Candidates aim for seats on city council

Six candidates have announced their runs for Centennial City Council.

Petitioning started Aug. 4 and runs through Aug. 24, and each candidate will need 50 signatures by registered voters within his or her district to gain a spot on the ballot in November, according to Allison Wittern, public information manager for the city.

Petition forms are available in the city clerk’s office, 13133 E. Arapahoe Road, and must be returned to the clerk no later than5 p.m. Aug. 24.

The city has two council members for each of its four districts, and the terms are staggered so that each district has one seat up for election every two years. This year, Vorry Moon in District 1 and Keith Gardner in District 2 are term-limited and will be replaced; Sharon Kellogg and Bonnie Percefull are seeking the District 1 seat and Carrie Penaloza is so far unopposed in District 2.

District 3 Councilmember Ken Lucas and District 4 Councilmember Stephanie Piko are both seeking re-election; Brian E. Olson is seeking the District 3 seat and so far Piko is unopposed.

Mayor Cathy Noon, meanwhile, is serving her second term that won’t expire until January 2018.

Among other qualifications, candidates for council have their primary residence in their district for at least 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the election and must not be an employee of the city. For more information on the election process in the city, visit www.centennialco.gov/City-Clerk/election-information.aspx.

The following is a brief introduction to five of the six unofficial candidates for council. Olson was not available for comment about his District 3 candidacy.

District 1

Sharon Kellogg

Sharon Kellogg has been a Colorado resident for 13 years and a Centennial resident for six years. She’s a professor of education at Metropolitan State University of Denver and is single with two grown children. She holds a doctoral degree in organizational leadership and has served on a local HOA board of directors for five years, she said, but has never run for city council.

“I like doing that stuff; I understand the process and know how it works,” she said. “Now, I’m looking for a bigger challenge.”

Bonnie Percefull

Percefull attended Bear Creek High School and has been the owner of Bonnie Percefull Publishing for 20 years. She is single and has two grown children. Percefull is making her first run for city council, but said she has been a part of hundreds of other campaigns.

District 2

Carrie Penaloza

Penaloza is a Colorado native and has lived in Centennial and District 2 for almost 10 years. She’s an attorney with a background in prosecution, she said. Penaloza is married with two teenage daughters and is a volunteer attorney for the Arapahoe County Republican Party. 

“I am excited to run for Centennial City Council,” she said. “We have such a vibrant community and well-run city. I will strive to build on the strong foundation of prudent spending and lean government already in place and keep my eye on the money, ensuring responsible and wise use of every dollar.”

District 3

Ken Lucas

Lucas was elected as mayor pro tem in March of 2014 and has been on city council since 2012. He has lived in what is now Centennial for 32 years and Colorado for 35. Lucas has more than 25 years of senior executive level financial and business management experience in financial services, natural resources, life science, telecommunications and retail-based companies in the U.S., Europe, China, and Canada.

Lucas has a master of business administration in finance and accounting from Regis University, a master’s of public administration in management and operations from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, as well as a bachelor of arts in public affairs, also from Drake University. He’s been married for 45 years and has two sons.

District 4

Stephanie Piko

Stephanie Piko has been on council since 2012 and has lived in Centennial since 2001. She has a bachelor’s of science in business administration from the University of Florida and a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University of Michigan. For the past 10 years she’s worked for the Cherry Creek School District in IT at Fox Hollow Elementary, where she is also a substitute teacher. She also manages a medical practice and is an independent consultant for Rodan + Fields. Piko serves on both PTO and HOA boards and has served as a planning and zoning commissioner in Flower Mound, Texas. She’s involved with CENCON’s Plans Review Committee and Centennial’s Planning and Zoning Commission. Piko is married and has two grown sons.

“What I love most about being a city council member in Centennial is that we are committed to finding innovative and private-sector solutions to the challenges facing local government,” she said.