Click on the agenda item in the menu to the right of the video to go to that part of the playback.
While the summary below is intended to be fair, it may contain errors and is ultimately one person’s interpretation. All interested parties are encouraged to view the relevant portions of the meeting recording to come to their own conclusions.
The summary is not comprehensive but notes highlights from the session.
Update
The mayor announced that Council Member Acunto would not be attending and that Council Member Sandgren would be late. The mayor attended remotely.
Council Member Martinez asked why the council code of conduct was scheduled to be voted on as a seprate action item rather than as part of the consent calendar package.
City staff explained that there was a change in the wording between the first and second reading (the change from a simple majority to a two-thirds vote to find that a violation has occurred).
Parks and Open Space Advisory Commission Interviews
Note: council members identified themselves verbally so that the mayor, attending remotely, would know who is speaking. Usually, council members do not do this during the update meetings even though it can be difficult for those viewing the recording or attending remotely to identify who is speaking.
Three commission applicants were scheduled for interviews. Only one was present for the interview process.
All candidates were to be asked the same questions (available in the meeting packet).
The candidate asked council what were the largest challenges they see for parks and open spaces in Thornton.
Mayor Kulmann mentioned funding and access. Other council members mentioned the environment (e.g., water consumption for grass), the number of parks available, and homeless encroachment and safety.
Council agreed to reschedule interviews and keep the call for applicants open because the commission currently has no Ward 1 representation.
Council Remote Participation Discussion
Council Member Martinez invited the council to consider whether it was time to revisit remote participation in meetings by members of the council given how conditions had changed since remote participation was first established at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Martinez stated that his perception was that remote participants had challenges engaging in-person participants during meetings and that remote participating was contributing to communication challenges between council members.
Mayor Kulmann suggested adding the issue to a future planning session, at which point Mayor Pro Tem Bigelow accused Kulmann of trying to dodge the issue (27:59).
Council Member Sandgren argued that if the council ends its remote participation, then all boards and commissions should end their remote participation.
Bigelow stated the position that the council could either amend the remote option or follow the city’s charter guidelines that the Mayor Pro Tem chair the meeting if the mayor is not participating in-person.
Bigelow agreed with Sandgren that council policy should align with boards and commissions, which should include the council having a code of conduct like the boards and commissions do.
Council Member Ayala indicated that she would not be comfortable making a decision in the meeting and suggested a future planning session for further discussion. She noted that she advocated for the virtual town hall to meet the needs of residents who can not participate in person.
Council Member Unrein echoed Ayala’s request for more time, and he noted that people on boards and commissions regularly make use of remote/hybrid participation.
Council Meeting
The mayor continued participation in the council meeting remotely. Council Member Acunto continued to be absent. All other members were present.
The council passed resolutions recognizing the following: May 2025 as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, May 2025 as Jewish Heritage Month, May 2025 as Mental Health Awareness Month, May 18-24, 2025 as National Public Works Week, May 26, 2025 as Memorial Day, and the 2025 National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend.
25-year-old Thornton resident Peter Duong spoke on behalf of the Asian American Pacific Islander community. He invited council and the community to participate in metro area Asian American events and celebrations throughout the year.
During discussion on the Mental Health Awareness Month resolution, Council Member Ayala shared her experience as a survivor of domestic abuse and spoke to the mental health challenges she has faced over the past year.
Council Member Russell spoke of his work with veterans and the mental health challenge they face. Both Russell and Ayala urged people to reach out for support and to check in on those in their lives.
Public Hearing on Building and Fire Code Revisions
The city staff presented on the code revision process. Key revisions are highlighted in the meeting packet.
No member of the public had signed up to speak in favor of or opposed to the hearing items. Per standard procedure, the mayor invited anyone who was present but had not signed up to speak.
Thornton resident Dariush Namazi came to the podium to criticize the council for moving the audience participation portion of the meeting agenda to after the public hearings, explaining that it wasted the time of public who wished to speak.
Audience Participation
Staff reported that 7 people had signed up to speak in person and 2 online.
The first speaker talked on the theme of “we are all one” and spoke out on the genocide in Gaza.
The second speaker spoke on poor internet service in Thornton through Comcast and looked forward to hearing more on fiber availability in the city.
The third speaker from Ward 1 asked the city to install Tornado warning sirens despite the cost and “not wait for a death to happen” (1:01:14). The speaker claimed that the city’s Code Red phone/email notification system does not work all the time.
The fourth speaker condemned the transphobic comments from council members in a meeting the prior month. The speaker called out Council Member Sandgren for misusing an opportunity to recognize transgender community members as a way to talk about “predators” (1:03:35).
The speaker criticized the mayor for amplifying the online posts of an unnamed man who describes the LGBTQ community as mentally ill.
The speaker played a clip of Sandgren’s comments at a meeting where Sandgren talked about national sloppy Joe day as a way to trivialize the city’s land acknowledgment.
The fifth speaker was Daruish Namazi, this time speaking in his right-wing persona “Danny Kulmann.” He sarcastically thanked Kulmann and Sandgren for speaking on women’s sports, presenting an over-the-top caricature of an anti-trans fanatic.
After taking off his MAGA hat, he condemned Sandgren’s disregard for the city’s land acknowledgment and presented a brief history of the KKK’s takeover of Colorado governments in the 20th century.
In contrast to Sandgren’s implications that trans people in Thornton are predators, the speaker referred to reports of a Thornton Christian youth pastor, Joshua Lucero, who has been arrested on sexual assault on a child.
The sixth speaker also reported problems with the Code Red notification system. She also spoke about student school attendance being affected by limited service from RTD in the 120th and Washington area where there are several schools.
The seventh speaker was the on-going complaint about the land acknowledgment.
The eighth speaker asked how the new city logo was decided. The mayor reminded him that audience participation was not a time for dialogue. The speaker expressed disappointment with the new logo.
An online participant also spoke on tornado sirens, noting how many sirens neighboring municipalities have compared to Thornton’s 0 sirens. The speaker expressed frustration at having reached out to the city last year and not found a resolution.
Council Comments
Council Member Martinez discussed constituent concerns with crime on 88th Avenue. Residents want to see more police on patrol in the area.
Council Member Salazar echoed those concerns, noting that police unmarked vehicles was an insufficient response. She also thanked those who spoke in favor of tornado sirens.
Council Member Ayala spoke on her experience with police department’s Citizens Academy program and how community policing works best when residents talk with and actively engage their neighbors.
Council Member Sandgren described the early comments in audience participation criticizing her as “sharing their hate” (1:38:35). She doubled down on her protest of the land acknowledgment, insisting that Colorado never had slavery.
Mayor Pro Tem Bigelow spoke on the virtual town hall scheduled for the next night, which she had wanted to be a hybrid online/in-person meeting and a meeting with a live (not pre-written and submitted) Q&A session.
City Council Code of Conduct and City Mission, Vision, and Values
The council unanimously passed the revised code of conduct (second reading) and the city mission, vision, and values.
Thornton Civic Observatory 
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[…] This discussion followed up from the discussion in the last council update meeting. […]
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