To my friends, neighbors, and supporters,

The final election results are in. After reviewing the ballot cure list, it’s clear we lost by a 16-vote margin.

This is not the outcome we all fought so hard for. But my first and most overwhelming feeling is not disappointment; it’s profound pride and gratitude.

I’ve been trying to find the right analogy for this campaign, and my daughter gave me the perfect one. She said it was like we entered a bike race, but our team was on a classic, 10-speed pedal bike, and we were competing against a team that had a professional-grade electric bike.

Our “pedal bike” team was this incredible, non-partisan, “Golden First” grassroots movement. It was powered by every door knocked, every yard sign placed, every neighbor-to-neighbor conversation, and every person who believed in our “focus on issues that matter to Golden” message.

We were up against a well-oiled “partisan political machine” that, from the data, did an unusually strong job of getting out its partisan base this election. An “e-bike” fueled by partisan money and partisan endorsements from a major political party.

Running against a machine like that is nearly impossible.

And we almost beat them. 

By 16 votes. I am so incredibly proud of that. I am proud because we proved that the “Groundswell” coalition of caring residents we united—neigbhbors who strongly believed local elections should be about issues that matter most to Golden residents—can come together and challenge a major political party’s machine and agenda. We left nothing on the table. We ran a campaign of integrity, substance, and transparency.

And that brings me to my final “show, don’t tell” point.

From the beginning, this campaign was about a simple, powerful idea: Golden has a trust issue because we have a broken governing process that is driven by outside interests.  Whether partisan agendas, large developers with deep pockets, or other outside interests, the common theme is they are well organized and focused on imposing their agenda.  Unfortunately, I think this is what has happened in Golden.  Partisan and other agendas have crowded out the issues that Golden residents truly want to tackle and have hijacked our governing process. And that broken process is why I ran.  Golden has “lost its way” because I believe our city does not have this clarity of perspective.  Our campaign proved that catering to tourists, project consultants, and other outside interests at the expense of residents’ interests is not what residents want.

By coming within 16 votes of victory, we sent an undeniable message that a SIGNIFICANT part of Golden is demanding a new, “residents-first” process.

When we were told we were “so negative” for saying Golden had a broken process, we chose to believe that telling the truth isn’t “negative.” Asking for a vote on a $60+ million project (the largest in Golden’s history) isn’t negative—it’s necessary public discourse to decide how residents want to spend their money. 

Asking for a proactive, resident-involved solution for 19th Street traffic isn’t negative—it’s wanting the best solution for residents who have to navigate traffic everyday. 

Asking why we can’t tackle downtown parking issues isn’t negative—it’s looking for a way to genuinely allow all of our residents to enjoy our amazing town without having to worry whether they will find a space downtown or get a parking ticket.  

Asking for the best possible wildfire plan isn’t negative—it’s pleading with our city to protect its residents from a real threat that exists every single day in Colorado.    

That is what accountability means. We want to have the right discussion at the right time, take action, and bring collaborative ideas to life.  And that means putting issues that Golden residents care about most—first.

In contrast to Golden’s broken process, I want to take a moment to mention another process: the election process.

Jefferson County ran a fair, transparent, and professional election. We lost by 16 votes not because the election process was broken, but because we were in a “competition of mobilization.” Our campaign just barely ran out of time to get our residents-first message to our entire grassroots Golden coalition.

I 100% respect this result. That is the campaign I ran on. I am the firmest believer in processes built on integrity and trust—I will be the biggest cheerleader and champion of those processes. The election process in Jefferson County is a wonderful example. I am so thankful and appreciative that Jefferson County ran a great election.  We had strong turnout in my Ward election.  I hope people have as much faith as I do in the election process, so we get even more involvement going forward.  Voting really matters and we are so fortunate to have such an amazing election process and election officials who “get it” and put voters first.  

My hope was to be your champion on Council. But this campaign was never just about one seat; it was about starting a movement. And in that, we were a massive success.

I am an eternal optimist, and even though I won’t be on Council, I truly hope the new and existing City Council members heard the powerful message of our campaign—focus on issues that residents care about and listen to the wisdom and ideas of our community.

But this is my ask of you: Do not let this movement end. Stay engaged. Go to meetings. Write emails. Hold them accountable. Demand a process and City Council that makes decisions WITH you, not FOR you—you deserve it.

The future of our city is not decided by one election; it is forged by the daily caring and commitment of its neighbors.

You are the architects of Golden’s future.

It has been the honor of a lifetime to be your candidate and to share this journey with you. I am more optimistic about our city’s future today than ever before, because I have seen the passion and dedication of its people.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you for your belief, your time, your trust, and for fighting so hard with me. I am humbled and so, so grateful. 

With deepest gratitude,

Dan Sung…

Proud Golden Resident and Neighbor