Attempt to Recall Westminster’s First Openly LGBTQ Councilperson

One Colorado organized an in-person and remote phone bank on July 14 and 15 against a Westminster recall. With less than a week to go, they attempted to protect Jon Voelz’s city council seat. Voelz, the city’s first openly LGBTQ councilperson, fell victim of an unneeded and costly recall election.

Against the area’s high rise in water costs, a Westminster group called Water Warriors initially campaigned for a recall against Voelz and three other council members in September 2020. According to them, the council members seemed to support the high costs.

They only secured a recall election for Voelz however. This happened July 20, 2021.

To make this happen, the group spent a total of  $21,383 in legal fees. Scott Gessler, former republican secretary of state in Colorado, took the role as their attorney.

Backing Voelz, Defend Westminster campaigned for him to keep his seat on the council.

The Colorado Democratic Party and democratic leaders in the area aided Voelz and the group, donating thousands of dollars for the anti-recall election.

Just months away, Voelz’s seat was already up for November’s election. Ultimately, the recall cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, making it unnecessary.

On top of the worthless expense, a flaw might also exist.

“Westminster residents are being misled because I was not even on the City Council at the time of the vote on water rates that triggered the recall effort,” Voelz says in a statement to Denver7. “I have never voted for a water rate increase during my time on Council. The only vote I have taken on water rates was for a zero increase to rates due to COVID-19.”

Max Kirschbaum, Westminster’s director of public works, explains that the rise in water cost is geared toward replacing the city’s filtration system with a new one.

“Much of the infrastructure that I’m talking about is not visible to most of our customers,” Kirschbaum says. “We need to do a better job communicating how important this Water 2025 project is to build a water plant to replace this one that is now 50 years old, and will be nearly 80 years old by the time we officially retire it by the year 2040.”