Westminster Elections Update #4
Ballots are here
I meant to share this update this morning but I had a big announcement to share.
Welcome back to my election mini-series, where I share clear updates to keep you informed and empowered. Over 10,000 people now subscribe to this newsletter, and while the response to this series has been overwhelmingly positive, I still take the occasional criticism seriously because it helps make this a better product of democracy for you. I also know not everyone here lives in Westminster, so thank you for tuning in and sharing how these updates help you wherever you may live.
Ballots began arriving on Oct 10, but with no USPS delivery on Oct 13 for the holiday, not everyone has received theirs yet and even people in the same household may see different arrival days.
Westminster-specific Ballot Return Data: Westminster sits in both Adams and Jefferson Counties. To provide this first-time view of Westminster-specific ballot return data, I dug into the raw SCORE county (Adams and JeffCo) public exports (SCORE is Colorado’s statewide voter registration and election system) and I built a query to break down ballot returns by party and confirm the numbers.
As of 10/14:
Out of 332,899 registered voters in all of Adams County, 2,189 ballots are completed.
Westminster has 49,663 registered Adams voters. 436 Westminster (Adams) Ballots are completed:
192 Unaffiliated
147 Democrats
93 Republicans
4 Other
Out of 438,665 registered voters in all of Jefferson County, 4,787 ballots are completed.
Westminster has 34,843 registered JeffCo voters. 297 Westminster (JeffCo) ballots are completed:
132 Democrats
106 Unaffiliated
57 Republicans
2 Other
Some Feedback received about my first mailer that hit mailboxes last weekend:
“I have many friends that work for the city. Thank you for protecting them”
“It’s beautiful! I feel so inspired. We don’t need DC chaos in Westminster.”
“Other candidates have made their entire campaigns about saying NO to 3H in a strange argument about affordability. But clearly, you and Jack are actually trying to make our city affordable. I’m saying YES to 3H and voting for you.”
Ballot selfies: Did you know in Colorado ballot selfies are legal (since HB17-1014 passed in 2017), as long as they’re voluntary and not part of any coercion, intimidation, or vote-buying scheme. I’ll still blur out your actual votes, anyway, so feel free to send me your selfies!
Campaign Finance transparency:
In my previous Westminster Election Update #3, I included a contributions chart and I received over 100 notes of gratitude alongside about 8 criticisms (mostly electeds). The criticisms came from folks in 3 categories: A) people who misunderstood my intent and didn’t believe the info was true, B) people who believed the info but didn’t like the transparency and/or C) people who thought I was “shaming” candidates Claire Carmelia and Sarah Nurmela for being endorsed by One Main Street.
Some feedback about the chart before I explain my intent more fully.
“This is wildly transparent. Nobody else is giving voters this level of context.”
“Obi, I appreciate you always for breaking things down so clearly and honestly.”
“Thank you for calling out Baker and his crew. Baker has 50 million gazillion mailers/yard signs/door lit and he is reporting none of it. And his council slate are clearly violating all kinds of finance transparency laws too.”
“Thank you for calling this out. How is it possible that Baker can put 3 city council candidate names on all of his expensive mail but they don’t need to report it as a contribution? I hope you win your election because without you nobody would even know”
“It is amazing how many signs/mailers Baker was able to fund with less than $2k. When I ordered signs for the Class of 2020 (five years ago and over 300 signs) they were $8 a piece. Makes one wonder.”
My intent: of sharing the contributions chart was not about Claire or Sarah or the “dark money” column at all. It is about the candidates (now marked in red on the chart below) that appear to be likely illegally under-reporting their contributions and expenses. That is it. Those candidates (not Claire or Sarah) already have multiple financial complaints filed and being filed by various residents and reporters who keep reaching out to me.
Dark money: The dark money column simply shows candidates endorsed by any dark money orgs, of which the only one filed in this Westminster election so far is One Main Street as an IEC for $12,000 (see their Independent Expenditure Committee filing here). The definition of dark money is based on lack of donor disclosure, not on intent or values. I and many others have personally benefited somewhat from soft-side spending in past races, and I agree that supportive outside spending is not necessarily bad since many good organizations operate IECs that legally spend on races without coordinating with candidates. Many bad orgs also have IECs and many of the bad ones are funded by MAGA, big corporations and anti-public school entities. But when an org chooses not to disclose their funding that is when it becomes “dark”.
Your personal judgment of whether or not you like the word “dark” or whether you like any particular dark-money organization’s values, doesn’t change the fact that it still considered “dark”. OMS does not disclose their funding, which is why I mark them as dark money. If I receive dark money from any org in this election, I will put the org next to my name on the chart, too. And if I am truly proud of that endorsement, I would not feel “shamed” by the simple fact of the association being shown.
Full transparency is the point of these election updates.
See you at the next update! Don’t forget to vote early and get 5 neighbors to vote.
Yours in service and hope,
Obi
How To Vote
You have options for how to vote. Mail it in, drop it off, or vote in person. See the image below for Westminster locations. Mail your ballot back by October 27 to make sure it’s received by 7PM on Election Day, or be in line at a VSPC or dropbox by 7PM.
It’s never too late to register to vote in Colorado. Register or update your address by October 27 to receive a ballot in the mail. After that, you’ll need to go into your closest Voter Service and Polling Center.
Check your ballot status by enrolling in Ballot Trax! Have the peace of mind that your ballot has been mailed to you, received, and counted.
2025 Westminster Ballot Recommendations
Ballots mail tomorrow. Here is a very small but important example of why your vote matters. Last Monday night, City Council had an opportunity to take an official position of “support” for the many measures that will be on Westminster residents’ 2025 ballot. Unfortunately the below state ballot measure (Proposition LL) only received 3 yes votes (from me, Amber Hott and Claire Carmelia) so it failed, meaning the official City position is not “support”. And for that, I am so sorry to all the proponents and to all the residents that may see this as a rejection of the benefits this Proposition hopes to achieve.
For some background, a “YES” vote on Proposition LL protects $12.4 million already collected for Healthy School Meals for All, keeping kids fed at school every year and giving families one less cost to worry about. A “NO” vote sends that money back to households making over $300,000, while pulling resources away from classrooms and the children who depend on these meals.
Some might dismiss this Council vote as “no big deal,” but it matters to me. It’s a reminder that your vote shapes whose values guide decisions. We won’t agree on everything and that’s actually a really good thing that often leads to better legislation. However, it’s also true that not everyone belongs in office because leadership without values can lead to outcomes that hurt people.
That’s why I endorse Jack Johnson because he will bring the kind of values and courage we need at the table. I have barely had the time to “campaign” this year and there is a good chance I may not win my re-election. But that makes it even more important to me that leaders like Jack are at the table, carrying forward the values our community deserves.
Other votes on your ballot:
I don’t endorse anyone for Mayor in this election.
I recommend voting YES on State Ballot Measures: Proposition LL and Proposition MM.
Why I support Westminster Ballot Issue 3H
The repair and maintenance of Westminster’s streets has declined due to the rapidly rising cost of concrete, asphalt, and other materials. At our current rate, the quality of our streets will continue to drop over the next 10 years.
Additionally, we need to build new fire stations in order to close service gaps. Without the necessary investments, Firefighters and paramedics cannot reach a victim within 6 minutes which can be the difference between life and death.
No one likes raising taxes, but this measure is a critical and necessary part of a larger plan to shift more city resources towards our roads and Fire infrastructure. We have already reallocated millions of dollars towards these needs but inflation has tied our hands, so we need your help to accept a few extra cents of every dollar of cost that will ensure the safety of our entire city, especially our aging population.
About Obi Ezeadi
Obi Ezeadi is a first-generation American, first responder (EMT) and City Councilor who champions economic, democratic, and personal freedoms for all of Westminster. In his first 4 years, he came in as an outsider and delivered:
Expanded open space and parks
Expanded housing options (condos, townhomes, housing people can afford)
Made water more affordable and secured clean water for generations
Increased Mental health support
First Collective Bargaining Agreements for Fire and Police
Led the establishment of free transport service for seniors & disabled residents
Drove police vacancies down from a region-worst 13% to an area-leading 1%
Cut car thefts by 50%
Invested to solve unhoused crisis
Elevated transparency and accountability with our residents