There he defiantly stood on the veranda of the public Park Hill Golf Course, the three-time former mayor of Denver, Wellington Webb, who is still very much a political powerhouse in the city. He had called an emergency press conference to give out a clarion call to all citizens to save 155-acre Park Hill Golf Course as open space against the ravages of one more rapacious high-density developer, this time Westside Investment Partners, Inc. and its unctuous CEO and snake oil salesman Andrew Klein.
Webb was eloquent and passionate about a subject near and dear to his heart. After all, as he pointed out, as mayor he had done more than any other recent mayor for parks and open space in the City and County of Denver. Moreover, his critique of what is happening in Denver as a result of the Hancock administration was absolutely spot on. He accurately noted the destruction the Hancock administration had brought and was continuing to bring to the Queen City of the Plains. He declared:
“As our city has transformed drastically in the last few years, we cannot allow precious open space to become another casualty of development.
“Once developers chip away at this open space, there will be no excuses to go after more, including our parks.
“I think open space and park space is one of our most important commodities. If we allow this park space to be sold and redeveloped into a concrete jungle, I believe no park in Denver is safe.
“Because what do we get in its place? Housing like that across the street, where you walk out the door and you’re on the sidewalk with no greenspace.”
“Once this is gone, it’s gone for good. It’s gone forever — gone for our children, our children’s children. Gone for what?
“That’s not the Denver I remember. But when I came here from Chicago, I didn’t want Denver to be Chicago. I wanted Denver to be Denver.”
We could not have said it better ourselves. Westside’s Founder and Managing Principal Klein tried to con Webb and the public by asserting that he would build “affordable housing” and maybe if the neighbors begged pathetically enough, a grocery store with a nice large parking lot. Webb correctly understood that such claims by Klein were little more than “a trick to garner support.” Klein will brutally rape Park Hill for every penny he can get out of it, while buying off whatever neighborhood quislings he can to mimic lines that he feeds them.
But there is one big problem with what Webb did, and it shows that he doesn’t really care about what is happening to Park Hill Golf Course or Denver as a whole. Michael Hancock and his merry band of destructive high-density developers would not be in power today if it were not for Wellington Webb. If Webb had given the same Park Hill speech and call to action just a few weeks before the June mayoral runoff between Michael Hancock and Jamie Giellis, then Jamie Giellis would be mayor and Park Hill Golf Course would have been saved.
What is, in fact, important to Webb is that all of his friends and acquaintances got their concessions at DIA renewed resulting in millions in profits for them. His daughter Stephanie O’Malley was appointed early on by Hancock to be Manager of Safety, an all-powerful position that oversees the police, fire and sheriff departments. This post was one that she was totally unqualified for. When her ineptitude became too embarrassing, he gave her the odd title of simply “Mayoral Appointee” with no responsibilities or job requirements for which she brings down a six-figure salary. She has the ultimate no work job all thanks to his Honor and his administration.
Webb lives in Park Hill and his neighbors have been begging him to speak out and oppose the sale for months. He has come out now when it simply doesn’t matter anymore. The sale to Westside took place a little over a week later for $24 million. Westside’s only problem is that in 1994 under the Webb administration, the Clayton Trust took $2 million in return for a conservation easement keeping the open space for perpetuity. Westside and Klein must get the easement cancelled and the property rezoned by the City Council.
Webb has urged citizens to petition, protest and pressure the mayor and the City Council not to lift the easement and/or grant the rezoning. He notes that incumbent council members including two of the mayor’s strongest allies lost re-election bids largely in reaction to the excessive development scheme in their districts.
But Webb knows the three new council members will make no difference whatsoever in a 13-member City Council filled with corrupt lackeys of the mayor. Going to City Council meetings in Denver is a joke. The elected officials couldn’t care less what the public thinks. Klein and Westside would not have paid $24 million for the property if the fix was not already in with the mayor’s office and the City Council and Webb knows it.
Webb’s entire charade concerning Park Hill Golf Course was done so he can tell his neighbors and friends that he did “all he could do” to prevent the destruction of the neighborhood when, in fact, he did nothing when it really mattered. If you live in Park Hill and see the old mayor wandering around you may want to note to him the saying attributed to Abraham Lincoln, that: “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” He has been caught this time in his sham defense of Park Hill Golf Course and at least some of his neighbors now know it.
Even Wellington Webb should be ashamed of himself.
— Editorial Board