Bennett Rutledge (Mayor of Centennial, Colorado, candidate 2025)
Bennett Rutledge (Nonpartisan) ran for election to Mayor of Centennial in Colorado on November 4, 2025.[1]
Elections
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Bennett Rutledge completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rutledge's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I have experience in both governmental and corporate environments where he demonstrated strong teamwork and leadership skills, establishing a track record of thoroughness, persistence, and delivery of results under both shifting regulatory requirements and tight time constraints. HI have demonstrated extensive scientific and technical skill combined with deep understandings of business, marketing, legal, and regulatory arenas.
Focusing in on my civic services, I've served as an election judge, as Treasurer for the Libertarian Party of Arapahoe County, Colorado, and with a Protest of Election (21CV268) protesting a choiceless Election. I also ran for the Centennial City Council (District 2), leading a campaign committee of eight independent thinkers.. Although I was not elected, I did gather enough votes to achieve spoiler position and unseat an incumbent with a far larger war chest. As a firm believer in the power of the People to rationally govern themselves and their leadership, I had the following to say regarding the outcome: "Starting in 2018, the Centennial City Council has a fresh voice speaking for the people of Centennial ... even if it is not my own!"
I've appeared to speak at City Council meetings, and State Legislature hearings in the role of Loyal Opposition; supporting the whole public, and against actions clearly contrary to the Constitutions of the United States, or of Colorado, or to the Centennial Home Rule Charter.
- I hereby certify that I do not believe in or advocate the initiation of force as a means of achieving political or social goals.
- I reaffirm that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of Colorado against all enemies, and to uphold the Centennial Home Rule Charter, and ordinances thereof.
- I will, to the best of my ability, listen to the people of Centennial, work with anyone who is willing to have a dialog, and use my learning, especially historical, ethical, and governmental experience, to support Randy Pye's original vision of Centennial, curbing those who would use Centennial government for satisfying wishes well within reach of individuals, families, or communities. ... plus any promises which can be drawn directly from these three "keys".
Leading the way in eliminating the burdens and "benefits of a Homeowners Association" upon those people in Centennial who have chosen to live outside of an actual Homeowners' Association. In particular the Ordinances which have the net effect of chilling the right to express one's religion or even pride in a family member's accomplisments at school.
I have met, and even worked with, so many awesome people I can't really settle on just one. I eventually met Alan Shepard, an Admiral by then, as he signed my copy of his autobiography. Senator John Glenn also had a powerful influence on me. I guess the person I look up to most is a fictional character in an essay I wrote, a woman named Hannah ... The concluding sentence went
So even if Hannah's sole power in this universe is her big brown eyes, a toothless smile, or waving her chubby five-week-old fist in
the air, a commitment to her, and her future, can be sufficient to strengthen you in service to We the People, over service to your
own personal agendas."
I say I'd like to prepare a starting place for Hannah, make sure she has room to grow up awesome, and to look up, way up, to her as she begins her own epic voyages.
Having lived through the early 21st century. Having been two whole years between jobs. Having an understanding of getting jobs and supporting a family from a thousand miles away ... and then look for another job after 12 to 18 months because of corporate policy about temporary employees. Memories of sleeping on a front porch in a sleeping bag, of another night when that sleeping bag was completely soaked through. The experience of rebuilding, creating a modest, but solid retirement anyway. The kind of conscience that will not let me relax safely in retirement, but has me standing up to those who think being "elected" in a process where the outcome of the "race" is 100% certain even before the ballots are printed, is somehow OK. The kind of grit that has me stand my ground, petition and clipboard in hand, when people drive by and threaten to call the cops. The control over my own fears when law officers DO show up and I point out to them the law, saying I'm careful to stay 100 feet away from the 24-hour ballot box with the flyers I'm handing out, when its too far to read the rule on the side of the box myself...
And lastly because I understand what public service is about, and what bearing true faith and allegiance to a solemn promise can cost.
The Centennial Home Rule Charter does recognize the Council-Manager form of government.
I would like to leave Centennial a great starting place for families, where there is room to grow awesome, and from which to set out, physically, mentally, financially, spiritually, to make one's own epic saga.
Defending the residents of Centennial from government overreach from State and National authorities, and especially those oath-broken renegades who no longer honor their commitments to the Constitutions mentioned above.
To be a PUBLIC servant, serving the interests of the folks of Centennial as a whole, rather than serving the interests of any party, donor, or crony.
First and foremost, to adhere to the City of Centennial Home Rule Charter. As specified in Section 2.5 these are: • preside at all meetings of the City Council • exercise such powers and perform such duties as are or may be conferred and imposed by this Charter or the Ordinances of the City • all the powers, rights and privileges of a councilmember • shall have no power of veto • shall be recognized as the head of the City government for all ceremonial, dignitary, and legal purposes • shall execute and authenticate legal instruments requiring the Mayor's signature as such official • in 2.11: support the Constitution and the laws of the United States and of the State of Colorado and this Charter and
the Ordinances of the City and will faithfully perform the duties of [Mayor]
And in the Municipal Code: • Sec-2-7-20: submit nominations to the City Council of individuals to serve as City representatives on any board, commission, body or
organization not otherwise appointed
Crafting City ordinances which will allow, as much as possible, Centennial residents to live their own lives their way. This means repealing ordinances, especially the void laws, ordinances which are not worth the trouble and expense of enforcing on everyone, and upgrading other laws and reforming their enforcement so they inspire co-operation rather than commanding obedience.
And I am old-fashioned enough to believe, with Chief Justice Marshall back in 1803, that "a law repugnant to the Constitution is void." and that any lawmaker who takes the oath of office is responsible whenever a law or ordinance would be a void law.
Governance processes will be open, transparent and responsive to the people who pay for them. A responsive and efficient government must be accountable to the citizens and required to comply with any rules and laws that the people of Centennial are required to comply with.
A partnership based on Section 1 of Colorado's own Bill of Rights:
All political power is vested in and derived from the people. All government, of right, originates from the people, is founded upon their will only, and is instituted solely for the good of the whole.
My very FIRST job was personally delivering mail to the city hall and a couple of other places, by bicycle, because my Dad was fed up with increasing rates on postage stamps. I did it for several years until our family moved to a place where the number of bills which could be paid that way shifted to make it impractical.
Setting the example for transparency, accountability, and core responsibilities mentioned above, and otherwise keeping government out of the way of the citizens, so that each of them may live their own lives and raise their own families their own way.
Neighborliness.
All the fancy awards are nice, but it all comes down to that.
Hope Eyrie, by Leslie Fish, with the chorus that goes: For the Eagle has landed; tell your children when.
Time won't drive us down to dust again.
The Bible, especially that part where you have the pregnant woman, sunlight blazing off her spacesuit, standing on the moon, with colorful status lights twinkling through her helmet faceplate. The whole 12th chapter of Revelation is classic Space Opera!
A lot of stuff, much of which comes together in the struggle to raise my daughter. My most humiliating memory is of trying to teach my daughter math. I just couldn't make a difference with her. And she's now married and doing well anyway, back East in the state where I was born.
Political Detractor: Rutledge, you're crazy! Candidate: Of course I am. Genius is by definition a mental abnormality.
I don't want to be a fictional character. I'd much rather be a guy whose biography is so packed with Epic Saga that many folks believe its fictional.
The Constitutions for the United States and for the "State of Colorado", and the City of Centennial Home Rule Charter. Which commentaries on each of these documents you study further are up to you.
A partnership based on the Constitution for the United States and its Articles of Amendment. I wish to cite specifically Amendment XIV. Section 1:
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of
the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of
the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any
person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
which to me means that the City of Centennial, being a Home Rule City chartered by the State of Colorado, shares in the burden of neither abridging the privileges or immunities of citizens, nor depriving any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor denying to any person subject to Centennial's jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
It was Alan Shepard's flight, in May of 1961, aboard _Freedom 7_. It was a brief up-and-down flight, crossing the threshold of space. I am sure I had heard about Yuri Gagarin's flight in _Vostok 1_ the preceding month, but even though he had actually orbited the planet, the first American in space put his epic journey in the shade, in my pre-teen memory.
Currently the City of Centennial has a contract, periodically reviewed and renewed, with the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office. I am clear that this agreement will need to be reworked to better protect the law officers from conflicts of interest between honoring their sworn commitments to these Constitutions and the current fashions in Law enFORCEment, particularly where the privileges or immunities of citizens, or the equal protection of the laws are concerned.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
External links
[1] ↑ Submitted to Ballotpedia's candidate survey in 2025.
