Voters got it. So, let’s get right to the results; there’s much to celebrate.

PROPOSITION HH

It probably goes without saying that Coloradans saw through the smoke and mirrors used to pitch the deceptive Proposition HH. The statewide ballot proposal’s resounding defeat when votes were tallied Tuesday was, for one thing, a rebuke to the legislature. It had used devious means in the closing days of the 2023 session to gin up HH’s massive tax hike and then try to sell it as property tax relief. Unsurprisingly, that didn’t sit well with the public.

More fundamentally, the thumbs-down verdict was a reminder to elected leaders that Colorado taxpayers like their tax cuts straightforward – not hidden in dodgy shell games, like HH. And that they like the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights – which HH would have gutted – just the way it is in the state Constitution, where it has served the state exceedingly well for over three decades.

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And speaking of playing it straight with tax cuts – rather than using them to camouflage even bigger tax hikes – perhaps now Gov. Jared Polis will convene the legislature in special session to get the job done right. That means real property tax relief – urgently needed amid soaring real estate values – that simply cuts property taxes and does nothing else.

DENVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Denver voters repudiated the dysfunctional, inept board of Colorado’s largest school district, trouncing organized labor’s hand-picked candidates and ushering in new hope. The current board – which took office over the past two elections though the clout and campaign cash of the teachers union – offered parents and the rest of the public only a nightmare of incessant bickering and utter chaos.

It’s a pity only three of seven seats were on the ballot, but voters made full use of the opportunity to begin a turnaround. The three new board members elected Tuesday will infuse fresh thinking, to say the least.

Voters picked John Youngquist for the at-large seat on the ballot; he’s a DPS graduate, parent, volunteer, former teacher – and longtime DPS principal who also served as an assistant superintendent. Voters also ousted two incumbents in Districts 1 and 5 on the board, replacing them with career educator Kimberlee Sia and veteran parent-activist Marlene De La Rosa, respectively. All three newcomers are committed to getting the district back on track, with restoring school safety and student achievement as top priorities.

AURORA CITY HALL

Mayor Mike Coffman was an easy and smart choice for reelection, handily winning a second term at the helm of local government in Colorado’s third-largest city. The lifelong Auroran; U.S. Marine Corps Reserve officer; longtime state legislator; Colorado state treasurer; Colorado secretary of state, and five-term U.S. congressman – speaks his mind, does what he thinks is right and blazes his own trails. His deep knowledge of public policy, no-nonsense smarts and independent thinking make him the right leader to continue Aurora’s rebound. Coffman will use the most effective approaches to fighting crime, tackling homelessness and fostering economic development.

Joining him on the Aurora City Council – according to election returns as of press time – will be four of five candidates we strongly endorsed: Curtis Gardner, Stephanie Hancock, Angela Lawson and Francoise Bergan.

Only a couple of elections ago, Aurora City Hall was mired in divisiveness and indecision. A fringe faction obsessed over sidebar issues. The latest lineup on council will make for a majority committed to providing the basics most voters and taxpayers expect of City Hall – things like paving and policing the streets and promoting the economy. The essentials.

Denver Gazette Editorial Board