With roughly 68% of Douglas County votes counted, Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Bracken maintains his lead in the Castle Rock Town Council District 3. In the District 5 race, Max Brooks continues to hold a lead over incumbent councilmember Caryn Johnson.
As of 12:27 a.m. Nov. 9, Brooks has 55% of the votes, compared to Johnson's 37%, while Caryn Ann Harlos, the other candidate for District 5, has received 8% of votes.
In District 3, Bracken has 54.8% of the vote compared to his competitor Dean Legatski, who has 45.2% of the vote.
Bracken and Legatski have had differences in the campaign over numerous issues such as growth and how much power the town's non-elected Design Review Board has in deciding downtown developemnt.
Bracken has supported the board's work, voting against changing it multiple times over the last two years.
In a conversation with Colorado Community Media on Nov. 9, Bracken said he is grateful to his supporters for a second term. Bracken plans to continue to address homelessness in town, touted recent efforts to improve traffic safety and increase council accessibility.
"This morning I just posted my phone number on Facebook so that I can continue to help the residents of Castle Rock and continue to make Castle Rock a great town to live in," he said.
Bracken said he looks forward to working with Brooks, who he said has been dedicated to Castle Rock.
In District 5, Brooks would be a first term council member after serving on several town boards. Johnson was elected to council in 2018.
Like District 3, the three candidates campaigned on how they would handle growth and development as the town's population has exploded over the last decade with more homes and people expected to come in the future.
On the phone with Colorado Community Media on election night, Brooks said he was feeling confident about the results of the race and thanked the other candidates for a good race, as well as acknowledged Johnson's service for the last four years.
"I'm feeling that the hard work that was put into this campaign is paying off," Brooks said.
Brooks said he plans to focus on restoring communication between the council and residents, as well as discussing water conservation, homelessness and affordable housing.
In a statement, Johnson thanked residents, family and friends for their support over the past four years and said she would continue to be engaged in helping Castle Rock in other ways.
"I’m proud of what I was able to accomplish representing District 5 on Town Council these last four years," Johnson said. "I succeeded in my goal of moving the needle of the Town Council from full support of developers to requesting more for our community from developers."
Winners in the race will be sworn in for the new term on Dec. 6.
Mayor Jason Gray is up for re-election, but faced no challengers in the 2022 race.
Election results will be updated on election night, Nov. 8, and, as necessary, on Nov. 9 or later. Check back for the latest results.
