The initiative leads by more than 25,000 votes. Its proponents say they see a “clear path to victory.”
By Nathaniel Minor, Denverite
The advocacy group behind the “Denver Deserves Sidewalks” ballot initiative declared victory Sunday night after unofficial results showed the measure continuing to pull ahead.
The measure was leading Monday by a 55% to 45% margin — or more than 25,000 votes — with only about 44,000 ballots left to count. It’s on a “clear path to victory,” the Denver Streets Partnership said in a press release. Election results won’t be certified until Nov. 29.
“I’m feeling really excited about the future of Denver,” Jill Locantore, executive director of the Denver Streets Partnership said in an interview Monday. “I just think it’s so great that Denver voters not only prioritize sidewalks, but I think what they were prioritizing was safety and accessibility and equity for everybody in our city.”
Updated vote counts have appeared to show the measure heading to approval since election night. If that holds, it will elevate the repair and maintenance of sidewalks to a level of importance on par with streets, said J. Skyler McKinley, a spokesman for AAA Colorado, which endorsed the measure. He said the vote will create a once-in-a generation “grand scale public works project.”
“This is a big deal,” he said.
The initiative shifts responsibility for sidewalk maintenance and repair from property owners to the city. It also levies a new fee on property owners that will raise about $40 million every year, proponents say.
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