Lakewood City Council Election: Ward 5 Recount Update

LAKEWOOD, CO — Votes have been tallied in Jefferson County, and Lakewood's Ward 5 race was so tight that an automatic recount was triggered, elections officials confirmed.

Candidate Wendi Strom pulled ahead in the Ward 5 race by 646 votes — enough to win one of two seats for her ward on City Council.

But candidate Mary Janssen leads Tom Keefe by only 13 votes.

The recount is set to begin Dec. 6, and official recount results will be available by the following evening, the Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder said.

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Four candidates campaigned for two seats in Ward 5: Strom, Janssen, Keefe and Michael Gunstanson.

Strom's campaign platform included public safety, small business investment and sustainability. She has spent more than two decades working in the financial services sector, and has spent the past 12 years working as a certified financial planner.

"I've been helping people be good stewards with their finances for 20 years," Strom's Patch profile read.

"I have budget experience and look forward to using this to make sure the city is in the best place possible to continue to keep our parks clean and safe, offer the programs and services our community enjoys and relies on, and has the flexibility to implement other programs that can advance us in areas like sustainability and public safety."

The majority of candidates said that one of their top goals is to gather as much feedback as possible from constituents; however, Janssen pledged to create a 'Ward 5 Citizen Cabinet' that would include residents from each of the district's neighborhoods.

"It's about finding solutions that likely won't 100% please everyone but we still end up making Lakewood even better than now," Janssen's profile read.

Janssen, who has owned a photography studio in Ward 5 for the past 35 years, said she's dedicated to improving capital maintenance, strengthening neighborhood partnerships with local businesses and reducing crime in Lakewood.

"We must reduce the double-digit increase in crime rates," she said.

Keefe is an associate professor at the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, where he teaches history, politics and world religions. He's a former member of the Jefferson County Historical Commission, and a current member of the First Judicial District Judicial Retention Commission.

"I am committed to a safer, stronger, and greener Lakewood," Keefe's Patch profile read. "Safety includes personal safety, property safety, and traffic safety. Stronger means fiscal responsibility and increasing our municipal employee retention."

Keefe's platform also included investing in infrastructure, small businesses and the expansion of local parks and open spaces.