Lakewood resident Brittany Pettersen keynote speaker at Fremont County Democratic dinner
She was one of five young Democratic women candidates dubbed the “Fab Five” who took back the state Senate in 2018, and now she wants to represent Colorado’s 7th Congressional District.
Lakewood resident Brittany Pettersen, who was elected to the state Senate in 2018 after serving three terms in the state House, was the keynote speaker during Thursday’s FDR dinner and fundraiser hosted by the Fremont County Democratic Party.
Fremont County is moving from Congressional District 5 to District 7, after 2021 redistricting. The seat currently is held by U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, who will retire after the election.
“I’m excited to step up and run for this seat,” Pettersen said.
On Nov. 8, Pettersen will face Erik Aadland (Republican), Ross Klopf (Libertarian), Critter Milton (Unity Party) and
JP Lujan (Independent, write-in) on the ballot.
Pettersen, however, welcomes a challenge, and even a fight, especially when the stakes are high, she said.
In the last decade in the legislature, Pettersen has prioritized funding for public schools, worked to reduce insurance premiums, sponsored the strongest Equal Pay for Equal Work Act law in the country and was part of passing reproductive healthcare protections in Colorado.
“Every person here in Colorado gets to decide if and when they start a family,” she said. “I am very proud; I’ve learned a lot over a decade of being a legislator.”
She has chaired committees and works across the aisle to find common ground when possible.
“But I also fight like hell for the things that I believe in,” she said.
If elected in November, Pettersen already has committed to having an office in Cañon City.
For more information, visit https://brittanypettersen.com/.
Another Democratic candidate who spoke Thursday was Kathy Green, who is challenging Republican incumbent Stephanie Luck for Colorado House District 60.
Green moved to Florence in 2021 after she retired from the Denver metro area.
“We really don’t want to have somebody walk into the office unopposed at all,” Green said. “I feel like I am a very reasonable person and I want to be honest and fair, and I want to know what people want so I can balance that with whether it is the right thing or not.”
One of the top issues on her platform is education, followed by a strong economy, a livable minimum wage, veterans’ rights, climate change and personal choice.
For more information, visit https://green-hd60.com/.
Also during the meeting, Fremont County Clerk & Recorder Justin Grantham was invited to speak about the local election process.
Grantham said despite the recent ransomware cyberattack on the county government computer system, the Election Division is up and running right on time.
“The election equipment is not connected to the internet, it is not connected to the county server,” he said. “We borrowed six laptops from the Secretary of State’s Office so that we could continue to update voter registration and create ballots.”
Grantham said the elections are secure here in Fremont County, and Democratic and Republican judges work together and watch one another.
“The conversations that are had are not political,” he said. “They put their ‘R’ and their ‘D’ aside, and they work as a team. That was the biggest thing when I took office in 2019, (in addition to) customer service and transparency, that the politics were taken out of my office. My office is for all of Fremont County residents – not just Republicans, not just Democrats.”
He invites the community to contact him at his office with any questions or concerns they may have.
“I have complete confidence in our Clerk and Recorder’s Office,” said Gloria Stultz, who is the chair of the Democratic Party and also an election judge.
As part of the annual banquet every year, awards are presented for the Volunteer of the Year and the Democrat of the Year. The 2022 honorees were Matthew Logan and Justin Kurth for their steadfast volunteerism, and John McDermott who was named Democrat of the Year.
“(McDermott) has been a steward to our organization in his constant attention to our needs, whether it’s more donations, input on signs and our presence downtown, or suggestions on how we can improve our image, John McDermott is always there for us,” Stultz said.
For more information on the Fremont County Democratic Party, visit their new website, http://fremontdemocrats.org/, or stop by their new office at The Hive, located at 719 Main St.