PALMER LAKE, Colo. (KOAA) — A small Colorado town's special election attracted an unusually large amount of campaign spending, with opponents of annexation and recall measures vastly outspending supporters.
Palmer Lake, home to about 2,500 residents, saw more than $38,000 spent opposing annexation and recall votes, while less than $2,000 went toward supporting them, according to campaign finance reports available on the town's website.
"You've got about 2,500 people living here, it's gotta be thousands of dollars," said John Marble, who ran to replace trustees.
Marble and other Palmer Lake residents said their mailboxes were filled daily with campaign materials during the election period.
"I saw my mailbox everyday being filled with a giant, eight and a half inch two-sided mailer," said Karen Stuth.
The campaign efforts extended beyond mail to television ads, social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram, and neighborhood apps like Nextdoor.
Three separate groups launched campaigns for the election:
Integrity Matters campaigned for "yes" votes on both the recall and voter-approved annexation measure. The group received $1,890 from more than a dozen donors in Monument and Palmer Lake, spending roughly $1,485 on Facebook ad campaigns.
Keep Palmer Lake Independent campaigned against the recall votes of Shana Ball and Kevin Dreher, receiving approximately $19,900.
Original reports showed all funding coming from Tim Bennet, but were later amended to show the money came from an organization called Freedom First Colorado. The funds went to an out-of-state marketing company and an online campaign fundraising company.
Protect Palmer Lake campaigned for a "no" vote on annexation, receiving $18,800 in contributions from Support Local Control, confirmed as an anonymous group of "pro Buc-ee's" Palmer Lake residents. The money funded mailing campaigns and social media and text campaigns.
Kyle Blakely, who was hired to campaign on behalf of Protect Palmer Lake, said the wide margin of victory suggests additional campaign spending likely would not have changed the outcome.
"I think the gap was wide enough where I'm not really sure a lot of money would've made a difference," said Blakely.
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