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DelPiccolo regains mayoral seat

Jane Reuter

SILVERTHORNE – In a dramatic turnaround, Mayor Lou DelPiccolo regained his seat Tuesday against Councilmember Sheila Groneman.

The win came after a month of intense campaigning by both candidates, neither of whom won decisively in the April 2 general election.

DelPiccolo won Tuesday’s mayoral runoff election with 398 votes – 57 percent of the total votes cast. Groneman got 299 votes, about 43 percent of the total.



DelPiccolo announced his news at the Raven Golf Club Clubhouse by flashing victory signs to his assembled supporters.

“I’m very happy about it,” DelPiccolo said. “I really feel humbled and rewarded at the same time. I strove very hard to run a very positive and dignified campaign in the face of what I considered to be serious provocations to the contrary.



“I’m really thankful that I had a very good team putting forth a very good effort, and I think we got a very good result. It is a vindication of what we have tried to do over the last several years and I felt proud of that before and doubly proud now that it has won the voters’ seal of approval.”

Groneman, who will retain her council seat, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

A total of 697 people voted Tuesday – about 100 more than in the April 2 election.

Then, neither DelPiccolo or Groneman – both of whom were seeking the mayor’s seat – won 50 percent of the vote. In that case, the town’s charter requires a runoff election. During the April 2 election, Groneman received 45 percent of the total 619 votes for mayor with 277 votes; DelPiccolo, 38 percent with 235.

DelPiccolo said no one should grumble about the outcome.

“I think we played the game by the rules,” he said. “We had a bigger turnout this time. I think that should be a very clear and unequivocal statement on the part of the voters as to what they prefer.”

Much of the campaign had focused on Silver Mountain Village, a proposed commercial and residential development on a now-vacant parcel of land south of Willowbrook. Part of the property must be annexed into the town before development can proceed. Plans there call for 182 residential units, a school site, and an 11-acre commercial parcel that includes a grocery store. While DelPiccolo favors the project as is, Groneman said she didn’t like the commercial portion of it. Town staff had said the two portions couldn’t successfully be separated.

Dick Marshall, a land planner for Silver Mountain Village, said Tuesday night he is happy with the election outcome.

“I think he’s done a good job and deserves another term,” Marshall said. “Because sketch plan was approved on the project, I was surprised it became such an election issue because I think the town has made a commitment conceptually. I know there will be challenges ahead, but we’re looking forward to working out the details. I think Lou’s a great visionary. He has the interests of Silverthorne and Silverthorne’s citizens at heart.”

During the April election, now-Councilmember Howard Hallman was elected. Councilmember Tim Theis lost his seat.

Jane Reuter can be reached at 668-3998, ext. 229, or by e-mail at jreuter@summitdaily.com


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