Transparency Archives

Meeting Move Raises Questions

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on April 13, 2026Posted in Elections, TransparencyTagged electioneering, Free speech, Glenda Sinks, Jeslin Shahrezaei, protest, Ward 1, ward meeting, yard signsNo Comments

Holy Shepherd Lutheran Church says they did not ask the Ward 1 meeting to relocate on Saturday, April 4.

Despite the holiday weekend, the room reserved for the city was open. The meeting remained on the church’s calendar. In fact, church staff reportedly did not even know about the change until the following day, when they discovered a note left on the door.

Ward 1 City Councilors say they remember the church not being available in 2025 and offer apologies for the mix-up.

False Allegations Lead To Election Free Speech Harassment

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on April 6, 2026Posted in Crime, Elections, TransparencyTagged code enforcement, Colorado, electioneering, Free speech, Lakewood, police, Shahrezaei, Sinks, Special election, Ward 1, yard sign

Lakewood confiscated political yard signs without warning or discussion less than a week before election day. Whole neighborhoods were denuded of signs, angering residents who argue they were properly placed. Days later, residents pushed back, protesting for free speech at a city ward meeting. City Council members unjustly accused the protesters of electioneering, even while conducting similar discussions within electioneering limits themselves. Police were called. No electioneering was found. No apologies were issued to free speech, “Vote Yes” advocates for any of these incidents.

Lakewood City Manager Retiring

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on April 4, 2026Posted in Entrenched Bureaucracy, TransparencyTagged City Manager, Colorado, executive, job performance, Kathy Hodgson, Lakewood, retirement, salary

Lakewood City Manager Kathy Hodgson has announced her retirement. The position will be filled by an Executive Search firm. The Request For Proposals for the search firm appeared Thursday and will close April 27, 2026.

City Officials Celebrate Navigation Center Reopening

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on March 31, 2026Posted in Homeless, TransparencyTagged Colfax, Colorado, Grand Opening, Homeless, housing, jeffco, Lakewood, navigation center, news, unhoused, VOA

The City of Lakewood will host a media event on Friday, April 3, 2026, to mark the grand reopening of its Navigation Center. City officials are expected to participate in photo opportunities, give interviews, and serve lunch to individuals receiving services and staff. But while the city celebrates, key questions remain unanswered and more neighborhood problems are anticipated.

Social Housing Agenda Exposed

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on March 28, 2026Posted in Development, Elections, TransparencyTagged affordable housing, agenda, April 7, Colorado, election, Lakewood, news, referendum, social housing, zoning

Is new zoning about making it easier for teachers and firefighters to pay for housing? Or is it about making teachers and firefighters pay for someone else? Is housing a commodity or a right? “Social housing” is public housing based on the belief that housing is a right. Information available shows that re-zoning is necessary to implement social housing. Social housing increases the tax burden on the missing middle class by imposing more taxes to fund subsidies. The missing middle is who Lakewood is hoping to convince to support the new zoning, although they may be the ones paying in the end.

Inability to Rebuild Single-Family Home Shows Lakewood Prioritizes Density Over All

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on March 21, 2026Posted in Development, Entrenched Bureaucracy, TransparencyTagged city planning, Colorado, fire, Lakewood, lakewood news, non-conforming, safety, zoning

When a Lakewood resident bought a burned-out single-family house to rehabilitate it, he had no idea Lakewood would say no. The house had been vacant and neglected, allowing homeless to move in and cause a fire. The result is an unusable, dangerous eyesore. But those considerations were not as important to Lakewood as changing the property to high-density.

Lakewood Councilors Working to Undermine Zoning Limits Already

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on March 17, 2026Posted in Development, Elections, TransparencyTagged Colorado, densification, HB26-1114, height restriction, HOME Act, Lakewood, minimum lot size, public trust, Special election, will of the people, zoning

The Lakewood City Council Legislative Committee supports two state bills that would override Lakewood zoning code limits: HB26-1001 and HB26-1114. These state bills would further densify Lakewood regardless of the April 7 special election vote on new zoning densification, suggesting Committee Members are ignoring the will of the people.

Lakewood Representatives Using Position To Advance Democrat Agenda Without Benefit To Lakewood

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on March 15, 2026Posted in TransparencyTagged Colorado, elected official, HB26-1001, HB26-1114, Lakewood, lobbyist, Polis, rebekah-stewart, representative

“This won’t impact Lakewood,” say City Councilors at the February 26, 2026, Legislative Committee meeting. Nevertheless, the committee supported a total of four state legislative bills citing regional benefit or planting a flag for Democrat leadership. Without a solid benefit to Lakewood, it is unclear whether lobbying at the state level is representing city interests or personal beliefs.

Lakewood Declares Support For Anti-ICE Actions

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on March 7, 2026Posted in Crime, Transparency, Word GamesTagged declaration, ICE, illegal immigrants, migrants, nullification, protestors

Anti-ICE protestors came out in support of the first step Lakewood City Council took against ICE policies. Wearing red shirts with “Keep our neighbors safe” written on them and anti-ICE pins, protestors thanked City Council for making a declaration to honor people who recently died during ICE enforcement actions. The declaration made no mention of immigration status, surrounding circumstances or any actively threatening actions taken by those who died. In other words, Lakewood’s declaration was a one-sided, virtue signaling, political statement about a non-Lakewood specific issue. Lakewood Council Members called it “beautiful.”

Lakewood Violates TABOR Promises to Voters

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on February 3, 2026Posted in Budget, Elections, TransparencyTagged broken promise, business tax, excess revenue, misinformation, refund, tabor

There is no dispute that the City of Lakewood must comply with a recent Colorado Supreme Court ruling requiring repayment of illegally collected Business and Occupation taxes. However, the way Lakewood is paying that refund has raised concerns that voters were misled about how their TABOR money would be used.

City staff and Council presented the TABOR Fund as the only option available. However, the TABOR Fund is a Lakewood-created accounting mechanism, not a requirement of state law or the court decision. Lakewood could have paid the refund from the General Fund. Instead, on January 26, 2026, City Council voted to take money from the TABOR Fund that had been explicitly promised to voter-approved purposes.

Transparency

Meeting Move Raises Questions

False Allegations Lead To Election Free Speech Harassment

Lakewood City Manager Retiring

City Officials Celebrate Navigation Center Reopening

Inability to Rebuild Single-Family Home Shows Lakewood Prioritizes Density Over All

Lakewood Councilors Working to Undermine Zoning Limits Already

Lakewood Representatives Using Position To Advance Democrat Agenda Without Benefit To Lakewood

Lakewood Declares Support For Anti-ICE Actions

Lakewood Violates TABOR Promises to Voters

Lakewood Informer

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