Story updated at 12:30 p.m. Nov. 8.
Election night 2023 was looking to be a good one for Fort Lupton incumbents.
Across three races, early returns showed incumbents Chris Ceretto, David Crespin and Bruce Fitzgerald successfully defending their seats.
In the tightest race in Ward 1, Crespin was leading challenger Kellie Cruz 156 votes to 148 according to the unofficial results on Nov. 8.
Crespin said when talking with voters, they were concerned about where dollars are equitably spent to maintain the roads and infrastructure in Ward One.
“There were also concerns of managing growth and the expansion of residential housing in our area. Citizens were concerned with having the appropriate number of city staff, most specifically our police department, to support the citizenry now that our city’s population is growing,” Crespin said.
“Additionally, citizens mentioned concerns regarding code enforcement, how growth will impact utility costs and taxes, and the improvement of amenities for the community.”
In Ward 2, Ceretto was leading challenger Bushrod T. White, 428 votes to 217 according to the unofficial results.
Ceretto said the most common concern he run across is the cost of water the increase with water bills.
“It’s a complicated issue.”
Incumbent Ward 3 City Councilor Bruce Fitzgerald was the only candidate guaranteed a seat since he was running unopposed. He had collected 419 votes in the unofficial tally.
“I’m gratified,” he said. “I really appreciate the job that the voters put me in and I take it very seriously. I understand the position I’m in too.”
Fitzgerald said voters are concerned about growth in Fort Lupton. He’s lived there for 42 years. His wife graduated from Fort Lupton High School, and so did his three kids.
“This is how I see it: We are part of the Denver metropolitan area because we can commute to Denver from Fort Lupton. Since I moved to the Fort Lupton area 42 years ago, and I was commuting to downtown Denver every day,” Fitzgerald said.
“The traffic is a lot tougher these days,” he said. “I think new are people coming into town now for the same reasons that the rest of us did, for the comforts of the town.”
Ceretto said he was pleased with his lead over his challenger.
“It’s definitely a relief. I wasn’t sure how they were going to vote, and it’s just one of those things,” he said. “I’m happy to see the preliminary numbers and more still to come — we’ll see how it turns out.”
Community elections are dynamic, so this story may be updated as new information becomes available.