Wal-Mart and city leaders are declaring a victory in Thornton and Westminster, where voters gave the cities permission to build additional big-box discount stores.

Westminster's ballot issues 2A and 2B proposed a repeal of the City Council's July zoning decision that allowed the building of a third Wal-Mart Supercenter in the city, in a run-down shopping center at West 72nd Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard. The decision changed zoning in the area from residential to commercial, and community activists petitioned to repeal it and put the measure on the ballot.

But both measures failed, with more than 52 percent of voters saying no to each.

Some of the city's top officials -- including the mayor and City Council -- threw their support behind efforts to defeat the measures. Opponents of the measures got a $150,000 donation from Wal-Mart, while supporters raised about $25,000.

Those who voted against the new Wal-Mart say now that voters have spoken there needs to be healing between the city council and the citizens.

In Thornton, voters decided to let the city go ahead with a zoning change that allowed the store to be built near the intersection of 128th and Quebec. Fifty-four percent of Thornton voters said no, saying they wanted to make way for the store and 46 percent voted yes, to repeal the zoning change.