Resident generated news about Lakewood, Colorado
Resident generated news about Lakewood, Colorado
Zoning Charter Amendment Pulled
From Lakewood Citizens Alliance
Hi Neighbors,
We have an important update regarding the citizen initiated charter amendment petition.
Effective immediately, we are stopping signature collection and suspending circulation of the petition following new information provided by the City regarding the election process and legal requirements for charter amendments.
This was not the outcome any of us expected when the petitions were approved on June 2.
On Tuesday, June 9, at approximately 5:25 PM, the City Clerk notified us that after a second legal review, the City had determined that our proposed charter amendment could not be placed on the November 3, 2026 ballot under the signature requirements originally provided to us.
According to the City, because November 3, 2026 is not a regular municipal election under Colorado law and the Lakewood Charter, the proposed charter amendment would instead be treated as a special election measure requiring signatures equal to 10% of registered electors, approximately 12,260 valid signatures, rather than the 5% threshold originally provided.
On the morning of June 10, Karen Gordey and John Frogge met with attorney Suzanne Taheri to review the information received from the City. Suzanne then began discussions with Assistant City Attorney Gus Schenck regarding both the signature requirements and the timing requirements associated with citizen initiated charter amendments.
Throughout the day, discussions continued between Suzanne Taheri and Assistant City Attorney Gus Schenck. During those discussions, additional concerns were raised regarding the statutory timing requirements for placing a citizen initiated charter amendment on the ballot.
The Lakewood Citizens Alliance (LCA) leadership team, Karen Gordey, John Frogge, Karen Miller, and Mary Janssen, also held an emergency in person meeting on the evening of June 10 to evaluate the information and discuss potential paths forward.
On the morning of June 11, based on those discussions and the legal analysis provided, it became apparent that the timeline requirements established in state law may make it impractical to continue circulation of the current petition with the expectation of placing the measure on either the November 2026 ballot or preserving it for the November 2027 regular municipal election.
All five co-petitioners were brought up to speed on the afternoon of June 11. Prior to sending this email, all circulators were notified to stop collecting signatures.
We know many of you will be frustrated, angry, disappointed, and perhaps even confused by this development. We are as well. Hundreds of residents have volunteered, signed petitions, offered signing locations, shared information with neighbors, and invested their time and energy into this effort.
We also understand that for many residents, this news raises questions about transparency, communication, and trust between residents and city government. Those concerns are real, and we know many of you will have questions about how this situation occurred.
At the same time, election law is complex, and we believe it is important to approach this situation carefully and responsibly. While we may have questions of our own, we are choosing to take the information provided by the City at face value as we continue to review the legal and procedural issues involved.
As always, we believe residents should have access to the information available to us. For that reason, we have created a Dropbox folder containing the relevant email communications regarding this matter so that everyone can review the information directly.
View the documents here:
City Council has a study session scheduled for Monday, June 15. The two scheduled topics are:
• Potential City Council charter amendments for the November ballot
• Discussion regarding how to proceed on zoning matters
We will send additional information regarding that study session in a separate email.
The LCA leadership team will be closely monitoring the discussion and evaluating potential next steps after the meeting.
We respectfully ask supporters not to contact City Council members or City staff expressing anger, outrage, or frustration regarding this matter at this time. We ask for your patience while we evaluate the information we have received, observe the June 15 study session, and determine the most appropriate path forward.
Thank you for your continued support, patience, and commitment to Lakewood.
With gratitude and determination,
Lakewood Citizens Alliance