Littleton Election Results: Schlachter Leads Mayoral Race By 1.9K

This story was updated at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.

LITTLETON, CO — Unofficial vote totals show candidate Kyle Schlachter leading by 1,904 votes against Jon Buck in Littleton's mayoral race. Candidate Carol Fey is behind Buck by 931 votes.

Littleton voters have returned their ballots for the election, which will decide the fate of nine candidates who are running for City Council and mayor.

City Council candidates include Patrick Driscoll, Candice Ferguson, Stephen Barr, Paul Bingham, Krista Kafer and Gretchen Rydin.

For the first time in the city's history, council members won't appoint the mayor — voters will elect the mayor. The measure was approved by Littleton voters in the November 2020 election.

Our state has a 7-year history of successful mail-in voting, and Arapahoe County had one of the highest ballot return rates leading up to Nov. 2.

Littleton City Council Election Results

Unofficial results as of 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Don't miss the latest election news updates in Littleton: Free Littleton Patch Newsletters and Email Alerts | Facebook | Twitter

Mayor

• Kyle Schlachter: 5,018
• Carol Fey: 2,183
• Jon Buck: 3,114

District I

• Candice Ferguson: 1,056
• Patrick Driscoll: 1,098

District III

• Paul Bingham: 1,308
• Stephen Barr: 1,711

At Large

• Gretchen Rydin: 5,327
• Krista Kafer: 4,682

Littleton Mayoral Race

The mayor, who will be elected to a four-year term, will face some of the most difficult decisions in Littleton's history, as the city continues to deal with the economic impact of the pandemic.

While revenues have begun to rebound in the city, many local projects remain unfunded.

Kyle Schlachter, a former Littleton City Council member from 2017 to 2019, said he believes the single most pressing issue facing Littleton is its depleting Capital Projects Fund.

"This is why I support ballot initiative 3A and am hopeful a majority of the voters will also support it," Schlachter said in his Patch candidate profile. "It is vitally important 3A passes so we can address our street maintenance issues, fund future major construction projects, and provide our Police Department with the resources they need (vehicles, body worn cameras, etc.)."

Ballot Issue 3A asks voters for an increase in the sales tax rate from 3 percent to 3.75 percent to fund capital improvement projects.

Jon Buck, who serves on Littleton's Transportation and Mobility Board, said the city's infrastructure needs to be improved "or it will become a very major problem in the near future."

Buck said that helping small businesses should also be one of the city's top priorities.

"I am a huge advocate for small business, knowing personally what it takes to lead one and how critical the health of them are for our city's success," Buck told Patch in his candidate profile.

Carol Fey, who spent nearly three decades working as a Honeywell technical sales manager, said she believes that city council members are there to serve their customers — the residents.

"Much of the city council and mayor job done well is pure customer service--getting citizens what they want or need pleasantly and quickly," Fey said in her profile.

"As identified by a recent large citizen survey, people are most concerned about managing traffic and preserving neighborhoods. My approach to complex issues is always to gather data, create a plan, and get busy doing it."

District I

Littleton voters will elect three other council members this year, each of which will serve four-year terms.

Patrick Driscoll was elected to City Council in 2018 for a four-year term serving District 1. His opponent, Candice Ferguson, has more than two decades of experience as a marketing communications director for Fortune 500 companies.

"I want to bring my leadership and skills to continue the council's work to keep Littleton a great place to live and raise a family," Ferguson's candidate profile read.

"Littleton is a great community with growing and thriving businesses, but it is also a place where our teachers, our first responders, and our grocery store workers can't afford to live. We need to listen to our community and develop plans for how we can create smart growth and develop affordable housing while maintaining the quality of life we all expect."

Driscoll said that one of the biggest issues Littleton faces is business and development growth.

"Without growth we become stagnant," his profile read. "Without new revenue we will struggle to deliver the services you all expect ... We are a land locked community, so we must rely on revitalizing current spaces like our corridors. For example, the Littleton Blvd has potential for Mix Use and redevelopment.

"Aspen Grove, Toll Brothers, McDonald Automotive and Evergreen Development have projects in front of the City, so as your Councilman I will listen to you, discuss, and decided if it's the right development for that parcel of land."

District III

District III candidate Stephen Barr said he believes the most pressing issue facing Littleton is "the lack of will to invest in our City's future; be it our infrastructure, our housing, or growing our business community."

Like Schlachter, Barr is a proponent of Ballot Issue 3A, which asks voters for an increase in the sales tax rate. Barr said the funding is critical for infrastructure fixes.

"I want to use this moment to show Littleton's residents what can come from investing in our community," Barr's profile read.

"I intend to change the mindset of our Council and the individuals in my District to show that investing in the broad spectrum of housing options, making our neighborhoods more walkable and business friendly, and investing in the care and upkeep of our open spaces will make Littleton a place we can all be proud of for the next generation."

Paul Bingham, Barr's opponent, has decades of experience as a rocket scientist and engineer. Bingham said he's attended every city council meeting for the past 15 years.

"I want to continue giving back to Littleton and help keep us on course," Bingham said in his Patch profile.

Bingham believes the city's Capitol Fund is the most pressing current issue, and he's taken action, even as a citizen, to address the shortfall.

"I've volunteered to run a campaign as Registered Agent to pass the issue," Bingham said.

"The most pressing issue is finishing the ULUC. I'm participating now as a citizen now and hope to continue as a council member."

At Large

Krista Kafer went up against Gretchen Rydin for City Council's at-large seat.

Kafer said she believes Littleton's single most pressing issue is a growing population.

"I intend to manage growth so that it benefits the people of Littleton," Kafer's profile read. "If managed well, growth can make a city even better."

Kafer said that when she was a teenager, she remembers the city "was not flourishing the way it is today."

"Our neighborhoods and shopping districts have experienced renewal as people have moved in, refurnished aging homes, and patronized businesses. Growth, however, can strain city resources, and we need to ensure our roads, housing stock, and city services keep up. We need to preserve what's wonderful about Littleton while welcoming new people to our community."

Rydin said she believes Littleton's top priority should be fixing roadways and city buildings.

"Traffic has grown increasingly worse (90,000 cars per day on Santa Fe, which was built for 20,000 per day), while Littleton's roads rank in the bottom 25 percent of all towns in Colorado, posing a severe safety risk for motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists alike," Rydin's profile read.

"City employees and citizens also deserve to have safe public buildings. I will ensure that the City can access federal grant dollars to rebuild Littleton's roads and fortify its buildings with ADA- and eco-friendly standards."