Charter Commission Candidates
Twenty-eight candidates are certified for the Home Rule Charter Commission contest on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Voters elect nine. The names below appear in the order they appear on the ballot, which the Commission drew by lot at its meeting of August 28, 2026.
Nomination petitions were due August 21, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. and filing is closed. At its meeting of August 28, 2026 the Commission found that all 28 candidates who filed had met the requirements to appear on the ballot, and drew their ballot order. No further candidates may be added.
The Ballot Order
- 1Rita Neis
- 2Jim Thomas
- 3Cody Barela
- 4Richard England
- 5Ari Adler
- 6Michael DeLalla
- 7Colleen Donovan
- 8Patrick Mayne
- 9Cheryl Hodges
- 10Jack Trope
- 11Nick Little
- 12Alison Steele
- 13Sean Donovan
- 14Jim Parys
- 15David Costa
- 16Karl Neis
- 17Scott Firle
- 18Tony Santelli
- 19Orin Hargraves
- 20Kathy M. Koehler
- 21Rodney Archer
- 22D. Scott Tennant
- 23Bruce (Biff) Warren
- 24Sue Ellen Peck
- 25Mary Plese
- 26Jason Seely
- 27Charles Hodges
- 28Carrie Wise
This is the list as it goes to the printer. The contest and its full ballot language appear on the ballot page as Question 3.
How the Contest Works
- A voter may vote for up to nine candidates. A ballot marked for more than nine is not counted in this contest.
- The nine candidates receiving the most votes are elected.
- The contest is decided whether or not incorporation passes. The commission has a charter to write only if incorporation is also approved, on Question 1.
- Charter Commissioners serve unpaid. What the work involves →
How the Order Was Drawn
Ballot position was decided by lot, not by filing date, alphabet, or any judgment of the Commission. At the August 28, 2026 meeting the candidates’ names were drawn at random from a hat, and the order drawn was approved unanimously. The Commission then amended the ballot titles to insert the names in that order, using the preferred name given by each candidate.
- Approved Minutes, August 28, 2026 (PDF)The record of the drawing, the finding that all 28 candidates qualified, and the resulting ballot order.
- Resolutions 2026-05 and 2026-06The resolutions inserting the candidate names into the ballot titles and into the call for election, with the amended attachment carrying the ballot content in full.
The Commission Takes No Position
The Election Commission administers this election. It does not endorse, rank, or comment on any candidate, and it publishes no candidate statements, biographies, or campaign material. The list above is the certified field and the certified order, and nothing more should be read into it — including the order itself, which was drawn at random.
To reach a candidate, contact that candidate directly. The Commission does not distribute candidate contact information.
How Candidates Qualified
This section is kept as a record of the closed filing process. Petitions were available beginning July 6, 2026 and could be circulated from 8:00 a.m. that day. To qualify, a candidate had to be a registered elector residing within the proposed boundary and file a nomination petition signed by at least 25 registered electors also residing within that boundary, with the circulator’s affidavit and the statement of consent to serve both notarized. Petitions were filed at the Niwot Inn lobby, 342 2nd Avenue, Niwot, Colorado, and were due August 21, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.
An elector could sign no more than nine petitions; signatures beyond nine were invalid. The Commission verified signatures against the register before certifying the field.
- Candidate Petition Form (PDF)The nomination petition as circulated. Filing is closed; posted as a record of the process.
- Petition Instructions (PDF)The circulation and signature rules given to candidates. Filing is closed; posted as a record of the process.
Questions
For questions about this contest or the certified field, contact Lois Adamson, Chair of the Election Commission, at (303) 478-6612 or lois.adamson@niwot.town.