Top Edgewater Stories of 2017: Picking Our Leaders

In the last few days of 2017, we are looking back at the top five Edgewater news stories of 2017. These new stories are based on page views and offer an interesting look back at the past year. As our motto states, they also offer a view at “listen to the past, look to the future.”

In 2017, the fourth most read post on the Edgewater Echo was:

Picking Our Leaders: Edgewater Elections Coming This Fall

In the last decade there hasn’t been much competition for seats on Edgewater City Council or even Mayor. But this election brought a new wave of candidates interested in leading our city. Six candidates ran for three seats on City Council and four candidates ran for Mayor. The November election brought a new generation of leaders to City Council with the election of John Beltrone and Caleb Rountree. Then Myra Keeble stepped down from Council at the end of 2017 because she is moving out of town. This means that the first City Council meeting of 2018 will bring Cory Reid-Vanas to Council. Janet Spangenberg also won another term on City Council and Laura Keegan transitioned from City Council to the Mayor with her election win.

2018 will be an important year of decisions for Edgewater City Council with the possible sale of City-owned property at 20th and Depew, 2401 Sheridan Boulevard (current City Hall) and 25th and Gray (current library, recreation room and old firehouse). The same battles over the role of government will continue in discussions of parking ordinances, housing regulations and business permits.

2017 has shown us that the new wave of residents in Edgewater is engaged in what is happening in our community and wants to have a voice in where Edgewater is headed in the future. At the Edgewater Echo, we endeavor to connect these new residents with the history and stories of those who have gone before them. Listen to the past, look to the future.

Joel Newton

Joel has been a resident of Edgewater, Colorado with his family since 2012. He is the Executive Director of local education nonprofit Edgewater Collective and Editor of the Edgewater Echo.