"Then late in the year, Black Hawk faced something it had not experienced before: the loss of two sitting council members within weeks."”

BLACK HAWK — Black Hawk doesn’t waste time, and neither did its city council in 2025. Meetings often moved at a sprint, with motions flying so fast aldermen sometimes competed to be first to shout, “So moved!” 

Behind that efficiency, though, the year carried real weight. The City kept pushing big projects forward, especially the long-running work at the Bobtail Mine. Then late in the year, Black Hawk faced something it had not experienced before: the loss of two sitting council members within weeks.

Council roster

Mayor:

David D. Spellman (in city office 37 years; Mayor June 1, 2006 to present; Alderman August 27, 1993 to April 4, 2006; Alderman April 1, 1986 to July 1, 1992)

Aldermen:

Paul Bennett (Alderman April 14, 2004–present)

Jim Johnson (Alderman April 28, 2010–present)

Hal Midcap (Alderman April 1, 2014–present; previously July 12, 1995–April 4, 2000)

Greg Moates (Alderman April 21, 2008–Oct. 31, 2025)

Benito Torres (Alderman April 25, 2012–present)

Linda Armbright (Alderman April 26, 2006–Nov. 22, 2025)

Bobtail Mine stays at the heart of the year

The Bobtail Mine wasn’t just a history story in 2025. It kept showing up as a major city priority, tied to tourism, infrastructure, and identity. 

Early in the year, the council heard detailed updates on the mine’s rehabilitation and visitor plans, and by fall, the City was openly resetting expectations. 

Spellman told the council in November that opening would likely be pushed to 2027, with additional tunnel work required to connect the Bobtail vein to the Fiske vein. The message was basically this: the project is moving, but it is bigger and slower than anyone wanted.

A city that invests in 'place'

Beyond Bobtail, Black Hawk kept shaping its public-facing identity. Council pushed forward with trail access and visitor infrastructure, including the Bates Hill/Briggs trailhead design work and the plan to expand parking and add features intended to pull people toward Gregory Street attractions. 

Later in the year, the City went all-in on themed streetscapes, including Halloween decorations that turned Gregory into “Halloween Street” and Christmas decorations that reinforced that holiday spirit. The City also kept making the kinds of upgrades that support tourism without feeling like the city exists only for tourists.

Housing authority becomes real, with real money

One of the biggest structural changes of the year was the shift from talking about housing to building a tool for it.

Black Hawk declared the need for a housing authority in June, then formally established it in September and funded it with an intergovernmental agreement. 

By fall, council was moving $1.6 million into housing authority work and transferring properties and projects under that umbrella. It was a clear signal that the City is treating aging housing stock and rehab needs as a long-term responsibility, not a side issue.

Black Hawk draws lines with neighbors

This was also a year where Black Hawk showed its willingness to draw boundaries. In March, the council voted to withdraw from its mutual aid agreement with Central City Fire, calling out an imbalance in resources and reciprocity while still stressing they would respond to emergencies when lives are at stake. 

In May, Black Hawk reasserted its authority over the Briggs Lot/Colvin Tract dispute, pushing back on Central City’s urban renewal moves and making it clear the City intends to keep using the lot for public parking and a future trailhead.

The late-year shift: two council losses

Then the tone changed. Alderman Gregory D. Moates died October 31, and Alderman Linda M. Armbright died November 22, both while still serving. 

Spellman said publicly that in all his years on council and as mayor, he had never before observed a moment of silence for a sitting alderman until Moates. Armbright’s death followed less than a month later. 

The council honored both with memorial resolutions, and an empty chair with a black wreath became a visible reminder that this was not just another efficient agenda year.

By December, the council had formally declared vacancies. It appointed Cynthia Linker, Black Hawk’s retired Community Planning and Development Director, and Loraine (Rene) Wiley to fill the two open seats until the April election. 

Even that process felt like Black Hawk: steady, procedural, forward-moving. But the emotional shift was real. The year ended with the City still doing what it always does: continuing on with business, while also carrying a sense that something in the room had changed.