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advocating for animals
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CHVL 2005 Election/Candidate Information ~ Wheat Ridge
This page contains candidate information about the candidates for the Wheat Ridge municipal election.

Highlights   Candidates' questionnaire scores   List of questionnaire questions

Highlights from each race
Candidate questionnaire scores
Mayor Thomas Abbott Did not respond
Mayor Jerry DiTullio Did not respond
District 1 Gordy Ellingson Did not respond
District 1 Terrell Williams Did not respond
District 1 Terry Womble Did not respond
District 2 Dennis Boyat, Sr. Did not respond
District 2 Dean Gokey Did not respond
District 3 Jerry Montoya Overall Questionnaire Response Score = 71%
District 3 Mike Stites Overall Questionnaire Response Score = 84%
District 4 Tracy Langworthy Did not respond
District 4 Lena Rotola Did not respond


Questionnaire questions
Listed below are the questions that were posed to the candidates on the CHVL Candidate Questionnaire. Questions 1, 2, 5, and 6 were for information only, not for scoring. For a copy of any candidate's actual responses, please contact us at chvl@coloradohumanevoters.org or 720.855.3040. Thank you!

1a. Did you grow up with animals? Yes/No
1b. If so, what kind?

2a. Does your family have animals? Yes/No
2b. If so, what kind?

3. Do you feel that animal control issues are within the purview of the City Council? Yes/No/Undecided

4. Do you feel that animal protection issues are within the purview of the City Council? Yes/No/Undecided

5. Were you aware that animal abuse is often a precursor of child abuse? Yes/No/Undecided

6. Were you aware that almost all baby chickens and ducks purchased as Easter "gifts" die within a year? Yes/No/Undecided

7. Now that aggravated cruelty to animals is a felony in Colorado, are you in favor of insisting that city attorneys prosecute such cases seriously? Yes/No/Undecided

8. Would you be likely to support a city ordinance to require dog and cat "owners" to either spay and neuter their cats and dogs or obtain breeder licenses? Yes/No/Undecided

9. Would you be likely to support a state or local ban on acts, such as in circuses, that use wild animals? Yes/No/Undecided

10. Would you be likely to support a city ordinance specifying a maximum amount of time animals are to be tied or chained per day? Yes/No/Undecided

11. As you may be aware, Denver has enacted a breed-specific ban on pit bill dogs. Which of the following most closely reflects your position on ordinances regarding perceived “dangerous breeds”?
(a) Keep ordinances as they are for your city.
(b) Enact a complete ban on one or more specific breeds of dog.
(c) Enact requirements for "owners" of specific breeds; e.g., minimum fence standards; requirements intended to discourage treatment/practices that are known to cause aggressive behavior.
(d) Enact "dangerous dog" ordinances; these would apply to individual dogs exhibiting specified behavior, rather than to a breed.

12. If you selected (b) above, what specific breeds would you want to ban? If you selected (c) above and would like to share specific ideas, please share them here.

13. Prairie dogs, considered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to be biologically threatened, support a variety of wildlife in Colorado. Currently, they are being poisoned and bulldozed alive to make way for development. Would you support efforts to protect prairie dogs? Yes/No/Undecided

14. Do you think more public education should be provided about dog and cat over-popu­la­tion in your area? Yes/No/Undecided

15. Many people object to cats’ being allowed unsupervised off their "owners’" property, because of (1) the dangers to wild birds and to the cats themselves and (2) the cat "owners’" failure to take responsibility for their cats and respect other people's property. What suggestions do you have for encouraging irresponsible cat "owners" to take responsibility for their cats?

16. It is well known that being in a parked, unventilated vehicle can lead to brain damage and to fatal heat stroke in animals. Several cities have passed legislation protecting animals from this abuse. Would you support such an ordinance here? Yes/No/Undecided

17. The Fountain, Colorado, Fire Department has an animal emergency rescue program that is supported strictly by contributions; i.e., it receives no funding from taxes. If you are not running for office in Fountain, would you be likely to support establishing such a program for the fire department in your city? Yes/No/Undecided

18. Would you be likely to support legislation prohibiting the sale, purchase, and keeping (other than in a rescue context) of traditionally "non-pet" or exotic animals as pets? Yes/No/Undecided

19. Three Colorado cities - Longmont, Fort Collins, and Boulder - have established themselves as bird sanctuaries. If your city is not one of these, would you be likely to support a similar ordinance in your city to protect wild birds from harassment, trapping, and unauthorized poisoning? Yes/No/Undecided
(If you are running for office in one of these three cities, would you support the continuation of the ordinance?)

20. Would you be likely to support a state or local ban on greyhound racing? Yes/No/Undecided

21. Would you be likely to support a state or local ban on calf-roping events at rodeos? Yes/No/Undecided

22. Would you be likely to support a state or local ban on dogs' riding in open beds of trucks? Yes/No/Undecided

23. Would you be willing to meet occasionally with CHVL representatives? Yes/No/Undecided

24. Would you be willing to consider factual documentation on a specific issue? Yes/No/Undecided

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