Parker residents who voted for change at town hall are about to get their wish.
Two new faces will join the Parker Town Council following the results of the Nov. 3 municipal election, and two additional council seats will need to be filled in the coming months.
Twelve candidates vied for three at-large seats on Parker Town Council this year. The three candidates receiving the most votes are declared winners. In the race for mayor of Parker, 30,628 votes were counted. In the race for council, 78,159 votes were counted, since voters could select more than one candidate.
Incumbent John Diak led the pack of 12 candidates for Parker Town Council, receiving 11.1% of the vote. Todd Hendreks came in second, also with 11.1%, and Laura Hefta received 11%. Hendreks and Hefta will join Diak and Cheryl Poage at the dais. Diak, elected in 2012 and reelected in 2016, will begin his third term. Poage was elected in 2018.
“I'm honored to be selected to serve again, to represent the Town of Parker and the citizens,” Diak said. “Parker is special to me, being a 37-year area resident and being involved in the small business community for over 25 years. I feel a sense of duty to give back.”
By the end of Election Night, Diak, Hendreks and Hefta were the clear top-three finishers. Hefta won more votes than fourth-place finisher Anne Barrington, who received 10.6% of the vote.
The margin among the top three, however, remained slim. Diak won 15 more votes than Hendreks, and Hendreks beat out Hefta by 97 votes.
Hendreks said it was “surreal” to be elected to the Parker Town Council. Hendreks led the field in total contributions with more than $14,000 raised and utilized various platforms — from Facebook to campaign signage to thousands of door-hangers — hustling since August to get his name in front of as many people as possible.
“I'm tired,” Hendreks said Nov. 4, “but it feels great.”
Hendreks ran for council in 2018 and finished fourth with 11.5% of the vote, trailing incumbent Renee Williams, who had 12.3%. Williams resigned from her seat in September, too late for her seat to be considered on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Hendreks believes his experience from 2018, his ongoing community involvement and his record of volunteerism set him apart from the field.
“I think most residents recognized I am truly involved with the town,” said Hendreks, who is a youth lacrosse coach, Parker Task Force volunteer and operator of a community information Facebook page, Parker Data Hub.
“I ran before, but I didn't go away,” Hendreks said.
Diak, who will have served 12 years on council when his new term expires, describes himself as a “numbers guy” and admits he doesn't typically seek the spotlight. Diak said voters were likely drawn to his experience working on major infrastructure projects and his role as chair of the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG). DRCOG is a committee of metro-area leaders who collaborate on large-scale mobility projects and determine how to spend federal transportation funds.
“My thing is to just create awareness about who I am, where I came from, what I've done in the past and what I continue to do in the future,” Diak said. “After eight years, instead of looking forward and talking high-level promises, I'm riding more on my record.”
Diak is now the most senior elected official on council, which will include four new faces come spring. The council has been uncharacteristically divided on several issues since 2018. Councilmembers Poage and Jeff Toborg — who was just elected mayor — often voted “no” on items for various reasons and stirred controversy in 2019 over their involvement with a citizens' committee challenging the development plans for two downtown properties.
Diak spoke with Hendreks and Hefta Nov. 4, offering guidance on their new role as councilmembers, a role which Diak and town staff often describe as “quasi-judicial” in that opinions need to be second to the needs of Parker residents.
“It's all about doing the best for the citizens of Parker, doing our job and doing it in a very responsible manner,” Diak said. “If we all have an open mind and are willing to discuss issues and topics without any vested interest, I think we'll get to the right end result, whatever that is.”
If fundraising is any indicator of how the Parker Town Council race would finish, then Hefta's third-place finish seemed surprising. One month before the election, Hefta ranked 10th among the dozen candidates in total contributions with $650.80, raising more money than Michael Drennan and Brandi Wilks, each of whom reported $0 in contributions when the town released the initial amounts Oct. 15.
On Nov. 4, Hefta, an attorney with experience working with state and federal government agencies, said she felt “very happy.”
“The residents of Parker have really supported me in this campaign, and there was a great team of supporters and team members that gathered around to help me win this election,” Hefta said. “I want to thank all of them for their support and I truly look forward to serving the residents of Parker — all of our residents — with integrity, professionalism, respect and dignity.”
Hefta was one of four candidates endorsed by the newly formed political committee Hometown Colorado. The group is funded primarily by Parker residents and raised $4,000 to campaign for Hefta, council candidates Fritz Freund and Nate Matthews and Mayor-elect Toborg.
Hefta is now focused on learning from the sitting councilmembers about how the town's government functions and vowed to stick to her campaign promise to bring change to town hall, she said.
“I do believe the citizens of Parker would like to see preservation of open space, reduction in taxes and smart and balanced growth,” Hefta said.
Hefta said she has prepared since March for this role, studying Parker's town ordinances.
“I know the experience I have will translate into understanding the laws and business side of our town and into making effective decisions for our town as a councilmember,” Hefta said.
The Parker Town Council now has four members and one vacancy, Williams' former post, which will be decided via special election in early 2021. Toborg will vacate his seat when he is sworn in Dec. 14, opening a second seat. Town council will have until Jan. 14 to appoint a replacement. If no appointment is made, the seat will be voted on in a special election. Both the current council vacancies have two years left on the seats' terms. A person who serves more than half of one full, four-year term is considered to have served a full term in Parker.
Hendreks, having observed council's failure to appoint an interim replacement for the vacancy left by Williams this fall, favored a council appointment over a special election.
“If we can agree on an appointment, I think that makes sense,” Hendreks said. “Now that we have a recent election to point us to viable candidates who are interested, my preference is appointment.”
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