Election Day is June 24! Get your ballot in and if you already have, keep talking to your neighbors and posting on social media. Go team!

Kyle Clark and Marshall Zelinger of 9NEWS weighed in on home rule and came to the same conclusion that the Vote No side has been saying all along: “those claims [about opting out of certain state laws] by Republican county commissioners don't check out.”

The commissioners held a virtual “town hall” on June 17. Commissioners Laydon and Teal spoke in a virtual setting that allowed for zero pushback or followup questions. It’s the same playbook we see from lawmakers who don’t want to face constituents and be accountable. We deserve better.

Email me, I’d love to hear from you. For real. [email protected]

Track your ballot and check out ballot return numbers

Kyle Clark segment

Sheriff Weekly’s quote

Find candidates who have not been hand-selected by commissioners, and all resources on home rule.

Don’t know what home rule is? Start here:Home rule series part 1 of 3

Home Rule series part 2 of 3

Home Rule Series part 3 of 3

The Home Rule Ballot Explained

Candidates I did vote for/would vote for:

At-large: Angela Thomas. The two Steves are ok choices too.

District 1:

Matthew M. Lunn

Emily Roth Suyat

Jason Hamel

October Ann Levy

Irene Bonham

Julie Gooden

District 2:

Kevin Leung

Julien Bouquet

Julie Watkins

Barrett Rothe

District 3:

Bob Marshall

Michael Lees

Alicia Jean Vagts

Lee Hudson Frame

Gordon B (Spud) Van De Water

Susan Meek is not on a slate but I’d vote for her if I lived in D3.

Today my guest is Kim Turnage, Ph.D. A 16-year DougCo resident and unaffiliated voter, Kim Turnage spent 20 years advising business and nonprofit leaders on how to get better results through people and data and currently freelances as an organizational strategist and executive coach.

This episode is a deeper dive into the citizen survey results and it begs the question: why did Douglas County commissioners spend $500k on an election for a home rule status that a majority of us didn’t ask for and don’t want?

It’s time to vote! Get those ballots in. I voted NO on home rule (ballot question 1A) and voted for candidates who want transparency if home rule passes. You can find these candidates at https://www.stopdougcopowergrab.com/candidates. Click on names to see their answers to the Stop the Power Grab questionnaire.

I’d love your feedback, email me at [email protected].

Track your ballot and see interesting election stats here.

Find a No Kings event on June 14.

Calling all allies: support Douglas County Pride.

2025 citizen survey results.

Automatic voter registration slots you as unaffiliated if you don’t pick a party within 20 days.

CBS story on town hall where citizens expressed frustration.

Didn’t have time to discuss it today but commissioners are having more town halls. They know they blew the first one.

Don’t know what home rule is? Start here:Home rule series part 1 of 3

Home Rule series part 2 of 3

Home Rule Series part 3 of 3

Candidates I did vote for/would vote for:

At-large: Angela Thomas

District 1:

Matthew M. Lunn

Emily Roth Suyat

Jason Hamel

October Ann Levy

Irene Bonham

Julie Gooden

Another Dem: Mary Lynch

District 2:

Kevin Leung

Julien Bouquet

Julie Watkins

Barrett Rothe

District 3:

Bob Marshall

Michael Lees

Alicia Jean Vagts

Lee Hudson Frame

Gordon B (Spud) Van De Water

Susan Meek is not on a slate but I’d vote for her if I lived in D3.

What would a good faith effort at home rule look like? What would a bad faith effort look like, and why does it look like Douglas County? Who (or what) is behind the Yes on Local Control efforts? I would say this is my closing argument but you know there is going to be more news.

You can reach me at [email protected]

Filling out your ballot? The home rule ballot explained

Don’t know what home rule is? Start here: Home rule series part 1 of 3

Home Rule series part 2 of 3

Home Rule Series part 3 of 3

Vote NO from Republican sources:

KOA interview with Steve Boand

Lora Thomas is a Republican former county commissioner who is opposed to home rule. Subscribe at Lora@LoraThomas.org or view newsletters at https://www.stopdougcopowergrab.com/blog

The Tonners and RWRTRACER filing for Stop the Power Grab

TRACER filing for Yes on Local ControlVote NO, but also vote for charter commission candidates in case the measure does pass. This is who I’m voting for, or who I’d vote for if I lived in their district. Find more on these candidates at https://www.stopdougcopowergrab.com/candidates, click on candidate names.

At-large: Angela Thomas

District 1:

Matthew M. Lunn

Emily Roth Suyat

Jason Hamel

October Ann Levy

Irene Bonham

Julie Gooden

Another Dem: Mary Lynch

District 2:

Kevin Leung

Julien Bouquet

Julie Watkins

Barrett Rothe

District 3:

Bob Marshall

Michael Lees

Alicia Jean Vagts

Lee Hudson Frame

Gordon B (Spud) Van De Water

Susan Meek is not on a slate but I’d vote for her if I lived in D3.

Here’s a review and fact check of the one hour town hall on home rule in Douglas County. One whole hour! With some casual electioneering from the dais. Cool cool.

Link to recording of town hall:

Proposed Douglas County timeline above. ABOUT THE CHARTER TIMELINE: I recorded this late late at night and I misspoke in the podcast, I said August 8 is when the public meetings end but it’s August 12. I had assumed the first public meeting would take place July 23, but nope, it would need to be to be somewhere July 8-10 (with the charter commission barely formed!), then July 23-25-ish for the second meeting, then August 7-12 for the last. Super tight timeline with very little wiggle room. A risky move—unless a charter is written and just waiting to be rubber-stamped.

Weld County timeline: https://www.weld.gov/Government/County-Governance/Home-Rule-Charter#:~:text=At%20the%20general%20election%20in,submitted%20to%20the%20County%20Commissioners.”

I’m voting NO, but I’d also vote for these charter commission candidates in case the measure does pass:

At-large: Angela Thomas

District 1:

https://www.dougcointegrityalliance.com

Matthew M. Lunn

Emily Roth Suyat

Jason Hamel

October Ann Levy

Irene Bonham

Julie Gooden

Another Dem: Mary Lynch

District 2:

Kevin Leung

Julien Bouquet

Julie Watkins

Barrett Rothe

District 3:

Bob Marshall

Michael Lees

Alicia Jean Vagts

Lee Hudson Frame

Gordon B (Spud) Van De Water

Susan Meek is not on a slate but I’d vote for her in a heartbeat.

Update on the county commissioner’s citizen survey on home rule and how I shifted from being a Republican to a Democrat in Douglas County. It’s all connected.

Douglas County Citizen 2023 Survey Results:

https://www.douglas.co.us/documents/2023-citizen-survey-results.pdf/

Douglas County Citizen 2025 Survey as reported on DougCo website: https://www.douglas.co.us/view-full-results-of-the-douglas-county-2025-citizen-survey-online/

Dawn Caldwell letter to the editor in Colorado Community Media: https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2025/05/22/letter-home-rule-survey-doesnt-say/Learn more about grassroots powerhouse gun safety org Moms Demand Action. You don’t have to be a mom.

Vote NO on home rule but if it passes, these are candidates I would vote for:At Large: Angela Thomas District 1 - https://www.dougcointegrityalliance.com/

District 2 - Kevin Leung, Julien Bouquet, Barrett Rothe, Juli Watkins

District 3 - https://www.ourcommunityvotes.net/ AND I’d vote for Susan Meek, not on a slate.

Not sure what district you live in? Use this interactive map.

Volunteer or sign up to get a yard sign: https://www.stopdougcopowergrab.com/

Let’s talk about the ballot for the June 24 special election in Douglas County! Questions? Email me at [email protected]

Don’t know what commissioner district you live in? Type in your address here: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=b9005d68095345eb8a59c90e020edbf6 then click county commissioners. If it's Abe Laydon, you're District 1, if it's George Teal, you're District 2 and if it's Kevin Van Winkle, you are District 3.

The June 24 sample ballot:https://www.douglas.co.us/documents/june-2025-douglas-county-special-election-sample-ballot.pdf/

The county commissioner’s March 25 Resolution regarding home rule (this is the rabbit hole): https://douglascounty.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=13951561&GUID=6FF478CA-D36C-43F4-95E2-B7E82BAF7E17

The county commissioner’s home rule website/timeline that never mentions the word study:https://www.douglas.co.us/board-county-commissioners/home-rule-charter/

Sterling Ranch Opposes John Adams Academy Charter Authorization FB page https://www.facebook.com/groups/935886331815399

Volunteer for the Vote NO effort and/or get yard signs. Sign up for the newsletter too: https://www.stopdougcopowergrab.com

Charter commission candidate slates that are NO on home rule -

At-large:

Angela Thomas

District 1 (Lone Tree and most of Parker) - website: https://www.dougcointegrityalliance.com

Matthew M. Lunn

Emily Roth Suyat

Jason Hamel

October Ann Levy

Irene Bonham

Julie Gooden

District 2 (generally Castle Pines, Castle Rock, the Pinery, Larkspur):

Kevin Leung

Julien Bouquet

Juli Watkins

Barrett Rothe

District 3 (generally Highlands Ranch):

Bob Marshall

Michael Lees

Alicia Jean Vagts

Lee Hudson Frame

Gordon B (Spud) Van De WaterI also recommend voting for Susan Meek in District 3. Not on a slate but she’s on the school board and would bring this much needed perspective to the table.

A deeper dive today! This one is about the application of yet another charter school in Douglas County. John Adams Academy is pulling every lever and political favor trying to get its foot in the door in Sterling Ranch. I interview Lori Wright, a parent in Sterling Ranch, who connects the dots for us. Further reading on John Adams Academy’s push to open a school in Sterling Ranch:

https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/liberty-based-charter-school-seeks-state-approval-colorado/

https://coloradotimesrecorder.com/2025/03/servant-leaders-a-closer-look-at-john-adams-academy-a-proposed-dougco-charter-school-championed-by-conservatives/67935/https://www.dougcocollective.com/dougcocollective/sywn3gorzazazk7jttkvijcmgijvppTake action:

* Charter School Institute (CSI) statutorily required community meeting: Monday May 19 at 5pm at Highlands Ranch Sheriff Substation, 9250 Zotos Drive, Highlands Ranch, CO. Wear blue and bring public comments.

* Charter School Institute (CSI) meeting Tuesday, May 20th at 12 p.m. at the Lone Tree library, public comment opportunities.

* Email Brett Thomas at [email protected] about the location and extent application (zoning application). Put John Adams Academy in the subject line, let him know you don’t think having a charter school here in addition to the already-planned neighborhood school is an appropriate use of land.

* Join the Facebook page for Sterling Ranch Opposes John Adams Academy Charter Authorization to be updated and find more details. Let them know you heard about it on this podcast.

* Voting NO on home rule will also send a message: https://www.stopdougcopowergrab.com/

Decisive wins for Democrats who ran in Highlands Ranch: https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2025/05/07/highlands-ranch-metro-district-directors-initial-results/

Thanks again to Rep Marshall for the interview. Learn more about Douglas County’s rush to home rule in the Home Rule Series of this podcast.

View the complaint against the commissioners and exhibits (scroll down til you see them): https://www.stopdougcopowergrab.com/post/lora-thomas-s-spotlight-25-11The gofundme to support the lawsuit.Scorcher of an article on our commissioners by Paula Noonan: Persistent pursuit of policies without public review irreparably corrupt

Watch Commissioner Teal’s comments at the last county commission meeting where no public comment was allowed:

Thanks for listening! Please share if you find this content useful.

Thanks again to Rep Marshall for the interview. Learn more about Douglas County’s rush to home rule in the Home Rule Series of this podcast, episodes 4-6.

View the complaint against the commissioners and exhibits (scroll down til you see them): https://www.stopdougcopowergrab.com/post/lora-thomas-s-spotlight-25-11

Watch George Teal’s comments at the last commissioner meeting where no public comment was allowed at the end of the meeting:

Thanks for listening! Please share if you find this content useful.

Here’s how we Get Sh*t Done (GSD) and show up this week:1. Hands Off! DougCo Takes Action Protest on the Lone Tree Bridge, April 19 at 11:45am-2pm. Details here: actionnetwork.org/event…

2. Douglas County Commissioner meeting, April 22 at 1:30pm in Castle Rock, 100 Third Street. So many questions we can ask and comments we can make! We can also just sit and observe.

3. Empty Chair Town Hall for Lauren Boebert, April 26, 1:30pm in Lone Tree. Space is limited, sign up here: secure.everyaction.com/…

In Loveland: https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/event/776590/

4. Visit stopdougcopowergrab.com to get informed and receive updates on home rule.

5. Not in the podcast but still important for Highlands Ranch folks! It’s time to vote locally for HRMD board and water district board members. You will not automatically get a ballot, you must request one or vote in person at the district offices at 62 Plaza Drive from now til May 6. To find out how to request a ballot to be mailed to you, go to dougcodems.org/elections. It’s a non-partisan election, meaning you will not see a D or R by anyone’s name. Wait, what is HRMD? Great question! Visit votecaliwolf.com/faq. The registered Dems in these races are Cali Wolf and Steven Kinkaid on the HRMD ballot and Juli Faller for water board.