DENVER — Homeowners and business owners in Stapleton have until July 31 to cast their vote as to whether the northeast Denver neighborhood should change its name.
“We have a group a folks that really felt that the name of the community should be changed, and without a vote of the membership, it’s really hard for us to understand if this is something the community wants to move forward with or not move forward with,” said Kevin Burnett, the executive director of the Stapleton MCA. Exec. Dir. Kevin Burnett of the Stapleton Master Community Association (MCA) said.
In June, property owners received ballots asking if the Stapleton name should be legally removed.
The Stapleton neighborhood was named after Benjamin Stapleton, who served as Denver’s mayor for five terms during the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s.
Stapleton was a member of the KKK. He was one of several politicians who helped the KKK seize control of Denver and Colorado politics during the ’20s, according to The New York Times.
Officials say no alternative names have gained much traction, and the neighborhood would likely need to bring in a private consulting firm.
“We’d have to come up with a viable alternative name that’s associated with this property,” Burnett said. “There has been a number of them thrown out but nothing that’s really gone to the community and said that people can support.”
The results of the July vote will be announced at the neighborhood group’s August meeting.
In May, Denver School of Science and Technology: Stapleton changed its name to DSST: Montview.