Harsh campaign creates new council dynamics

By Dan MacArthur
Fossil Creek Current

The bombast has subsided and a reconstituted Fort Collins City Council is settling down to work following a polarizing election campaign.

Political handicappers generally agree that the election signals a shift in the council with neighborhood volunteer Lisa Poppaw's thin win over businessman Matt Fries in the hard-fought District 2 race. It was the real squeaker with Poppaw edging Fries by a 58-vote margin. She received 2,201 votes, or 50.7 percent, to Fries' 2,143.

Overall, the political debates focused on balancing economic development with preserving the qualities that make Fort Collins desirable. Fries' campaign stressed the importance of keeping the seat in the control of someone sympathetic to business interests in the mold of term-limited incumbent Karen Weitkunat. But Poppaw cautioned against making any assumptions about how she will perform on council.

"I'm incredibly new at this," Poppaw said, insisting that she has no agenda and "will take it as it comes."

Poppaw said she does want to foster greater cooperation and particularly hopes to partner with the Poudre School District. "Education is really important to me," she said.

The three-way race for the District 4 seat easily proved the most heated, however. Adamant business advocate Wade Troxell persevered over slow-growth proponent Glen Colton with 2,379 votes, or just over 52 percent of the total, to Colton's 2,046 votes, or almost 45 percent. Perennial candidate LeRoy Gomez garnered 147 votes, or just over 3 percent. The seat was previously held by term-limited Kurt Kastein, who strongly supported Troxell.

The rest of the races offered little drama.

Incumbent Mayor Doug Hutchinson rolled to a second term, receiving 16,318 votes, or 81.7 percent of the total, to contender Scott VanTatenhove's 3,652.

Incumbent David Roy won a second term with a similar margin in the District 6 council race. He received 1,839 votes, or almost 71 percent of the ballots cast, easily outpacing Brandon Purdum with 424 votes, or just over 16 percent, and George Smith with 340 votes, or slightly over 13 percent.

Both charter amendments passed although Number 2 was approved by a narrow 51-49 percent margin. It lifts the previous 20-year limit for granting leases, franchises and other rights to use streets and other public places or property. The measure received 9,341 votes in favor and 8,963 votes opposed.

Charter Amendment 1, which eliminates the two citizen members in a restructuring of the elections board, passed by a 59-to-41-percent margin with 11,224 votes in favor and 7,814 opposed.

Total turnout was 37.2 percent, with 21,164 of the 56,898 active voters casting ballots. That rate fell below the 43 percent in 2005 and 51 percent in 2003.

Campaign spending

Big money is increasingly figuring big in municipal elections.

And the biggest money by far came from the Fort Collins Futures Committee, which raised $25,175 to promote Troxell and Fries in their bids for council seats while criticizing their opponents. Contributors to such independent political committees are not subject to the $75 limit for individuals, so the Futures Committee was free to accept sizable contributions principally from the development and business community.

Finishing close behind was the Stop Forced Annexation Committee that raised $22,410 in its unsuccessful campaign to void annexation of the Southwest Enclave. Its counterpart, the Best Government Committee, raised $691 to promote support for the annexation.

The District 4 race was the most costly cumulatively with Troxell raising $23,159 to Colton's $17,115. Both candidates also made hefty loans to their campaigns. Fellow contender Gomez reported no contributions or expenditures in the final contribution disclosure statement filed before the election.

The next priciest was the District 2 race in which Fries raised $17,556 to Poppaw's $13,846. She also received a $63 in-kind contribution from the Washington, D.C.-based Progressive Majority political committee.

Hutchinson raised $11,975 in his mayoral campaign while challenger VanTatenhove stuck to his pledge, raising only $20.

And in the District 6 race, Roy greatly outpaced his opponents, raising $8,585 to Purdum's $1,260 and Smith's $525.