{"id":8852,"date":"2019-10-28T12:14:31","date_gmt":"2019-10-28T12:14:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/?p=3716117"},"modified":"2019-10-28T12:14:31","modified_gmt":"2019-10-28T12:14:31","slug":"pot-companies-developers-taking-sides-in-contentious-lakewood-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/pot-companies-developers-taking-sides-in-contentious-lakewood-election\/","title":{"rendered":"Pot companies, developers taking sides in contentious Lakewood election"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/pot-companies-developers-taking-sides-in-contentious-lakewood-election\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<div><img src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/pot-companies-developers-taking-sides-in-contentious-lakewood-election.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2019\/10\/28\/lakewood-election-marijuana-development-mayor\/?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dp-news-marijuana+%28Denver+Post%3A+News%3A+Marijuana%29&amp;utm_content=Google+UK#comments-anchor\"><span class=\"spot-im-replies-count\" data-post-id=\"3716117\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Lakewood\u2019s municipal election is awash in developer and marijuana money \u2014 two issues that voters in Colorado\u2019s fifth-largest city have already taken positions on at the ballot box.<\/p>\n<p>That has some wondering if it\u2019s an attempt to pack the Lakewood City Council with members favorable to the cannabis industry and more robust development in this city of 155,000 on Denver\u2019s western edge.<\/p>\n<p>In 2014, voters\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2014\/11\/05\/lakewood-voters-say-no-to-recreational-marijuana-sales\/\">rejected a measure that would have legalized recreational pot<\/a> sales in the city. And this past summer, voters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2019\/07\/02\/lakewood-growth-question-200-election\/\">approved a limit on new residential construction<\/a> in Lakewood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat concerns me is there are efforts to circumvent the will of the people,\u201d said Anita Springsteen, an 11-year resident of Lakewood who helped spearhead <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2018\/12\/27\/lakewood-new-home-contruction-growth-ballot-measure\/\">slow-growth measure Question 200,<\/a> which became law in July.<\/p>\n<p>She is running for a council seat in Ward 3 in the Nov. 5 election. In addition, four other council positions and the mayor\u2019s seat are up for grabs in Lakewood.<\/p>\n<p>Two independent expenditure committees, which are not permitted to coordinate with candidates, collected $72,139 over a three-day period this month from nearly a dozen marijuana companies and developer interests, including the Apartment Association of Metro Denver and Ascend Cannabis.<\/p>\n<p>That money has produced a swirl of attack ads on the internet and in print against Ramey Johnson, a councilwoman running for mayor, and in favor of her opponent, Mayor Adam Paul. <\/p>\n<p>Paul opposed Question 200, which voters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2019\/09\/07\/lakewood-housing-growth-question-200\/\">passed 53% to 47% despite massive spending<\/a> against it. This time around, the spending by pro-growth and pro-cannabis forces isn\u2019t focusing on either of those issues but rather on the environment \u2014 at least on paper.<\/p>\n<p>An <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/F99YfzzwC_E\">online ad<\/a> targeting Johnson claims that she opposed the purchase of open space in Lakewood and shared an article with council colleagues that questioned the human impact on climate change. She later expressed regret for sharing the story.<\/p>\n<p>Lynea Hansen, the registered agent for both Protect Lakewood and Vote Lakewood \u2014 the independent expenditure committees with the hefty war chest \u2014 said Johnson is a target because she \u201chas shown time and time again that she is a climate denier and that she doesn\u2019t support protecting open space in Lakewood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When pressed on why cannabis companies would have a particular interest in those issues as opposed to getting a toehold in what could be Colorado\u2019s fifth-largest recreational marijuana market, Hansen responded: \u201cI don\u2019t know many people who aren\u2019t concerned about climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lakewood permits medical marijuana sales but not recreational sales.<\/p>\n<p>Peter Marcus, a spokesman for Terrapin Care Station, said his business gave $5,000 to Protect Lakewood partly based on climate change concerns. But he admitted another motive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf one day Lakewood decides that it wants adult-use cannabis sales in its city, then we want to ensure that the city\u2019s leadership won\u2019t block the will of the people,\u201d Marcus said. \u201c\u2026 It\u2019s no secret that Ramey Johnson has been opposed to cannabis reform.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Andrew Hamrick, general counsel for the Apartment Association of Metro Denver, said his association gave $9,000 to Protect Lakewood for a simple reason.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAffordability of housing is a major problem for the metro area,\u201d Hamrick said. \u201cWe\u2019re looking to support candidates that don\u2019t support growth limits.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The nasty tone of the campaign fueled by outside money, Johnson said, is driving a wedge in the city\u2019s electorate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it has added to the divisiveness in our community,\u201d she said. \u201cIt poisons the well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not that the negativity in Lakewood has been exclusively aimed at Johnson. A less well-funded independent expenditure committee, called Save Our Lakewood, has produced flyers against the mayor headlined \u201cWho is the mayor working for?\u201d \u2014 accusing him of being too cozy with developers.<\/p>\n<p>Paul has also been the subject of unflattering articles in a local newspaper called the Lakewood Watchdog. On Friday, a lengthy complaint was filed with the city clerk accusing the newspaper of engaging in electioneering that exceeds protections it may enjoy as a media outlet.<\/p>\n<p>The Denver Post reached out to Watchdog editor Dan Smith and received an anonymous email response that read \u201cour whistleblowers, writers and donors are Lakewood residents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Big money in local Colorado politics is not new. Two years ago, a pro-oil and gas group\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2017\/11\/03\/election-2017-pro-oil-gas-campaign-contributions-colorado\/\">gave more than $300,000 to local campaign committees<\/a>\u00a0in north suburban communities to help get business-friendly candidates elected. Last week, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/sentinelcolorado.com\/news\/metro\/dark-money-group-with-ties-to-walker-stapletons-gubernatorial-bid-drops-400000-in-aurora-city-council-race\/\">Aurora Sentinel reported<\/a>\u00a0that a dark-money group is spending $400,000 on direct mail to help five Aurora City Council candidates.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGroups backing singular issues continue to be significant players in high-profile campaigns,\u201d\u00a0Colorado Municipal League Executive Director Kevin Bommer said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMoney from groups supporting cannabis legalization, oil and gas (for and against), growth and anti-growth \u2013 to name a few \u2013 seem to be an increasing part of local campaigns, even though they promote issues or candidates independently,\u201d he said. \u201cIt does not appear this campaign cycle will be immune from it all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paul said he wishes more limitations were placed on money in politics but that he and other candidates have no control over third-party input in the campaign.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"related right\" \/>\n<p>\u201cDespite all the noise coming from every direction this election, I know that folks in Lakewood are committed to making our city a wonderful place to live,\u201d he said. \u201cI stand with them, not the anonymous donors trying to sway this election one way or the other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That also goes for Henry Hollender, a longtime member of Lakewood\u2019s planning commission, who is running against Springsteen for Ward 3 council seat.<\/p>\n<p>He is one of four candidates for whom an independent expenditure committee was created this month. Committees were also formed to back the candidacies of Paul, Councilwoman Dana Gutwein, and Ward 1 challenger\u00a0Kyra deGruy. <\/p>\n<p>No campaign contributions have been reported yet for those committees and\u00a0Hansen told The Post her committees are not coordinating with the ones backing individual candidates.<\/p>\n<p>Hollender said he doesn\u2019t know why someone formed a committee in his name. But he\u2019s not happy about it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t stand the impact of money on politics,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<p>Lakewood&#8217;s municipal election is awash in developer and marijuana money &#8212; two issues that voters in Colorado&#8217;s fifth-largest city have already taken stands on at the ballot box. That has some wondering if it&#8217;s an attempt to pack the Lakewood City Council with members favorable to the cannabis industry and more robust development in this city of 155,000. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5062,8197,7869,8198,6811,6857,784,8145,8199,6813,6848,77,5577,6815,9,8200,5019,441,7243,1,3,61,1736],"tags":[5063,8201,7873,8202,6816,6859,3357,8150,8203,6818,6851,2655,5580,6820,8204,5022,3015,7244],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8852"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8852"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8852\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}