Windsor picks its new mayor, who won with 53.5% of vote

A day after Windsor's election, we now know who will be the next town mayor.

Barry Wilson won the mayor's race with 53.5% of the votes to Jason Hallett's 46.5% in an unofficial count. The vote tally was 4,151 to 3,603.

Both men already serve on the Town Board. Wilson represents District 2, and Hallett will continue serving in the District 6 seat for two more years.

Wilson is also executive director of the nonprofit Poudre River Trail Corridor Inc., and Hallett is retired from the U.S. Marine Corps and the financial adviser field.

More:Here are Timnath, Wellington and Windsor election results from 2024

Wilson will succeed current mayor Paul Rennemeyer, who is term limited.

Wilson said he's relieved and ready to move on from the election to town business.

"I think I was the right person for the job, experience wise," Wilson said, also noting that he thinks this group may become the strongest Town Board that he has worked with.

"I think we have a strong leadership team, and we're going to have a good, strong board," he said. "I think people are all going to work together with common goals, and I feel like we are a nonpartisan group as well. I think we can focus on local issues."

Here are Wilson's priorities:Q&A with candidate Barry Wilson

Hallett said while there's an air of disappointment, he plans to use the experience as a way to learn where he can improve and grow.

"Windsor chose who they wanted to have as the mayor," he said. "So I’m more than happy to work with Barry and make sure Windsor has everything it needs and continue working for what the people of Windsor want."

His priorities as a board member will be the same as what he campaigned on, Hallett said: evaluating decisions based on a holistic lens, public safety and law enforcement support, and housing. The plan for the Backlots parking will also be key, he said.

In Tuesday's election, there were also three uncontested races for three districts:

• Ron Steinbach, currently serving in the District 1 seat as an appointee
• Lainie Peltz, a massage therapist, in District 3
• Richard Klimek, the former Windsor police chief, in District 5

About 8,000 ballots were returned, according to a Tuesday night email from Town Manager Shane Hale to Town Board members. More than 7,700 voters cast ballots in the mayor's race, but less than 900 cast ballots in the uncontested races.

Steinbach had 752 votes. Peltz brought in 769, and Klimek had 897.

The results are not official and will be final April 12.

A successor will now have to be chosen for the two-year remainder of Wilson's term, and the Town Board will make that decision after interviewing candidates.

How much money the candidates and others raised

As of campaign finance reports filed March 29, here's how much the candidates raised and how much was spent on their behalf by independent groups:

Wilson raised $4,794, according to that report, and $750 of it was his personal money. He spent money on Facebook ads, Google ads, events, yard signs, stickers and a text campaign.

When interviewed Wednesday, Wilson estimated his campaign had spent around $6,000 and said he also paid to send a round of texts on Election Day.

Hallett amassed $19,500, and about $13,000 of it was his personal money. He spent it on Facebook ads, a radio ad, campaign events, postcards, stickers and flyers.

Hallett also saw thousands of dollars of independent expenditures in support of his campaign. Campaign reports showed a group called Advancing Northern Colorado spent $7,200 for digital ads and four rounds of text messages.

That group is based in Loveland, and its registered agent is Tom Lucero, a KFKA radio host, former Larimer County GOP chairman and former CU regent. It's also associated with Katie Kennedy, who is the registered agent for many committees supporting Republican and pro-business candidates statewide.

Advancing Northern Colorado's Facebook page says it raises public policy awareness. Its IRS documents say it highlights and promotes positive regional economic development.

But in 2023, the group donated $28,500 to the Guide Our Growth, Timnath! committee that successfully fought the TopGolf project.

In 2021 and 2023, it spent money to support candidates running for Loveland City Council: Dan Anderson, Zeke Cortez, John Fogle, Patrick McFall, Steve Olson and Jon Mallo.

The organization reported $189,000 in revenue on its 990 form in 2022, the latest year available. In 2021, it reported over $250,000 in revenue.

Wilson said the dark money in the race is concerning but "I’m glad that you can’t buy the election in Windsor that easily."

"We were outspent by so much and we still won," he said.