25 things to watch in 2025

PAGE 8 WEEKLY REGISTER-CALL PAGE 9 WEEKLY REGISTER-CALLAugust 28, 2025 August 28, 2025PAGE 8 WEEKLY REGISTER-CALL PAGE 9 WEEKLY REGISTER-CALL

County Dems celebrate at rally, look to future

Although it rained occasionally outside, there

were plenty of sunny smiles, handshakes, and hugs

to brighten the Gilpin County Democratic Commit-

tee’s Spring fund-raiser and rally at Central City’s

historic Washington Hall on Sunday afternoon.

The friendly, festival atmosphere – including

tables filled with food, desserts and beverages –

was a chance for residents to mingle with neighbors

from the various corners of Gilpin County. How-

ever, the event also provided an opportunity for the

Gilpinites to meet the people who could be their

next statewide leaders for Colorado in 2027.

Among the hopeful candidates who spoke were:

• Jerry DiTullio, the current Jefferson County

treasurer and former Wheat Ridge mayor, will

run for the state treasurer’s position held by Dave

Young, who is term-limited.

• Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Amanda

Gonzalez aims to become the state’s next Secretary

of State and the first Latino elected to the role. Cur-

rent Secretary of State Jenna Griswold is limited by

term restrictions.

• Boulder County District Attorney Michael

Dougherty is running for Colorado Attorney Gen-

eral. He prosecuted the King Soopers shooting

case, where 10 people were killed, and the more

recent Pearl Street attack, in which a man used

a flamethrower and Molotov cocktails that killed

one woman and injured 13.

Current Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser

is term-limited and seeking to succeed Gov. Jared

Polis.

Several current state legislators, including

Senator Dylan Roberts and Representative Lesley

Smith, were unable to attend because of a special

legislative session called by Polis that started on

August 21 and went through the weekend.

The various statewide candidates told Gil-

pin’s Democrats that their county is crucial to

the outcome of next year’s statewide primaries

and general elections. The local Democrats, who

outnumber area Republicans, have unanimous

control over the county commissioner seats and

all but two of Gilpin’s row offices.

In Colorado, Democrats have held control of

the Governor’s office, key state offices, and both

the Senate and House of Representatives since

2018. It is a trend the well-organized Democratic

party has sustained, especially during a time

when state Republican infighting has caused divi-

sion within the party.

Those who gathered for the event

heard prospective candidates call

President Donald Trump (R) “a law-

less bully.” They also denounced the

president’s plan to eliminate mail-in

voting, which Colorado has success-

fully used for years. As a joke, someone

placed a glass jar with a few pennies

inside it, labeling it the “Tina Peters

Defense Fund,” referring to the Repub-

lican Mesa County Clerk of Courts, who

was imprisoned for her role in a 2021

election-security breach.

Gilpin County District 1 Commission-

er Jeff Aiken handled most of the emcee

duties for the event. He also had several

guests introduce various candidates.

One of the busiest was retired Den-

ver Senior Judge Gary Jackson, who

explained how Gilpin County opened

its doors to Black Americans during the

1920s when the Lincoln Hills neighbor-

hood was established. Jackson has been

an advocate for the mountain weekend

getaway that has gained national inter-

est in recent years. In December 2023,

Wink’s Lodge, the cornerstone building

at Lincoln Hills, was named a national

historic landmark.

Jackson’s passionate speech about

Lincoln Hills shared his family’s history,

including his enslaved ancestors who left

Missouri to pursue the American Dream

in Colorado. The 79-year-old graduate of

the University of Colorado Law School

has known many of Colorado’s leaders

and candidates over the years. He is also

a member of the state’s 250-150 Commis-

sion, which is planning statewide celebra-

tions for the nation’s 250

and Colorado’s 150th anniversary in 2026.

Among Jackson’s friends was Joe

Neguse, who was 21 and studying at CU

two decades ago when the two met. Jack-

son told how he’s watched Neguse rise

to become the U.S. Congressman for the

Second District, which includes Gilpin,

Boulder and nearby areas. Neguse, who

will seek re-election next year, said he is

supporting U.S. Senator Michael Bennett

for Colorado Governor.

However, there was no debate among

the candidates. Instead, they enjoyed the

fellowship, food, and fun of the moment—

Beer F est – Aug. 23

Olivio Paternoster died in

Amerius mine when water

rushed in from abandoned Fisk

mine on Aug. 29, 1895.

Photos by Becky Osterwald

A two-layer beehive was used for store the dearly

departed until arrangements could be made to

take them to their final resting place.

Artist Angelo di Benedetto has work

throughout the world including the

Smithsonian and painted the “Cemetery

Mary Parteli and her husband Bart

ran the bar (now part of Bonanza

and Easy Street Casinos. Even

during prohibition when — allegedly

— kept the bar going the basement.

Gilpin County Historical Society Cemetery CrawlGilpin County Historical Society Cemetery Crawl

Crawling through the cemetery

Judge Gary Jackson, 79, (right) introduced U.S. Congressman

Joe Neguse (Colorado’s Second District) during the Gilpin

Democratic event. Jackson said he first met Neguse when the

fourth legislator was a 21-year-old law student at the University

of Colorado’s law school in Boulder.

Jeanne Nicholson, former state senator from Gilpin

County, spoke with Eric Douglas, longtime chair for the

Gilpin County Democratic Committee.

Colorado gubernatorial candidate Phil Weiser,

currently the state’s attorney general, was also

greeted by his old friend and retired Denver Senior

Judge Gary Jackson, who spoke to the crowd

about preserving the constitution and telling of the

struggles of Black Americans who created Lincoln

Hills in 1922.

Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Amanda

Gonzalez, who is running for Colorado Secretary of

State in 2026, shares a moment with her counterpart,

Sahari McCormick, Gilpin County’s second-term

clerk and recorder.

Historical Society held its 36th

annual Cemetery Crawl at the

Catholic Cemetery on the hill above

Central City last weekend.

Festival last weekend.

25 things to watch in 2025

Patrick Henry Sweeney

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