When there are three or more candidates competing for a public seat in Brighton, city officials secretly assume they will just need to budget money for a runoff election.
“The Brighton city charter requires a simple majority,” said city clerk Natalie Hoel. “That’s 50 percent plus one vote. So, if there are more than three candidates, a runoff is likely.”
That is indeed the case in this year’s Ward 4 election, where two candidates for Councilwoman Wilma Rose’s term-limited seat are back in the campaign swing this week. City council approved the runoff election measure during a special meeting Nov. 7, with race funds already in hand.
“There have been runoff elections in Ward 4 more than once because usually a lot of candidates run for that seat,” Hoel said. She said it’s great for the city to have a diverse interest group of potential representatives, but it’s difficult for candidates to clear the 50 percent margin requirement when there are multiple opponents.
Right now, the current tally of ballots from Adams County puts candidate Mark Humbert on top with 44 percent of the total vote. Humbert has lived in Ward 4 in Brighton for 12 years. He and his wife founded the Banner Press of Brighton, which includes the Daily Post online bulletin, Local Color magazine and The Banner weekly newspaper.
“I’ve been sitting in the back of council chambers watching, listening and paying attention,” Humbert said. “I have a deep knowledge of city council because I have been reporting on it for at least the last seven years.”
Humbert received exactly 80 more votes than his chief opponent, Dave Rose. But that’s not enough in Brighton, where Rose’s 39 percent of the vote keeps him in the race for another round.
Rose is a former councilman, interim mayor and elementary school principal in Brighton. He was the first principal to be awarded the National Distinguished Principal for Colorado in 1984. He and his wife, Councilwoman Rose, have lived in Ward 4 since 1977.
“People would want to be represented by a plurality. It makes sense,” Rose said. “I still feel like I have a lot of ideas for this city, and I want to continue what (Wilma) has done on council.”
A third candidate, Peter Phibbs, received about 17 percent of the vote.
The runoff between Humbert and Rose began when ballots were mailed off to all Ward 4 voters Nov. 15. Both candidates said they will be actively campaigning in the next two weeks, going door-to-door and sending out informational mailers to try and get a few more votes before the deadline Dec. 3.
“For the last eight years, my wife and I have probably knocked on every door in Ward 4,” Rose said.
Humbert and Rose serve on the city’s Urban Renewal Authority, and they both cited downtown revitalization and a need for new businesses in Brighton as top concerns.
About 30 percent of registered voters turned out for the Nov. 5 election. Humbert and Rose will be going toe-to-toe for the 299 votes originally for Phibbs, as well as trying to persuade a small margin of the 70 percent no-shows to support them for the final count.
Megan Mitchell: 303-954-2650, or mmitchell@denverpost.com
