High winds and no snow results in Stage 1 fire ban

High winds and no snow results in Stage 1 fire ban By Don Ireland

Central City Central City’s fall election could be pivotal because three of the five aldermen’s seats will be up for grabs in the Nov. 3 General Election.

to the council in December following the passing of Linda Armbright, who served for 19 years as a city alderman, is seeking a four-year term.

Senior Reporter

Four Black Hawk and three Central City aldermen seats, including one held by Mayor Jeremy Fey, will be up for election this year, although both cities will use different methods to conduct their elec tions.

Black Hawk’s election will use traditional paper bal lots and will be conducted between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7. The polling place for voters will be in the City of Black Hawk council chambers, 211 Church St., next door to the Black Hawk Police Department.

Fey, in the eighth and final year of two consecutive terms, is not permitted to seek re-election under the city’s regulations. Four years ago, alderman Jeff Aiken lost his bid for the mayoral position to Fey. However, Aiken defeated Fey and incumbent Marie Mornis when he ran for the District 1 seat on the Gilpin Board of County Commission ers in November 2024.

By Becky Osterwald

Managing Editor

Gilpin County Sheriff Kevin Armstrong confirmed dur ing the Board of County Commissioners meeting on Jan. 13 that he had implemented a Stage 1 fire ban on Dec. 23, 2025.

Black Hawk The city of Black Hawk’s biennial election will be held on the first Tuesday in April, which is April 7.

“This was shortly after the wind event that we had … and then we saw no relief [in the weather pattern] what soever,” Armstrong added. He noted the forecast did not include any chance of snow — just low humidity and high winds — which would increase the chance of a wildfire.

There are fewer than 90 residents of voting age within the city’s boundaries. Any resident considering running for one of the four council seats can pick up a candidate nominating petition and information packet from the Black Hawk City Clerk’s office at 201 Selak St. Petitions must be returned to the clerk’s office no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 26.

Four of the six aldermen’s seats will be up for election in 2026. They are currently held by council veterans Hal Midcap and Jim Johnson, along with recent newcomers Cynthia (Cindy) Linker and Lorraine (Rene) Wiley.

“As you well know, we have had little or no snow, and what little snow we have had has been blown into Kansas. We need to be mindful of the use of fire in our county,” he stated. “We don’t want a Marshall fire. That would be catastrophic because of the winds that we’ve had.”

The four-year terms of Cen tral aldermen Todd Williams and Marcia Enloe, who were elected in 2022, also will be available on the five-member Board of Alderman, which in cludes the mayor’s seat. Enloe said she’s considering seek ing another term. Williams, who became engaged several months ago, said he doesn’t plan to seek re-election be cause he hopes to move to the East Coast during 2026.

Because of the high winds last month, Armstrong said trees were blown over and could become fuel if a wildfire starts.

Johnson has served on council for 16 years since his first election in April 2010. Midcap was an alderman from July 1995 to April 2000. He was elected again in April 2014 and has remained on council for the past 12 years.

With limited resources available to Gilpin County, the sheriff said the fire ban will remain in place until signifi cant snow falls. Residents need to be mindful of those restrictions and the danger of wildfire. This includes ensuring that counties surrounding Gilpin are also at the same stage of a fire ban because visitors to the mountain communities are unaware of county boundaries.

Potential candidates must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years old at the time of the election. They must also be a registered elector who has been a city resident for at least 12 months preceding the date of the election. In addi tion, state law prohibits Black Hawk’s elected officials from holding a gaming license.

Linker, Black Hawk’s former Department of Com munity Development director, retired from her city position in October. However, she was appointed to the council in December following the Oct. 31 death of Greg Moates. If she wins on April 7, her two-year term will be up for election again in 2028 be cause Moates was re-elected in 2024.

Residents who plan to run for mayor or alderman can pick up nominating paper work in early August and will have 20 days to complete and return it to the city clerk’s of fice in city hall, 141 Nevada St.

Armstrong is sure no one would question using water from Missouri Lakes to fight a wildfire by air. However, because the “fire season” runs from April through Oc tober, there are limited air resources available in Colo rado for the rest of the year, even though the state is in a drought.

Not up for election this year are Mayor David Spellman and aldermen Paul Bennett and Benito Torres. They and the late Moates were re-elect ed without opposition in early 2024.

Armstrong plans to hold more community meetings to urge residents to take responsibility for their own public safety during major events.

The seats held by Alder men Chuck Spenser and Zane Plsek won’t expire until 2028. However, it is unknown whether either is considering a run for mayor this fall.

It’s important that if a resident receives a reverse 911 call or a HyperReach message, they take action because there is an emergency and “they need to pay close atten tion.”

Wiley, who was appointed

High winds and no snow results in Stage 1 fire ban

Patrick Henry Sweeney

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High winds and no snow results in Stage 1 fire ban

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