City Council where diversity of thought is present in equal measure to passion, the challenge in my mind is always to stay aware of human nature and try to avoid the paralysis that can come from too much analysis - which is, of course, largely driven by the discomfort of change.
OK, jumping back in…
On Monday night, there was a long discussion with several alternative ideas from different Councillors. Here is where we landed:
REJECTED (4-3 vote): Three Wards (two Councillors from each Ward and one Mayor at-large). I was one of the dissenting votes because I strongly believe that Historic Westminster (the southern part of Westminster) needs the representation w/o the dilution driven by at-large members. Reminder: my hope with Wards is to bring equity to historically underrepresented areas, allowing for a more balanced distribution of resources and attention across the entire city.
ACCEPTED (5-2 vote): Three wards (two Councilors from each Ward PLUS two Councillors at-large, and one Mayor at-large); this grows our Council from 7 total to 9 total. I voted in favor of this option because, although it may dilute representation, the alternative would have been we do nothing and keep everything the same as it is today (all at-large). This hybrid compromise would still ensure the southern part of our city is adequately represented.
We couldn’t officially vote on that amended plan Monday night, and we are on a compressed timeline in a race against the clock to get this to our counties.
Next Steps for Wards
August 19 Special Meeting: First Reading vote on the new Ordinance getting drafted now
August 26 City Council Meeting: Second Reading vote on the Ordinance.
Submit ballot question to Jefferson and Adams Counties.
November election: Citizen vote on the Ballot question
If approved, begin a six month community-driven design of Wards which will go live in the 2025 municipal election
Stay tuned for Part 4 of the Wards journey!
Yours in hope and service,
Obi
More Visuals from the State of the City:
If you want to see the rest of the slides, just send me an email!
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