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. Conte filed an appeal with the Supreme Court and, in the case of Conte v. Meyer, it was determined Conte would appear on the ballot by a ruling of 5-2. She lost the election, largely due to the ridicule she was facing for her gender from her adversary's supporters during the campaign. 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. Though her political career was over, Conte continued to be a strong activist. She began her career in radio broadcasting with 850 KOA, where her show was promoted by ads which asked "Is it a man? Is it a woman?" After only a few episodes, Conte left for KGNU radio, which was much better suited to her passion for politics and activism. There, she broadcast news segments and weekly call-in shows, reporting on news and issues that were overlooked by other news sources and continuing to fight for those whose voices were going unheard. Her shows covered topics ranging from affordable housing in the Denver area to the issue of state-approved chemical castration of pedophiles. Conte v. Meyer Conte ran for Colorado State Legislature in 1994, but was almost denied ballot access. Conte planned to run as an independent and officially changed her affiliation on August 2, 1993. The deadline to turn in her petition for candidacy was August 2, 1994. She filed her petition—signed by three appellants—on July 18, 1994 and was told two separate times that her petition was sufficient and that any defects in the petition would be remedied before the filing deadline. Later, Conte filed a lawsuit against the Colorado law which stated the ballot order in which Democrats and Republicans appear should be random while stipulating other candidates always had to appear below the Democrat and Republican choices. After Conte filed the lawsuit Meyer reversed her decision to allow Conte ballot access on the grounds that she had not been an Independent for a full year when she turned in