Little withdraws from Ward 4 Council race
Randy Little
LAKEWOOD – The race for City Council’s Ward 4 seat became a bit less crowded late Monday when Randy Little announced he is withdrawing.
Little’s decision to leave the race cuts the field to two candidates – Dave Wiechman and Amy Attwood – in the campaign for the seat now held by Doug Anderson, who decided not to seek a second term.
Little said his business, RKL Consulting Group, is an advertising medium that works with local businesses and residents. That, he said, poses an ethical problem.
“The consultants I have talked to and the group I have talked to have recommended that I step down as a candidate for City Council,” Little said at Monday’s City Council meeting.
He encouraged other candidates with similar interests to do so, as well.
“I don’t think we should use people’s influences in different areas like that to run for office,” Little said. He did not identify the candidates or the issues he was referring to.
Wiechman said Little’s decision to leave the race “is very positive news for my campaign” because their political positions are similar. Wiechman said that similarity could have split the Ward 4 vote.
“This allows me to reframe the debate,” Wiechman said Tuesday. “Instead of a matter of the who’s the best leader, now we can put in terms of ‘Do you want a leader instead of a politician.’”
Attwood said Little’s exit from the race would not impact her campaign.
“I’ve always said I’m running not against someone, I’m running for what’s best for Lakewood,” Attwood said. “The voters will choose who best represents them.”
Attwood said Little’s decision to leave the race “demonstrates a high regard for ethical conduct. I respect his interest in and contribution to Lakewood and its businesses.”
Little, a native of Sioux City, Iowa, is a 28-year Lakewood resident and served on the city’s Commission for an Inclusive Community, including a stint as its chairman. He also is a member of a number of Lakewood business and professional agencies.
Little’s campaign focused on three main issues: better communication between City Hall and Lakewood’s citizens, responsible growth and transparency.
“Communication, in my opinion, is poor,” Little said in an interview with the Edge earlier this year.
“They (City Hall) communicate, but timely manner is of the essence. They tend to tell people about things two or three days before they actually vote on them,” he said. “I think we need a better communication scenario where it gets out there as soon as this stuff is brought up.”
Little also called for easier public access to the city’s financial records, including City Hall’s expense account ledger and checkbook.
Little attended Boulder Valley Schools and worked in the dairy and food industry for 20 years. After retiring from the dairy business in 1990, he launched a computer and video business, RKL Consulting Group. He also designs web pages and has developed two local business sites, MyLakewoodGateway and MyLakewoodCard.
He and his wife Kathy have three grown children, two of them full-time college students.
Floyd, are you endorsing Dave Weichman? Look at his website and read his analysis of the Coyote Gulch and Forsberg Park issues. Even if you don’t agree all the time with Dave, compare Dave’s analysis of the issues and explanations of his positions with what you see at Amy Attwood’s website. There, one sees only a tepid, generalist, same-o-same-o approach to electioneering. I live on Ward 3 and really don’t have a dog in the Ward 4 fight. I thought all candidates, including Mr. Little, were pretty qualified. But as a voter, I look for engagement, specificity, and courage to state one’s positions on the issues. I see this with Dave. I do not see any specificity with Ms. Attwood. I hope that she is not another triangulating candidate, waiting until late in the election to declare her stance on positions after she’s taken a reading as to which way the wind is blowing. Personally, I think that all Lakewood council candidates should specifically address the pressing issues of a first-ring city like Lakewood of a major U.S. city, Denver. Where is the discussion on Rooney Valley development, transit oriented development at light rail stations, hiring of a new city manager, preserving the integrity of our neighborhoods, jobs creation, etc? In this regard, both Mr. Weichman and Ms. Attwood really need to get on top of things and let the voters know what their plans are for Lakewood.
As Mr Weichman is the politician I guess he feels Mrs Attwood is the Leader. Mr Weichman is currently an elected official of the West Metro Fire Board and has run for City Council in the last two elections. As I count, since 2002 Mr Weichman has run 4 campaigns and is a proud member of the political establishment here in Lakewood. I am looking for someone new, not someone who has been a part of the political establishment for years.