Schools and courts are closing, flights are cancelled and the state Legislature is even considering a snow day, but the blizzard blasting Colorado won’t keep the state House District 3 vacancy committee from meeting Thursday night to choose a successor to retiring state Rep. Anne McGihon, the committee’s chairwoman said.
“No, no, no,” HD 3 chair Paula Van Dusen said Thursday morning as the snow fell. “We’re going to make every attempt, come hell or high water.”
Current forecasts predict gusty winds and as much as 18 inches of snow accumulation by Thursday night in the Denver metro area — blanketing HD 3, which includes parts of south Denver, Englewood and Cherry Hills Village in Arapahoe County.
“People have been talking about snowshoes, cross-country skis and toboggans,” Van Dusen said with a laugh. “Make sure people know we have parking spaces for 62 toboggans on the north side of the church.”
At least 50 members of the vacancy committee — of about 100 Democratic precinct committee members and party officers who live in the district — need to show up to achieve a quorum, but Van Dusen said she’s confident enough Democrats will make it.
“If we don’t get a quorum, we’ll have to try again,” Van Dusen said, “and if we try again, it will be April 7.” State law sets a 10-day notice before convening a vacancy meeting.
The vacancy committee is set to convene at 7 p.m. in the east basement of Denver’s University Park United Methodist Church, 2180 S. University Blvd. Registration starts at 6 p.m. and drivers will need to pick up a parking permit at the check-in desk to keep it legal on surrounding side streets. Sleds need permits if parked on the street.
