The City Is Silencing Voters And We Need To Act Now

From Referendum petitioners

Lakewood Neighbors This Is Urgent

The City Is Silencing Voters And We Need To Act Now

Lakewood residents need to get loud and get loud immediately.

The City of Lakewood has effectively pulled the rug out from under the people by imposing impossible deadlines on the citizen referendum process, making meaningful participation nearly impossible.

Here is what has happened.

Timeline of Events

December 3, 2025
The City requests availability for a protest hearing and provides potential dates of December 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 26, 29, and 30.

December 4, 2025
One of the co petitioners notifies the City that his elderly mother requires surgery and he will not know his availability until December 10. This was ignored.

December 8, 2025 at 4:22 pm
We receive a protest to Petition 3. The City time stamp shows the protest was received at 11:24 am. The Co-petitioners didn’t receive it until 4:22pm. The protest is 90 pages long.

December 9, 2025
One of the co-petitioners notified the City that December 30 is the best available date for the hearing. This was ignored.

December 10, 2025 at 5:39 pm Wednesday evening
The City issues a Notice of Hearing for the first three referendums. Witness lists are due by end of day December 12. All Exhibits are due by end of day December 15.

This leaves the co-petitioners and attorneys barely two business days to respond to a massive protest document.

December 11, 2025
We notify the City that this schedule is unreasonable and request the hearing be moved to December 30. No response from the City Clerk. This was ignored.

December 12, 2025
Witness lists are submitted under protest. We formally request the City provide its line by line validation. No response from the City Clerk.

Why This Matters

These deadlines are not reasonable.
They are not transparent.
And they effectively silence voters.

This is not how a democratic process is supposed to work.

The City created a situation where citizens are forced to respond to nearly 90 pages of legal protest material in a matter of days, during the holidays, with no cooperation or response from the City.

That is not fairness.
That is not due process.
That is not accountability.

What We Are Asking For

We are asking the City to move the protest hearing from December 19 to December 30 so residents have a fair opportunity to participate.

What You Can Do Right Now

Please call and email the Mayor and City Council immediately and tell them:

These deadlines silence voters
• The hearing must be moved to December 30
• The City must stop obstructing the referendum process
• Lakewood residents expect transparency and fairness

Contact Information:

Mayor Wendi Strom: 303-987-7040 or wstrom@lakewood.org

Ward 1: Jeslin Shahrezaei 303-987-7728 or jshahrezaei@lakewood.org

Ward1: Glenda Sinks 303-987-7729 or gsinks@lakewood.org

Ward 2: Isabel Cruz 303-987-7739 or icruz@lakewood.org

Ward2: Liz Black 303-987-7738 or lblack@lakewood.org

Ward 3: Ken Cruz 303-987-7740 or kcruz@lakewood.org

Ward 3: Roger Low 303-987-7743 or RLow@lakewood.org

Ward 4: Bill Furman 303-987-7748 or bfurman@lakewood.org

Ward 4: Dave Rein 303-987-7766 or drein@lakewood.org

Ward 5: Jacob Labure 303-987-7776 or jlabure@lakewood.org

Ward 5: Paula Nystrom 303-987-7767 or pnystrom@lakewood.org

Immediate call to action:

If the City can impose impossible deadlines today, they can do it again tomorrow.

This is bigger than one petition.
This is about whether Lakewood residents still have a meaningful voice.

Please speak up.
Please share this.
Please contact City leadership today.