[1] In March 1993, Conte made a public announcement revealing that she was transgender as a preemptive strike against Westword, which had been planning to publish the story on their front page.
[2] She attended Arvada High School, and went on to serve as a military Morse code operator for the U.S. Army and Air Force during the Korean War.
This made her adversaries suspicious enough to hire a private investigator who dug up evidence of her name change and gender-confirming surgery, which was then leaked to the tabloid newspaper Westword.
Word reached Conte that the tabloid was planning to run a front-page article outing her as transgender, and she was forced to make the announcement herself before they could.
[5] In 1994, Conte submitted a petition to run as an independent candidate for the Colorado House of Representatives, but was denied a spot on the ballot by then Secretary of State Natalie Meyer.
Before leaving office, Conte audited the city budget and convinced the council to cut out non-essential services in response to Arvada's declining revenue.
In 1994, while serving as councilwoman, Conte filed a workers' compensation claim which alleged that leaning on her desk during council meetings caused a staph infection on her right elbow.
[9] The court reversed Meyer's decision by a vote of 5-2, with the majority opinion interpreting the law to mean that a petition is on file from the time it is turned in until the date it is due.
[13] In 2004, Conte called for a public investigation into accusations that Arvada Mayor Ken Fellman had unlawfully removed his opponent's campaign signs.