2025 Arvada Voter Guide

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Forum opening statements:

“My name is Mike Griffith. I’m running for the at-large seat. Who I am? So I’m a transportation design engineering person, basically working in several capacities for the city over the last 11 years. And you know, what I’d like to talk about is one of the most important things is why I’m running. So why I’m running and why I’m sitting up here is probably a similar reason to why you’re all here today. You’re invested in your community, you’re invested with your businesses, you’re invested with your time. And I am too.

Some of the things that I’ve done for the city over the last ten years include sharing the planning commission, which I’ve done for about nine years now. I also sit on the board of adjustment and I also work as a on the sorry on the old town PID board. It’s definitely one of those things we jump right into here. So a lot of things that you do for your community take up your time away from your family, away from your kids, away from the other things that you do in your life. And I think it’s important to understand that time that you’re giving in service to your community means something. It translates into better outcomes for our community members.

I have three kids at home. They’re all first generation Arvadans, and they’d probably like dad to be at home right now or taking them to school instead of having mom do it all today. So I think it’s really important to just show up and be there, and that’s a big part of why I’m running. And I think my background and skill set would be very useful for the city of Arvada, and I’m looking forward to putting those skills and service on City Council.”

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Forum opening statement:

“My name is Denise Vargas. Thank you for having me here today.

I’m a native of Colorado. I grew up in Lakewood, and I’ve lived in Arvada for the last 11 years with my husband and my twins — 10-year-olds who go to Sierra Elementary.

For the past 15 to 16 years, I’ve worked in corrections at the Denver County Jail. I ran a mental health unit, which is very similar to an inpatient residential unit for mentally ill people — mentally ill offenders. I did a variety of other things as well. I also have a small private practice where I treat first responders, so I kind of do both. I work with folks who struggle with serious and persistent mental illness, trauma, and substance abuse, and I work with first responders and many others who deal with relationship issues, substance abuse, and trauma.

I feel like those skills enable me to listen, be a good problem solver, and build trust. I think trust is really valuable and important — and it’s what we need in City Council. I see a lot of trust in City Council already, and I’d like to be a part of that.

At the heart of my campaign, I talk about the Three C’s: Connection, Conversation, and Community.

Connection means bringing people together across differences.

Conversation means being willing to engage in the tough but necessary discussions.

Community means keeping Arvada a place where families, businesses, and neighbors thrive together.

I know we have lots of different issues. And, being a psychologist, this is all very new to me. So, like any good psychologist, I had to listen for a handful of times to really start to understand some of the issues facing Arvada and what people would like to be done about them.

It took me a few meetings to start gathering that information — and I’m still gathering it. I look forward to hearing what you would like for Arvada, and what you think would benefit our city, so that I can help bridge those gaps.”

What’s your philosophy on land use decisions, particularly when community sentiment and economic development goals are in tension?

Mike Griffith:
Thank you. Great question. So I fully expect that any major land development decision to be in tension with those things. First of all, let’s talk about density just for a second. The best way for us to increase our tax base is to increase density anywhere. So that means a thousand-story building on a very small lot. That’ll get us more tax money. Guess who it’s going to make upset? The community. So we have to find a balance. Obviously, we can’t make millions and trillions of dollars. We don’t need that much for our infrastructures, upgrades and needs.

So we need to look at exactly what we’re going to be doing over the next 10–20 years from an infrastructure perspective. What do mill and overlay projects look like? How do we fix potholes and traffic signal timing and build new roads if necessary? How much does that cost?

And then we look at our residential population and say, all right, does it reflect the jobs that are available in our community? Okay, there’s some gaps to fill. There’s some affordability problems. So we know we need a certain amount of a certain cost in our neighborhood and in our city, rather, so that we can actually build what’s needed. And that will be something we can plug into that tax base equation and see, all right, this is how much money we’re going to have estimated based on our population growth, meeting our needs that aren’t being fulfilled today, and also filling the coffers so that we can deliver for infrastructure.

Denise Vargas:
I think it’s important to listen to the community and have a full understanding of what their needs actually are, what their disagreements are with whatever’s happening. That being said, I think sometimes we also have to recognize that we may need to grow in a certain direction, and that is not always going to be foresight that every individual has.

I think there has to be a balance. There has to be a balance. We have to listen to our community, especially people that have been here for a long time. I think they, you know, Arvada is so fantastic. Arvada knows what works. And so we do have to consider with the people who are living in Arvada, who have been here for 40, 50 years, what has worked.

And I think we need a balance. We have balance in our city. We have farmers. We have business owners. We have city workers. We have people that stay at home. We have people that work in our schools. And so we need just balance all across the board. And so we would need to have those engagements with people.

What would be your number one priority in your first year on City Council, and how would you measure success?

Denise Vargas:
I think for me, the number one priority is going to be taking a look at the unhoused situation and how it’s affecting our small businesses in Old Town, Arvada, accessing and assessing current strategies that we may be using because there may be strategies we’re using that are working. We have to figure out what those are.

You know, I think that that’s kind of my wheelhouse, working with people who struggle with mental illness and who struggle with not being housed and lower socioeconomic struggles, and wanting to consider what is already effective against the expectations of the community. So I think the community has the expectation to have, like, no unhoused folks at all. And I know that that cannot always be realistic.

And so figuring out what we’re already doing that’s working and then adding to that, maybe engaging nonprofits, using a crisis mobile unit, something like that. Things that we know work and are effective in other communities and using them here since we have unhoused people here, no matter what.

And I met with the chief of police and I asked him, you know, what do you think draws the unhoused here? And it’s because Arvada is so safe. Oddly enough, they feel like they are less targeted, less traumatized. And so folks who often get traumatized and targeted in Denver will gravitate towards Arvada. So, you know, we can’t make Arvada less safe so that they don’t come here. That doesn’t make sense, right? We want to maintain the sense of safety and the sense of prosperity that Arvada provides for folks.

And so engaging that. We have something called CORE, which I didn’t know about, I think. Continuing that mission of CORE would be great. By the way, Community Outreach Resource Enforcement, that’s what it stands for.

Mike Griffith:
So, key priority, this is something that I think everybody can relate to. Depending on how you got here today, you probably hit more traffic lights than you would have preferred. I know I do every day on my way to work. I drive up Wadsworth and I hit damn near every single one of them.

Working in the traffic engineering space, I can tell you that that’s not how it’s supposed to happen. If you’re going the speed limit and you’re not in dead stop traffic, you should only hit one red light per corridor. So let’s talk about how to fix that.

The City of Arvada has very wisely invested in a transportation master plan, which is now complete, and I’m very proud of it because I led the team that actually put it together. One of the things that we recommended as an early action item that we could do right away is, instead of timing signals in one location per intersection, we now can do it as a network.

There are over 100 intersections in the City of Arvada, and we’ve mapped all those out in computer and simulated what would be a more idealistic way to time those signals so that we can move around more efficiently. I would absolutely push with my other six council members to make sure that that’s a priority for the city to implement.

It costs nearly nothing, and we could measure it very easily within a short period of time to see if we’ve reached the maximum efficiency for a network-wide intervention. We modeled this and got about a 30% increase in efficiency traveling east–west and north–south.

So without actually shoveling anything, without spending millions and millions of dollars on roadway infrastructure improvement, we can improve the way people move about the city and create less greenhouse gas emissions and increase the local air quality.

The City Council often faces passionate debate and community division. How would you promote civility, collaboration, and respectful dialogue, both among council members and within the public, especially when addressing contentious issues?

Mike Griffith:
Excellent. This is something I was hoping we were going to get to discuss. I would draw on my experience in the last nine years on Planning Commission. I’ve been chairing it for about four years now, and we see the same projects that City Council sees.

We have a lot of the same audience members coming in from different communities. They’re upset about a project or a policy change at the city level and they say, “Hey, what’s going on? This is our city. What are you doing?”

I think one of the key things that I try to bring to the Planning Commission meetings that I’d also bring to City Council is making sure that the public is informed on exactly what we’re reviewing and what our purview is in those situations. It’s essential that there’s clarity between what’s happening at local government, how those decisions impact our local businesses, and how they impact our residents.

In addition, I know there’s at least one other candidate that’s going to recommend a reading of the book Crucial Conversations as soon as we go into the seats for City Council. I think there’s a lot of literature, not just that book, that can help folks make a safe space for conversations that level the playing field and make it not so much about your argument or my argument, but about what is the mutual goal.

Introducing those mindsets to City Council will put us in a much stronger position to have a cordial and respectful discussion in front of our members of the public, receive their comments, and make sure they feel heard.

Denise Vargas:
Well, you know, I’m a psychologist, so I’m all about tough conversations, making people feel comfortable and invited into a space to have really tough conversations that may not always end with people agreeing. And so I think that that is my wheelhouse.

When I worked in corrections, I would have to engage both officers and offenders and bring them together, not to be friends, that’s not our goal, but to work collaboratively. Because the offenders outnumber the uniform staff in a jail in any correctional environment.

Being able to be that in-between, and I like to call myself like a hybrid of those two entities, really enabled my skills to have tough conversations. There is a way in which you speak, there is a way in which you carry yourself, that helps people to feel comfortable with you.

And I think that that’s what psychologists possess. I mean, that’s why we get into that field. So I do think that being that bridge maker between opposing sides is what psychologists are good at.

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Forum opening statements:

“My name is Eric Bodenstab. I’ve lived in Arvada since 2018, about three weeks before my younger son was born. We live in the Lake Arbor area, which is in the far east part of District One. I’m no stranger to jumping into races; however, I’ve always kind of been in non-competitive races, including last year for County Commissioner.

I decided to run, I thought about it for a while. I also put my name in the hat for the open seat when Lisa moved up to the State Legislature last year, and I was interested at that point in City Council. Seventeen people put their name in the hat, and I assumed that there were maybe a few other people from District One. I assumed that one of them would probably put their name in again for this race right now.

No one had by August. I didn’t want Randy to run unopposed. I think he’s a fine man, and I know what kind of council member he is, so I didn’t have any real issue with anything in particular with him. It was more about what I wanted to do and what I wanted to see out of our community. I know competitive races are the lifeblood of democracy, and I felt really strongly about that, so I jumped in.”

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Forum opening statement:

“I’m Randy Morman, and I’m running for reelection in District One.

Four years ago, I stood before you all here talking about how much I love my community and wanting to give back. My husband had a stroke in 2017, and the community was just so supportive. It really meant a lot to me to think about what I could do for the community that was there for us.

While on Council, I’ve had an amazing opportunity to meet residents from Lake Arbor, some of Eric’s neighbors, all the way to Davis Lane Park, which is newer in my district. It’s been a really awesome experience to work with those neighbors and talk about what differences we can make in our neighborhoods.

We’ve had some successes: we’ve made some of our streets safer by putting up crosswalks and flashing beacons, reopening the Lake Arbor Pool, and even filling some potholes. I’m excited about what we’ve been able to accomplish, and I’m looking forward to the next four years.

My priorities are focused on investing in our roads and sidewalks, making our city more accessible, improving our bike paths and lanes, and creating greater access to affordable housing for our workers, new families, and seniors. I’m also committed to making our community more resilient and economically viable in the face of an ever-changing climate. We need to continue thinking forward about how we can do that.

So, I’m recommitting to the community with my re-election. I want to continue to work tirelessly for our neighborhoods to make Arvada a better place, and I truly believe in community and the power of what we can do together.”

What policies would you advocate for that support both small and large employers in Arvada?

Eric Bodenstab:
Definitely some sorts of tax credits wherever possible, what we can do to encourage new businesses to come in the downtown area, whether it’s land or other sorts of economic stimulus that would certainly allow new businesses to come and compete here. We are largely a residential community, so we do need to balance that out with the available land we have left. My understanding is about 600 acres that are undeveloped yet, and some of it is not in the best condition. We have to give property owners the right to develop their land however they see fit. It may lead to a difficult situation with neighboring residents, but we do need the best possible outcome with that as well. And that’s the role of the city council, to plan and help administer a new business, a new even possibly a new park, whatever may come into the fold.

Randy Morman:
When I’ve been visiting our businesses, especially in District 1, I think of places like La Patisserie Francaise and The Butchery, and one of my favorite nonprofits is Animal Assisted Therapy of Colorado. I listen to them and hear some of the challenges they’re facing right now, and one of the biggest is attracting and keeping really good, valuable employees. One of the biggest barriers for them is finding housing here in Arvada. Eighty-two percent of our workforce in Arvada doesn’t live here because they can’t afford to. That puts a strain on our infrastructure, all that additional traffic and commuting, and it also puts a strain on those individuals who have to take that extra time to get to work and to get home and to be with their families. So I think it’s really important that we focus on how we can continue to create more options for housing for our workers. I think there are a lot of strategies we need to be looking at and doing more on, thinking about land banking, preserving our existing affordable housing, and thinking about those incentives that can attract that missing middle that first-time homebuyers need.

What role should the city play in addressing homelessness? How would you balance compassion with public safety and community concerns?

Randy Morman:
This is something I’ve given a lot of thought about, and I’ve had a lot of great conversations with many of you in the room. One thing that I want us to start building off of is our successes. Since January, we’ve housed around 80 individuals in suburban studios with our great two housing navigators. They’re providing wraparound social services to help those individuals get to permanent housing. And we now have, in just a short amount of time, somewhere between a 70 and 75% success rate of those individuals now in permanent housing. That, I think, is one of the best programs we’ve got in the Denver metro area right now, based on that rate. So I think let’s build on that success. Let’s also collaborate and work with our partners. I’ve been involved with our county commissioners and our fellow municipalities on how we address this regionally, it is a regional problem. One of the exciting things we just did as a city and with our other city partners is sign an intergovernmental agreement to address severe weather sheltering coming this winter, which is something so urgently needed. We don’t want to continue scrambling year after year to figure out how to get people housed in the cold of nights and make sure no one dies on our streets. I’m very excited that we’ve set up that IGA, we’ll be starting that with the voucher program this winter, and I look forward to building off that partnership for more long-term solutions.

Eric Bodenstab:
If I could snap my fingers and homelessness could just disappear, not just here in Arvada, but in San Diego where I grew up, or in downtown Denver, that would be it. It’s such a complicated problem, and I applaud the efforts that Randy and other members of council have done to try to solve it. I ran for that, actually, back in May. One thing you might not know about me is I came here to study Tibetan Buddhism, of all things, even though I work as an engineer now. The image for compassion in that tradition, so people can hold what it’s like, is the image of compassion as a mother watching her baby drown in a river and she doesn’t have any arms. I think that’s about how we feel about homelessness. We see it and there’s literally nothing that we feel we can do, and it’s a very difficult situation personally for us to feel. I’ve made it a top issue of mine running because I think it’s a problem we still want to address, and we may look for other ways to address it so that we’re not seeing the criminality that comes along with it as much. That’s the troublesome part and that affects businesses. I don’t have a good answer, but it will be a top priority.

Where do you see opportunities for efficiency or innovation in city government operations?

Eric Bodenstab:
Most of it’s on the electoral side. I ran last year, and I’m running a little less on that this year, on the idea of proportional representation. While this is a nonpartisan race, I think to some degree it is 100% a Democratic Party race. I’m sort of a member of it now; however, I’ve been a third-party candidate most of the times I’ve run, and I think battling the two-party gridlock is a chief political goal of mine at any level, national, state, local. I’d love to see that system where you get 27% of the seats for 27% of the vote be enacted.

However, residents not being heard is even more challenging. I’m only a novice in understanding citizens’ assemblies, where citizens actually gather, maybe in a room like this, get educated on a particular topic, and then really debate and talk about the issues among each other. They get a taste of what it’s like to be an elected official. They’re chosen at random, and they can decide. Difficult land use questions are actually where it works best, so it would be good to see the city try to enact something of that nature. I believe I’m the only one talking about this issue right now, and it might be that way for a while, but I’m really open-minded to innovative ways to solve maybe electoral problems, if not technical problems, once on council.

Randy Morman:
When I’m talking to residents, I’m always working hard to think about how I can make myself more available and hear from residents. I have coffee chats on a monthly basis and I put out a newsletter, but I’m always thinking about how we can make ourselves more accessible and most importantly, how we can engage our residents more in what we do as a city. The different things we can do at the city level really impact our quality of life.

I think about how we can engage the public more in everything that we do, and I think there’s always room for improvement. One of the opportunities we have coming up is updating our comprehensive plan, this is our guiding document for the vision of the city. What more crucial place could there be for us to have the community involved in that process, down to the neighborhood level, sharing with us their values and including local businesses in that conversation?

That process needs to be transparent, clear about its purpose, authentic in how we use the input we request, and appropriate in how we engage to get results. I’m really excited about creating a system for greater public engagement in shaping the vision of our city’s future.

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*Note: Did not attend forum, but submited answers below via email.

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Forum opening statement:

“My name is Rebecca Loveson, that’s with a CK. I am running for Arvada City Council District 3. Where I grew up, we biked the streets and caught frogs in the creek, and I am running because I want my daughter and the next generation to be able to do the same, to play in our creeks, bike in the streets, and grow up in safe neighborhoods with stable housing and strong schools.

I’ve made being an Arvadan my career. Everything I do is Arvada. I work at the Arvada Center and beekeep at the Arvada Community Garden. I led the Festivals Commission, adore the work I do with the Arvada Historical Society, and am also part of the Arvada Jefferson Kiwanis and the League of Women Voters. As I wrote this, I realized, wow, there’s a lot of Arvada there.

Additionally, I have over 20 years of experience in the service and event industry, which means I can stay calm under chaos. I am a problem solver, a cultivator of collaboration, and I bring passion to everything I do. I am really excited to be serving you, your family, and our Arvada community.”

Many workers, including teachers, first responders, and service industry employees, report that their wages are not keeping pace with rising housing costs. What strategies would you pursue to ensure that housing options in Arvada are better aligned with the incomes of our local workforce?

Rebecca Loveson:
Yes, as Randy previously mentioned as well, the folks that live here don’t work here, or most of them don’t, and the folks that work here don’t live here. One thing I would like to see is mixed-use zoning. I think it creates a smoother way to grow and allows opportunities for maybe your florist in the neighborhood so you can work, play, and live in the same place. I think providing the infrastructure for better housing or housing for a variety of income levels. And we hear a lot about different things, YIMBY, NIMBY, SIMBY, and I think that in a lot of ways they are all correct. In one area of Arvada, what is right is not what’s right for a different area of Arvada. So I think having those complicated conversations and holding space for conflicting views is really, really key.

Aaron Skoff:
Housing costs and homelessness go hand-in-hand. I am very much in support of seeing new, affordable housing built in Arvada. Whether it is by building new high density housing units for rent, or affordable housing units for purchase, I am in support of moving forward with welcoming builders into Arvada that will build these types of housing units. The Habitat for Humanity project being built at 53rd Avenue and Carr Street is a great example of Arvada’s needs. I would like to see more units for ownership be constructed. I am concerned with the AMI qualifications that are part of the Habitat for Humanity community in Olde Town Arvada, and would like Council to revisit these qualification parameters.

How should Arvada balance development and growth with open space, transportation, and infrastructure needs?

Rebecca Loveson:
All righty. So Arvada has like the number five worst roads. We’re still doing better than the Rockies, but I think one area to start is with our roads. That is what I hear the most at doors. Another area is when I’m walking down the sidewalk with my daughter, you can’t quite get your stroller on the sidewalk. They’re really small, which means now that she’s on a tricycle, it’s a little bit harder as well, and we’re trying to get from our home to our park. So I think one area is focusing on the streets, the sidewalks, and everything in between and everything attached to those. Another thing is when you buy your home, maybe you buy your dishwasher and your other appliances, your refrigerator, all at the same time, and then you’re like, why are these all failing all at the same time? It’s like, oh, well, it hit that 30-year mark. Our city is in a similar situation with some of our infrastructure. To me, that is the priority. Let’s make sure the stuff that affects us day-to-day is the priority and taken care of before welcoming the new and creative ideas we have here.

Aaron Skoff:
Open space will always be something Arvada needs to maintain with the proper balance, as infrastructure needs change and grow. Arvada is known for its vibrant parks, trails, and open spaces. A balance of having both is critical for keeping Arvada’s work/life balance beautiful. The redesign of the new Garrison Garden Paseo on 57th Avenue in Olde Town Arvada is a great example of balance between open space and infrastructure needs. Arvada welcomed Walmart into the community, which was good for the sales tax base. Concerns were voiced by the community. In partnership with Arvada Urban Renewal Authority, a great balance was made. The park is beautiful and the Arvada Gardeners community got a beautiful new look for this very valuable resource.

What is your philosophy on land use decisions, particularly when community sentiment and economic development goals are in tension?

Rebecca Loveson:
We have a huge opportunity I’m really excited about, and that is we are going to be refreshing the comprehensive plan. For those of you that don’t know, the comprehensive plan is the vision of Arvada, the land development code is the rules, and the charter is like the rules of the rules. We’re refreshing all of that now for the next 10 years. We’re also looking at how we’re going to spend money for the next 10 years. This is an amazing opportunity to really find out what our community would like to see. I think including community engagement in the comprehensive plan, not just as a box to check, but really diving deep, asking the experts, how do we not only hear from our residents, but hear from a variety of residents and then follow through with what we’re hearing.

Additionally, I was walking around Stanley Lake with my parents one time, and we have very different views. I discovered something amazing on that walk: when you take a moment to think about what you agree on, and then maybe just push aside what you don’t or not talk about that as much, you can really discover some amazing things. Those conversations are what that taught me.

Aaron Skoff:
Open conversations with the Arvada community will always bring the right decisions. I will always be willing to listen to community needs as well as the needs of those in need of building to provide economic growth and development. I can always be reached directly at 303-505-2882 on cell or text and I will always do what I can to meet with citizens directly to listen and brainstorm.

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Forum opening statement:

“I’m running because I am from Jeffco schools. I was born and raised here and went through all of Jeffco public schools, from elementary through high school, culminating in graduating from Roles of Nalley in Orange Tech. I had the privilege and honor to truly experience Jeffco schools from start to finish.

Additionally, I have a lot of family who have worked in Jeffco schools. So I’ve seen it not only from a student’s perspective, but also through my grandparents, who were both educators and retired from Jeffco, and my mother, who is currently an administrator in Jeffco.

With that background, I’ve been able to see a lot of things that many people wouldn’t necessarily be exposed to. For the last 10 years, I’ve also been on the advisory board for Warren Tech, where I’ve seen how policy decisions are made, where certain areas may be falling short, at least on the CTA side, and what we can do to step up. It’s been a real honor for me to serve in that role.”

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Forum opening statement:

“My name is Dr. Denine Echevarria, and I’m honored to be running for the Jeffco School Board.

I’m running because I’m a mom: I have a 2022 graduate, a current ninth grader, and a two-year-old who will be part of the class of 2042. I’m running because I’m an educator. For nearly two decades, I’ve served as a classified employee, a teacher, an instructional coach, and an administrator. I’ve worked with multilingual learners, gifted students, and students in special education.

I’m also running because I’m a nonprofit leader and former small business owner who understands fiscal responsibility and the importance of strong partnerships with families, staff, and our community. I want what’s best for our children today and for generations to come, and I would be honored to earn your support.”

What are your priorities for investing limited funds to achieve the best outcomes for students?

Denine Echevarria:
We all know that Jeffco is facing the possibility of significant cuts because of federal and state funding changes. These are really tough realities. As a former single mom, I learned what it meant to stretch every dollar and live without the extras. In addition to teaching full time, I became a small business owner and was responsible for the bottom line. That experience taught me a very important lesson: how we spend our money is a direct reflection of what we prioritize.

For me, those priorities are clear. I want to ensure the programs we fund truly work for students, that our teachers and staff are well supported, and that our district invests in evidence-based strategies with proven outcomes. From my time in the classroom, I know firsthand the power of tutoring and small group instruction. When a child has the chance to get more individualized attention, their confidence and achievement grow.

That’s why, in addition to investing in our educators, we must also invest in our support staff, who play a critical role in our classrooms. I believe that before we make any budget decisions, we need to fully engage our community. Families and staff deserve to know what’s happening and deserve to have a voice in the process. That dialogue will help us prioritize in a way that reflects our shared values. If cuts do become necessary, I continue to desire to keep those cuts as far away from the classrooms as possible. Protecting teaching and learning must always go first.

Michael Yocum:
To start, I think we need to focus on keeping funds as close to the students as possible. Any money we have should be directed to students. We’re facing a $60 million deficit, so we’ll have to make hard decisions. That said, we need to prioritize students first and foremost. Transparency is key, and right now, there hasn’t been enough of a two-way conversation with communities and all stakeholders. We need honest, transparent communication about where we are with the budget, why decisions are being made, and ensure we keep impacts as far away from students and teachers as possible.

Additionally, it’s important to look at unique ways to bring in funding, such as partnering with the community. Everyone in Jeffco loves Jeffco, so there’s opportunity to work together to rebuild trust and, hopefully, generate additional funding through a mill or other strategies. We’ll need both strong decisions and community support.

What does High School Reimagine mean to you, and how would you define success for this initiative?

Michael Yocum:
High School Reimagined is built around the idea that high school needs new, unique pathways and more diverse options. As a graduate of Warren Tech, I love what this represents. Success for me would be ensuring students leave high school with a clear path, whether it’s college or a career, and with the skills and resources to achieve that. We need as many options as possible so every student has the opportunity to enter the world successfully.

Denine Echevarria:
High School Reimagined means that every student is engaged, but it doesn’t begin in high school. I taught elementary school most of my life, and if a student enters ninth grade reading at a fifth-grade level, those opportunities might not be accessible. That’s why we need to start much earlier, ensuring every child has a strong foundation.

Once they reach high school, students can fully explore career and college pathways, discover subjects that inspire them, and practice new skills in a safe environment. In Jeffco, we offer a wide range of options, from highly structured programs like Dublin, to innovative models like the Montessori Farm School, to Warren Tech’s career and workforce readiness programs. We also provide gifted pathways and critical supports for multilingual learners and special education students. Across the district, the focus is the same: ensuring all students are prepared for college and the workforce. As a school board member, I will work to expand these opportunities and build on strong partnerships with the business community to ensure every Jeffco student graduates with the skills and confidence to thrive.

What do you believe are the district’s greatest strengths, and how can they be leveraged to overcome current or future challenges?

Denine Echevarria:
I think one of the district’s greatest strengths is our people and the trusting community we foster. As a community member who experienced the trauma of a neighborhood school closing, I understand the strength of a community behind Jeffco schools. We came together during that time, and I understand how deeply these decisions affect families. While the board had to make hard decisions, I would focus on engaging the community, parents, and families in these decisions.

As a teacher, I worked with classrooms that included multifamily learners, gifted students, students with medical needs, and special education students, sometimes with more than five reading levels in the same room. That experience taught me that parents and community partners need engagement in many different ways. Our district must be responsive, partner with parents, support staff, and invest in programs that improve academic achievement for all.

Michael Yocum:
I agree. One of Jeffco’s strongest elements is its community. To leverage that, we first need to rebuild trust. Another major strength is Warren Tech and the CTE program. Jeffco has built a program that allows students to pursue opportunities many districts wouldn’t touch, like fire science, aviation, and engineering. Students can graduate with high-level skills and accreditation. Utilizing that program and the connections around it, combined with our community, provides an incredible opportunity for success going forward.

Forum opening statement:

“Thank you all for doing this for us. I’ve been volunteering for 44 years. I have close to 35,000 hours volunteering in the schools. And I think that that’s one thing that the schools really need a lot more of, are volunteers. And for myself, I had one son who graduated from Jefferson, I had two grandkids who graduated from Jefferson, and I have an eighth grader now in Jefferson. And I think that we need to support our neighborhood schools and make it make them as successful as all the other schools. I think we need to put more people in the schools.”

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Forum opening statement:

“My name is Peter Gibbins. Excited to be running for Jeffco School Board. I’m running for several reasons and here’s a few. First, I’m a proud parent of a Jeffco student. I want to make sure that my son and other students continue to receive the best education they can. I’ve also, as a parent, had difficulties and frustration trying to work with the district, trying to understand how the district functions. And as somebody who has few degrees and works in a professional capacity, I think about those parents who maybe don’t have the resources that I do to navigate some difficult processes in the district.

I’m also proud to be the son of a public school teacher, and my mother later left the classroom to work for the Teachers Association for the JCBA. I know how hard educators work. I know how underpaid they are. I know how important it is to do a better job of attracting and retaining the best educators. And then finally, through all of my professional experiences, I’m currently a practicing attorney. I have experience from the labor movement with labor management disputes, including several that I helped successfully resolve. I know how important it is to have transparency. I know how important it is to have better accountability for decision-making, and I know how important it is to get stakeholders sitting together at the same table in a two-way conversation. I want to work for that as a school board member.”

How will you ensure effective fiscal stewardship, and what is your stance on prioritizing tests to minimize impact on classroom?

Peter Gibbins:
I talked a moment ago about transparency. I think fiscal stewardship and the budgeting challenges we’re facing start with that transparency. We need the community engaged in the process and understanding the difficult decisions the school board faces. There are no easy decisions coming up. The board will be faced with a series of challenging and difficult choices, and the community needs to be on the same page about what decisions are being made and why.

In terms of navigating that process, we need to prioritize funding at the classroom level and in the schools. Teachers, staff, and those working directly with students must be the last area affected by cuts. We need to find cost savings elsewhere and explore creative funding solutions to fill gaps, ensuring students don’t feel the impact and that educators have the resources they need to provide the best education possible.

That might mean getting back to basics. Sometimes we indulge in fancy programs that are not essential to how we educate students. It may also mean going to voters for a mill levy override or finding local funding solutions to address budget shortfalls and support the core educational mission.

Samuel Myrant:
I don’t think we need to cut anything in the classrooms, except maybe consultants. I see the district hires a lot of outside consultants, and I think that money could be better spent directly in the classroom. From talking to many teachers, I know they see a lot of technical administration above them, and I don’t feel all of it is as effective as it could be.

I also want to bring back shop classes in middle schools. Right now, we spend a fortune taking kids to Warren Tech, which is a great school, but if we offered some of those programs in our middle schools, it could engage students earlier. Many kids lose interest because they don’t have electives they enjoy. Even basic life skills like cooking weren’t being taught—some kids didn’t know how to boil water. We need to do something to make students want to go to school and want to graduate.

This should start in middle school. If we lose students there, we risk losing them for life. I also believe we can involve the community—contractors or local businesses could help fund programs like a metal shop class. They have a vested interest in where our kids go after high school, and their support could help create opportunities that keep students engaged.

What are your top priorities for improving safety in our schools, both physically and emotionally?

Samuel Myrant:
As I mentioned, I’m in the schools every day, and I see our security staff, the blue shirts—they’re very effective. The more of them we have, the better. School Resource Officers are important, but it’s hard to get enough security in schools.

Another idea I have, and some people have mocked me for it, is to bring in grandparents. In the Indianapolis inner-city schools in the 1990s, they brought in grandparents, and it created a real positive change in the school atmosphere. People might tease parents, but they never tease grandparents.

It’s more than just eyes and ears in the schools—it’s also friendly faces. Many of the kids involved in school shootings are lonely or have been bullied. Having tutors and volunteers who are grandparents walking the halls, helping in classrooms, and mentoring students can make a big difference. These are experienced people with wisdom that we aren’t fully utilizing in our communities.

I’m a grandpa, and I make a small difference just by being in the schools. Imagine if we brought in more grandparents—the impact on the school environment and on the students could be significant.

Peter Gibbins:
This was an important question even before the tragedy, and the event has only made it more urgent. We need to continue to focus on physical safety, and we’ll learn more about what did or didn’t work. At the same time, we have to maintain a strong emphasis on mental health and social-emotional supports for students.

One thing that struck me was a parent pointing out that a tutor had struggled for years, and they felt, in a way, that the system had failed him just as much as the students. This highlights the need to look at the whole student over time and ensure no child falls through the cracks.

I also learned about an elementary school that has created an excellent culture and program focused on emotional health. Everyone in the building is involved, and it’s truly a cultural shift. Students feel safer and more supported in approaching adults and accessing the resources available to them. By removing taboos and embedding these practices into the school culture, students’ well-being is prioritized every day.

We need to identify these best practices and find ways to implement them across the district so more schools can create safe, supportive, and vibrant environments for all students.

What approaches would you use to foster trust, transparency, and healthy communication between the district, families, and the broader community?

Peter Gibbins:
Excellent question. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that we need much more community engagement. Board members and other district leaders need to go out into the community and have meaningful, two-way conversations. Whether it’s groups like this or other community forums, we need to do a better job of listening and engaging.

If you’ve ever been to a board meeting, you’ll see that there isn’t much opportunity for real dialogue. That’s not a criticism of the current board; there are practical constraints in that setting. What it does mean is that we need to create other opportunities for these conversations.

At the same time, the board and district leadership need to be willing to truly hear the feedback they receive. They should ask questions of different stakeholders, listen to the answers—even when they’re difficult—and be prepared to have tough conversations. My commitment as a board member would be to go out, engage groups that are often overlooked, ask questions that aren’t usually asked, and take community concerns seriously, integrating them into policy whenever possible.

Samuel Myrant:
You need to get the community involved, both physically and financially. For example, we want to bring shop classes back—name a classroom after your business, like they do in Commerce City. The community needs a clear pathway to be in our schools. Right now, I don’t see many visitors or volunteers in the schools. How do we get more people involved? How do we create that pathway? At school board meetings, there’s no way to have real two-way communication.

They need more opportunities, like city council meetings I’ve attended.

We also need total transparency. We spend money on consulting—what do we actually get from consultants? Often just a lot of latitude. What we need are solid answers on how to involve the community in our schools. One way is to host more open houses so people can come in and see what our schools are like. Some in the school system are afraid of that—they don’t want people to see how things are really done. But allowing the community to see classrooms and observe what’s happening is essential.

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Forum Opening Statement:

“My name is Mary Parker, and I currently serve as president of the JEPA School Board. I have two daughters who are JEPA teachers and four granddaughters who attend or have graduated from JEPA School. Serving on the board has been a labor of love over the past four years. I have visited dozens of schools, ridden on school buses, worked in cafeterias preparing lunches with the staff, answered thousands of emails, and attended hundreds of school events, including orchestra concerts and athletic events. I have loved the work I’ve done and look forward to continuing it. Additionally, I have been a court-appointed special advocate working with children for the past 18 years. I understand the importance of schools in our children’s lives and want to do everything I can to continue supporting them.”

Forum Opening Statement:

“My name is Terri Rascon, and I’m running for District 5. I’m running because our schools are in crisis, and our children deserve better. I’m a mom to three kids, and I believe in the value of a high-quality education. I have an MBA and a BBA in accounting, and I am an Army veteran. I’m also a former foster mom to over a dozen children. I believe that we need change, and I will be a strong advocate for our community. Some of my priorities include strengthening our schools, ensuring financial responsibility, restoring academic excellence, and supporting our teachers.”

Website

*Note: Did not attend forum. Answers below submitted via email.

What partnerships do you envision between Jeffco public schools and local businesses to enhance work-based learning, internships, and career exploration for students?

Mary Parker:
This is a great question because right here we have an example of a strong partnership. The Greater Arvada Chamber of Commerce has been a wonderful partner to Jeffco Schools. We’ve had many collaborative events and your membership has supported us by helping spread awareness about opportunities to partner with Jeffco Schools. The Economic Development Council also works with us, so their businesses know about partnership opportunities. In southern District 5, we have Warren Tech South and an aeronautics program where Lockheed Martin helps our kids. High School Reimagined is all about partnerships, career options, mentorships, and internships. That is what hooks kids to come to school. One highlight from the last year is that our high-risk students living in poverty who took at least three Career Technology Education classes had a graduation rate of 93 percent. That’s higher than our average graduation rate, which is remarkable since average students typically have much lower graduation rates.

Gloria “Terri” Rascon:
To prepare students for life beyond graduation, I envision robust partnerships between Jefferson County Schools and local businesses that bring career and technical education, internships, and work-based training directly into our schools. I want to launch pilot programs, especially in schools that might be closing, to stabilize enrollment and create growth pathways in high-demand fields like healthcare, technology, and skilled trades. I want to collaborate with industries, trade unions, and colleges. Apprenticeships and professional development pipelines can prepare students for future careers while also supporting teacher recruitment in high-need areas. These partnerships should be guided by community engagement and data-driven metrics. Aligning programs with workforce needs boosts academic relevance in core subjects like math and science and attracts families seeking meaningful opportunities for their children. It’s not just about job training. It’s about strengthening lives, building economic ties, and providing every student a chance to succeed.

Tina Moeinian
A few weeks ago I was at a local high school for a student led forum. I heard excellent feedback from the students who attend Warren Tech, participating in different programs there. I think we need to continue and expand these sorts of programs and partner with the community to make that happen.

In your opinion, what should be the top priorities for the district in the next five years and why?

Gloria “Terri” Rascon:
The top priorities must be restoring student safety and trust, achieving academic excellence, and ensuring fiscal responsibility. Safety and accountability come first because if students do not feel safe, they cannot learn. We have had over 33 staff misconduct cases since 2022, so urgent reform is necessary. We also need data-driven tutoring to restore academic recovery, because currently only 52 percent of students are proficient in English and math. Fiscal responsibility is crucial, especially with a $39 to $60 million budget deficit. Zero-based budgeting guided by community input will help protect vital programs like special education, career pathways, and tutoring.

Mary Parker:
I agree that safety is the number one priority. I received endorsement from Every Town for gun safety when I first ran for the board in 2021. It is unacceptable that students do not feel safe at school. I also believe we need more people from the community involved in schools, similar to what other countries do with school access. My second priority is attracting and retaining high-quality teachers and staff, which is fundamental to student success. Finally, fiscal responsibility and sustainability are essential to ensure we can support all our goals for students.

Tina Moeinian:
I think we need to rebuild the communication and trust between the district and the community. We have some troubling times ahead with the $60 million deficit and the only way we will be able to chart a path forward with that is together. We need to work together to identify our priorities as a community in developing the budget. My goal is to keep cuts as far away from the classrooms and schools as possible. We also need to be doing more to address student safety. We need to approach this not just from a physical safety perspective but also addressing the psychological/social aspect as well. People who bully are often bullied themselves first. We need to ensure we are creating a welcoming environment where students feel safe, welcome and embraced at school so that they can focus on what is important – learning.

How will you ensure effective fiscal stewardship while prioritizing resources to minimize the impact on classrooms?

Mary Parker:
This past summer, I worked on a board subcommittee with two other members and district leaders to prepare for budget reductions. We started by comparing our spending to peer districts in Colorado and across the nation, focusing on administration and the operational center. Security and IT are areas where we spend more than other districts, but those are essential services. Starting at the top allows us to find savings before impacting schools. When cuts reach schools, we will prioritize support for smaller schools that lack resources, protecting them from severe reductions.

Gloria “Terri” Rascon:
As a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt with experience in process improvement and military budget cuts, I plan to apply zero-based budgeting to eliminate waste and refocus funds on students. With a $60 million shortfall, we cannot rely on across-the-board cuts. Essentials like tutoring, counseling, and teacher initiatives must be protected because they directly impact learning and student well-being. I want to prioritize strategic reductions outside the classroom, guided by community input and data, and tie funding to results using key performance indicators in a revitalized strategic plan. Independent audits will maintain transparency and accountability. Effective fiscal stewardship is not just about balancing budgets; it is about making values visible in every decision, protecting what matters most, engaging families and educators, and building a district that is both financially sound and academically strong.

Tina Moeinian:
Currently the district is facing a $60 million deficit. We did not arrive here overnight. It will take time to examine and address how the budget is being spent. My priority will be ensuring the cuts are as far away from students and schools as possible. This could mean building new and maintaining partnerships within the community to assist in offsetting some costs. This may also mean coming to the community and asking for a mill levy override, explaining why it is needed and how it will help, where the funds will be allocated to.