More money piles up against Lakewood slow-growth measure as election nears

Big money continued pouring into next week’s special election on a controversial growth cap measure in Lakewood, with total contributions for both sides of Question 200 now sitting just shy of $470,000.

The vast majority of that total — approximately $451,000 — has been collected by the five issue committees set up to defeat the measure, which would cap annual residential growth in Lakewood at no more than 1 percent of existing housing stock. Opponents of Question 200 now hold a nearly 25-to-1 fundraising advantage over the measure’s backers, who have brought in just over $18,000 to support their efforts.

The deadline for filing the latest campaign finance reports with the city clerk was Tuesday.

Lakewood United, the largest of the issue committees opposing Question 200, has now collected $310,000 in monetary and in-kind contributions, including $200,000 from the National Association of Realtors and $25,000 from the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Lakewood for Labor and Jobs, another 200 opponent, raised more than $48,000 in June, while Citizens for a Sound Government, also opposed to the measure, has now raised just shy of $80,000.

The biggest fundraiser on the pro-200 side is Strategic Growth for Lakewood, which has taken in $12,455 since last fall. Most of the contributions for the backers of Question 200 have come in small amounts from individuals while most of the money given to the committees opposing 200 have come in big-dollar increments from large trade and industry groups.

The mail-ballot election in this city of 156,000, Colorado’s fifth largest, is scheduled for Tuesday.