NEDERLAND VOTERS LEGALIZE POT, OUST MAYOR

Law "Entirely Symbolic," but Boulder County DA Says He's Paying
Attention to Public Sentiment

Nederland became the second municipality in Colorado to legalize
marijuana within its borders on Tuesday night.

The mountain town's residents went further than Breckinridge, which
last year legalized possession of less than one ounce of marijuana,
and by a vote of 259 to 218, removed all criminal penalties against
buying, selling, possessing, consuming, growing and transporting
marijuana for anyone age 21 or older.

Nederland voters also chose Trustee Sumaya Abu-Haidar to replace
incumbent Mayor Martin Cheshes, making Cheshes the fourth mayor in a
row to not win re-election.

Marci Wheelock, appointed to fill a vacancy just a few months ago, won
election to her seat, along with newcomers Kevin Mueller, Chris Perret
and Rob Joseph. When a new trustee is appointed to fill the vacancy
left by Abu-Haidar, that makes for four new faces on the six-member
Board of Trustees.

Boulder County law enforcement officials said the marijuana vote was
largely meaningless because state laws against the non-medical use of
marijuana remain in effect.

"The issues we focus on are drug-dealing and trafficking, and we don't
get very many cases like that involving marijuana," Boulder County
District Attorney Stan Garnett said.

Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle, whose deputies work closely with
Nederland town police, said his department enforces state, not local,
laws.

"Marijuana enforcement for small quantities and personal use is not a
priority for our department or for our community, but we'll continue
to investigate and enforce trafficking," he said.

For "Michigan Mike" Torpie, who gathered the signatures to put the
issue on the ballot, such distinctions miss the point.

"It's entirely symbolic, but it gets people's voice out there," he
said. "As more and more communities do this, it sends a message to the
state legislature that people believe this to be largely harmless."

Garnett agreed about the political ramifications.

"I'll pay attention if it passes," he said Tuesday afternoon, before
the votes were counted. "Marijuana enforcement is a sensitive issue,
and it's important to gauge public sentiment."

Abu-Haidar, the mayor-elect, said she favors decriminalization of
marijuana, but she thinks the initiative was a bad idea.

"We don't need to take this on at a local level," she said. "We're a
statutory town, so we're still bound by state laws. We have more
important things to worry about."

Melanie Dougherty, a stay-at-home mother of two who voted to
decriminalize marijuana, said she knows overturning local laws won't
change anything, but she still wanted to vote her conscience.

"I just don't like all the hoopla around it," she said after voting.
"What people do in their own homes is their own business."

Town Clerk Christi Icenogle said turn-out was high, with 482 people
out of a population of a little more than 1,300 people voting. Votes
were counted by hand, and results were not released until after midnight.

Abu-Haidar, a stay-at-home mother of two, said that as mayor she would
focus on maintaining a positive vision for Nederland, promoting
economic development and encouraging cooperation between various
entities in the town.

She also said she'd be a more consistent presence on the board than
Cheshes, a retired diplomat who has had several extended absences, one
related to his wife's health and two others related to brief returns
to foreign service.

[Sidebar]

MAYOR

Sumaya Abu-Haidar: 313

Martin L. Cheshes: 160

TRUSTEES

Marci Wheelock: 302

Kevin Mueller: 249

Chris B. Perret: 214

Rob Joseph: 202

Keith Nowicki: 155

Kirk Barnett: 153

Lauren Rice: 149

"Michigan Mike" Torpie: 146

ISSUES

Issue A: Impose a $10-a-day lodging tax

Yes: 216

No: 255

Initiative 1: Legalize marijuana for people 21 and
older

Yes: 259

No: 218