Westminster City Council

Bruce Baker 

Baker grew up in Lakewood, served in the Army, was an Army Reservist and spent 37 years as a pharmacist in the metro area. He believes that Westminster is spending too much on Westminster Center, and overstepping the bounds of good government. “We’ve been so caught up in the idea of the mall and redevelopment and we forgot what cities are supposed to do,” Baker says. He wants to reward citizens by giving them a sales tax rebate, or a building tax credit, in order to benefit the citizens who live here.

Debbie Bergamo 

Bergamo grew up in Denver and has been a resident of Westminster for seven years. She works as a paralegal and this is her first time seeking public office. “The government is taking over, it’s too big, they’re trying to dictate to us what we should and shouldn’t be doing,” Bergamo, who is a small-government candidate, says. “Rent’s too high, taxes are too high, property taxes are too high.”

David DeMott 

Had his first job at 16 in Montgomery Ward’s in Westminster Mall, and says he’s “excited” to return the Westminster Center to the kind of thriving atmosphere it had when he was a teenager. “The concept is a good concept,” DeMott says. “It’s important that we have a good mix and make it a draw for people to come there. I want to see something feasible in front of people quickly so that we can start seeing something right away.” DeMott believes his abilities as a project manager in business give him the background to lead and bring people together.

Alberto Garcia 

Garcia has an impressive resume. A lawyer who started his career working for then-Attorney General Ken Salazar, he has done a lot of work at the state house and has argued before the Colorado Supreme Court. After working in public policy on the state and national level for so many years, he wanted to get involved at a local level. He believes his knowledge of the law could help the city negotiate on Westminster Center. “It’s a monumental project and you need people who can look at it from a legal background.”

 C. Michael Litzau

This Colorado native went off with the Navy before starting his career working in credit unions. He is president of the Arvada Economic Development Association, where he worked to renovate a former library into a food bank, served three years on Westminster Environmental Advisory Board and is currently on the Westminster Planning Commission. He believes Westminster must seek to redevelop as much as develop, and that an attentive council can help guide that process.

Emma Pinter 

After a challenging youth—her single-mother mom died when she was 20—Pinter nevertheless put herself through law school. Mother of two young daughters—1 and 5—she wants to see Westminster continue to be a great place for families. She looks forward to the new commuter rail, and wants to make sure it’s properly built and implemented, and that Westminster works well with other nearby communities to “speak with one voice” and build the trains. Her family started a software firm, HessInteractive. “I feel connected to the city, and that connection informs what I would do for the city,” she says.

 A.J. Elserougi

Working in construction since he was 16, he’s wrapping up his master’s degree in environmental and energy policy from the University of Denver. He wants the city to transition to LED streetlights to save money, encourage community gardens and introduce a food co-op. “We must embrace retail and commercial development around Westminster Station on 71st and Irving to build a foundation that helps revitalize Westminster, creates additional revenue for the city and improves the quality of life for our residents,” he says.

 Suzanne Ramirez

Ramirez has been a teacher at Betty Adams Elementary for 11 years, teaching sixth grade literacy and social studies. She is the wife of Robert Ramirez, who was the state representative for Westminster and northern Arvada during the 2011-2012 legislative session. A black belt in karate, she has been on the board of the Colorado Karate Association for the past five years. She wants more transparency and believes that regular people aren’t being heard by the council. “I want Westminster to prosper and be a place my students can be proud of,” she says.

YS votes Yes for: David DeMott, Alberto Garcia, Emma Pinter, A.J. Elserougi