by Mark Smiley | Apr 29, 2014 | Blasting with Boyles
The Monfort Brothers Won’t Let Street Vendors Wet Their Beaks
If You Can’t Fix It With A Hammer Or Duct Tape, It’s An Electrical Problem
Opening day. Your Colorado Rockies. The music. The topless girls on the buildings across from Coors Field. Walt Weiss as the skipper. Your Colorado Rockies, the major league baseball franchise based in Denver, Colorado, takes the field.
But this year the game is being played outside. There are a group of men and women who have started brats and gourmet hotdogs and sausage businesses with carts. They have sites all around Coors Field. Now it’s important for you to remember and put you in the “way back” machine to when your Colorado Rockies were born.
In 1989 when professional baseball’s National League announced it would expand by two teams for the 1993 season, Colorado powerbrokers and legislators, bankers and bond daddies went yard. Those of us who have kicked around awhile remember 1980 when Marvin Davis almost brought Charlie Finley’s Oakland A’s to Denver. Somehow the deal fell apart but my understanding is Mr. Finley still has representation in the Mile High City. That of course crushed the dreams of local baseball enthusiasts. But in the middle of all of that, then Governor Roy “Deep Kiss” Romer, walked forward with a couple of real decent, clean handed, honorable men. Romer and National League President Roy White presented to the public John Antonucci and Michael “Mickey” Monus July 5, 1991. These boys were in the spotlight for about a year when the wheels came off. I know you all remember Phar-Mor, the financial scandal that sent Mickey to jail and Antonucci headed to the mattresses.
The next man in the batting order was Jerry McMorris, who, lest you forget, re-hired Antonucci. And by opening day that year, 1993, Johnny boy was gone again. Most recently I saw an interview where Mickey said he was responsible for major league baseball in Denver. I’m sure we’re all very proud of that moment.
So one of the things we all learned in the building of Coors Field is that the taxpayers were clearly on board. You paid for that sidewalk and you paid for that infield. So, as we say, the taxpayer, the everyday guy has a little skin in the game.
The naming of Coors Field to the Coors family and naming rights is another bright shining lie but that’s for another fun column. Street vendors with carts were told after paying licensing fees to lease the area of Lodo that for 20 years the city of Denver had made a mistake letting them be there. Each mayor from Wellington Webb to Michael Hancock, safety managers, council members, public health officials, police officers, DAs, sundry law enforcement and health and safety bureaucrats have walked in the main gate seeing the food cart entrepreneurs without realizing they were law breakers.
And with the crack of a bat and the opening of the fun party deck you can no longer buy water and inexpensive brats and a pretzel from vendors with carts.
Now The Denver Post has written some absolutely absurd columns but it’s hard to top the column that appeared saying that those vendors had to be moved out so the fans could have a clear path to the ballpark. By the way, isn’t it interesting The Denver Post is a minority owner in your Colorado Rockies.
Having worked my fair share of baseball opening days for radio I can tell that it is the media companies with their broadcasting vans, endless cables and other mass communication equipment that are the ones that present a real hindrance and danger to the public walking to the game and not a few push cart vendors selling hotdogs and brats.
The Rockies have their roots with some people suspected of being involved in organized crime. So does it really shock you that on or about the anniversary of the Ludlow Massacre that a bunch of hard working young guys and gals would be beaten down and forced out of business because the Rockies and their management group wanted that little bit of money?
So as you can see, they couldn’t fix it with duct tape or their political hammer, so the Rockies, with all the help from the mainstream media in the city, declared these small businessmen an “electrical problem.”
Play ball!!
— Peter
by Mark Smiley | Apr 29, 2014 | Feature Story Middle Left
It Is Time To Unfriend Facebook
What happened? I was such a Facebook fan. There was the “courting stage” where I migrated my social media life from MySpace to Facebook. With Facebook, I was just happy to open up a user’s page without music blasting over my laptop speakers. So long MySpace. Then, it was the “I can’t believe who I can connect with” stage as I re-connected with friends from childhood. Next, was the “let’s share how cool my life is” stage. Now, as I have gotten older, I have realized how uncool I really am. My life isn’t at all so interesting that I need to share a daily update.
I travel a bunch. As I spent a whole 45 seconds staring at the wall in an airport restroom, I found myself reading a few of the wall scribes. Of course, my initial thought was, “Who carries a Sharpie?” Then I realized, the posts on the bathroom wall weren’t any more amusing nor interesting than those on Facebook. Ugh! It hit me. I’ve lost hours of my life reading Facebook posts! I realized, there is a new stage, “Time to unfriend Facebook!” Luckily, I came to my senses and began to use the Paper app for Facebook. It’s Facebook in a newer, fresher view. Unfortunately, most of the posts I read are boring still.
If I do use Facebook, I generally use the check-in feature. It amazes me that I find someone to meet at my check-in location or city. It truly is a small world. A new feature, Nearby Friends, was released by Facebook. It is an opt-in only feature, which is a nice perk and should address privacy issues. We used Find My Friends while at Disney World, so this type of feature can be a beneficial tool. Another app alternative, Klutch, allows for a group of contacts to decide where to meet and when. This can replace the five emails it often takes to request a meeting time and location.
I’m a productivity app junkie. If there is one that will make my work and personal life more organized, I’ll try it. Microsoft Office has turned my iPad into an actual workable tablet. Microsoft released Excel, Word and PowerPoint for iPad and iPhone. They lack a few features that you should expect to receive with your desktop, however the apps are a great way to reduce the need of carrying around your laptop. One drawback is that it does not integrate with Dropbox. Speaking of Dropbox, they released a new app, Carousel, which manages photos. You’ll need to monitor the amount of your available Dropbox storage, but it should be an alternative to Picasa. One key feature is the easy way to share a volume of photos with other folks.
I hurt my back handing Mrs. App’s laptop cord to her the other day. OK, I didn’t hurt my back, but it is a heavy cord. Dart launched a new cord, which is light and compatible with Mac and most laptops. This is a great item to Google for travelers. It is available for $79 on Kickstarter. It may be best to set aside the rest of May to apologize for what you’re going to do this Cinco de Mayo.
Do you have a favorite app you’d like to share? Contact Brian at brian@brianzabroski.com, on Twitter @BrianZab or LinkedIn at www.linkedin .com/in/brianzab.
Brian has focused on helping technology companies grow their businesses for nearly 20 years. He currently serves as the Director of Channel Management for a cloud-based software business, which specializes in network monitoring, phone system usage analytics and mobile device analytics. Simply put, if your business’ network, phone system and corporate cell phones are slow, have issues and are expensive, then his software reduces and eliminates these challenges. The software is resold through an international channel of technology partners. He travels across North America educating technology companies how they can increase their business value nearly five-fold through his hybrid managed service selling technique.
by Mark Smiley | Apr 29, 2014 | Main Articles
by Mark Smiley
The municipal election set for April 1, 2014, in the City of Glendale was cancelled due to the exact amount of candidates vying for four open council seats. Paula Bovo and Dario Ka
tardzic were re-elected and will each serve four year terms. Doris Rigoni and Joseph Giglio were newly elected to the City Council. They replaced Ricky King and Pat Opper who each served eight years on the council and were term limited. Rigoni will serve until 2018 and Giglio’s term will end in 2016.
Doris Rigoni has been active in Glendale, serving as Planning Commissioner for the past two years, and is passionate about the redevelopment of Glendale. Ms. Rigoni is an Assistant Vice President for Mile High Banks Commercial Real Estate. She specializes in commercial real estate loan origination, special asset restructuring, and disposition. Prior to her time at the bank, she spent 10 years in commercial real estate on the title/due diligence side of transactions. Her early career was in the public sector working directly for Colorado Governor Bill Owens in the Economic Development Community and for the Denver International Airport Partnership.
Rigoni graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, holds her Colorado real estate broker’s license, is a past Board Member for the Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), and is currently active with the local NAIOP Chapter, sitting as the Membership Chair. Rigoni says she doesn’t have any specific plans for her four-year term but rather wants to listen to her constituents. “It is less about what I would like to see happen and more about what the citizens want to see 
happen,” said Rigoni.
Joseph Giglio has been a Glendale resident since 2001 and has served on the Planning Commission since 2012. Giglio is President and CEO of Oncology Trials Insights, a Colorado company that works with drug developers, research institutions, and patients to improve the speed and effectiveness of oncology research. Previously, he served as President for Accrual Solutions, a Denver-based patient accrual management firm.
Giglio is originally from Rochester, New York. He received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Buffalo and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Rochester.
by Mark Smiley | Apr 29, 2014 | Glendale City News
May 17 At Infinity Park
by Scott Krieger|
Writer for and on behalf of the City of Glendale
On Saturday May 17 at 3 p.m. the Glendale Raptors will battle it out in all likelihood against strong rival San Francisco Golden Gate Rugby Club (SFGG) for the championship of the newly formed
Pacific Rugby Premiership (PRP). The new league is composed of seven top clubs in Denver and the West Coast and is considered to have a lot of the top rugby teams in the nation. But the disbandment of the rugby Super League and then the Elite Cup has resulted in there being no national championship this year containing all the top teams in the country. It is hoped that an Atlantic Rugby Premiership can be formed so all the top teams will vie for a national title next year, but there are no assurances that the same will occur.
In the meantime the Raptor-SFGG match is creating great anticipation. Glendale is on top of the PRP standing with only one loss but that loss was to SFGG out in San Francisco by the score of 31-26 in a seesaw match. A second regularly scheduled match between the clubs is set for for May 3, in Glendale ending the 14 week regular season of the PRP.
The PRP is set up to be a pipeline for the USA Eagles. In years past in the Super League, the level of competition varied to the point that many matches were decided by a large point margin. The PRP, more selective with its members, has reduced that component of the game and funneled both a great amount of talent and pointed coaching into each match, every week.
The premiership is still in the early stages of its existence, and plans to keep growing. It is already looking to integrate a new member, Park City Haggis, next season.
“The PRP has definitely proven to be the highest level of competition,” Glendale captain and seven-time Team USA member Zach Fenoglio said. “Hopefully the PRP has learned from the things that made the Super League great and will only lead to more success and higher competition for years to come.”
The seven clubs that make up the league already have a rich history in the development of the sport in the western United States, and ideally the PRP will only further that and continue the growth of the game.
Olympic Club traces its incredible roots back over 100 years to its founding in 1908. That year, they competed against teams from Stanford, California, and the University of Pacific. Not long after, they began an international search for more demanding competition. In 1913 they played a vaunted New Zealand club, and although they took the loss, it was much more of a match than even the USA National team put up against the All Blacks. In the 1960s, when most western rugby teams were just being formed, O-Club was reaching their peak of dominance, both domestically and overseas. The club has continued both touring and attracting new talent for the last 30 years. This season has fallen short of expectations, as the team is in seventh place with a record of 2-7.
Old Mission Beach Athletic Club (OMBAC) began playing rugby in 1954, initially only to satisfy the desire for organized competition. In 1966, team members were granted a petition to be sponsored in San Diego, and set off down the road of competitive play. Later in the 1960s, San Diego State graduates flocked to the club, instilling a new level of talent and athleticism. OMBAC was the first team to win both the 15s and 7s National Championships, and have done so many times over. The club took the full-side championships in 1988, ’89, ’91, ’93, ’94 and ’96, and continue to compete with the highest level of rugby clubs in the country. OMBAC is 4-3-1 and in fifth place in the standings.
Known around Southern California as Belmont Shore Rugby Club, the club was originally formed in 1964 as the Long Beach Rugby Club. Original founders were comprised mostly of Long Beach State football players as well as members of the United States Coast Guard. The team first started thriving in the ’80s, evolving then to be known as Belmont Shore. It was around this time they began to attract international talent and truly grew into a powerhouse. Belmont won its first National Championship in 1998, beating New York Old Blue. They used this as a springboard as they entered a decade of dominance, which has continued into their inception into the PRP. Shore is in third place in the PRP this year with a record of 5-4.
Founded a few short years after Belmont, the Denver Barbarians came to be in 1967. The first major post-collegiate rugby club in the region, the Barbos were initially formed by a collection of ex-college ruggers as well as lacrosse players in search of new competition. The club really did serve as pioneers for professional rugby in the region, as by the spring of 1968 three more teams had formed with more on the way. Denver won the National Championship in 1990 and has been competing at high levels both in 15s and 7s ever since. The Barbarians have fallen to fourth place this season after two recent losses to Glendale.
The early 1970s witnessed the birth of yet another powerhouse rugby club. Santa Monica Rugby Club was established in 1972 by graduates and rugby players of surrounding schools like UCLA and USC. The team found success almost immediately, traveling to a number of National Championships over the years, and taking home the title in both 2005 and 2006. Currently, they occupy sixth place in the league.
1988 brought forth the birth of San Francisco Golden Gate after the merger of two Division II teams, Barbary Coast and the Castaways. Throughout the ’90s, the team was a staple in the Final Four, but never captured the National Title. Over the years, though, SFGG has pumped out numerous players to both the USA Eagles as well as international squads. They have enjoyed sustained success so far this season, and sit in second place in the PRP with a record of 7-2.
Glendale comes in as the new kids on the block. Established in 2007, the Raptors have accomplished much in a short amount of time, serving as a benchmark for the sport and playing in RugbyTown USA. Winning the National Championship in 2011, the Raptors immediately made a name for themselves, and haven’t looked back since. Led by Head Coach Andre Snyman, the club sits atop the PRP standings with a record of 8-1.
Three games remain before the finals at Infinity Park. The Raptors have vastly outperformed expectations thus far this season, displaying premier rugby week after week in their chase for a title. They will travel to California to play the next two matches, before returning home for the final week’s match on May 3. “I want to keep the players focused and mentally sound by not burning them out with information overload but instead remaining cool, calm, and collected,” Snyman said.
On a current six-game win streak, the Raptors hope to ride their success through the next three weeks and give the city of Glendale a hometown team to cheer for in the finals at Infinity Park.
by Mark Smiley | Apr 29, 2014 | Main Articles
Highly Controversial Development May Yet Fail: Neighborhood Groups Rally
Johnson Admits To Rigged ‘Courtesy Zoning’ On Lowry Vista
by Glen Richardson
Amemorandum dated November 15, 2013 by Assistant Attorney General for Colorado Jennifer Robbins has thrown the entire massive Lowry Vista development into doubt. Eight years ago International Risk Group (IRG) got the City of Denver and Lowry Redevelopment Authority
(LRA) to transfer to an IRG affiliate, IRG Redevelopment I, LLC (IRG-I), 80 acres of land for nothing that was supposed to be used only as a park or open space. Months later IRG sought and was eventually given the right to put a massive mixed use development on the property even though the land was supposed to be so contaminated that even watering the property would present a substantial risk to the public. Lowry Vista is located on East Alameda across from Windsor Gardens.
Open Space To Massive Mixed Use Development
The Denver City Council approved the rezoning of Lowry Vista in January 2010 by a 12 to 1 vote despite adamant and overwhelming opposition from citizen and neighborhood groups. The push for the development by Councilwoman Marcia Johnson in whose district the project was located resulted in such a outcry that Johnson did not run for reelection in 2011 and her actions regarding Lowry Vista permanently stained her reputation in many neighborhoods in the district and across the city.
AG Letter
The Attorney General’s November 15 letter informed IRG that before the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (Colorado Health) could consider approval of preliminary development activities for Lowry Vista, IRG-I would need to get the Air Force to void its restriction on its original deed that Lowry Vista could only be used as “open space/non-irrigated park” and to get the Air Force to agree to remain liable for land fill contaminants even if the property was developed, an action which the Air Force previously refused to do.
On December 13, 2013, IRG-I wrote to the Air Force requesting such action in a very oblique manner. Experts indicate there is no reason for the Air Force to subject itself to the potential liability that would result from IRG-I’s requests. They, however, also note that there is a reason why lobbyists in Washington, D.C. are paid millions to accomplish the seemingly impossible from the federal government on behalf of clients.
Moreover, insiders indicate that Mayor Michael Hancock is rumored to be strongly lobbying on behalf of IRG to do away with the open space restrictions. Hancock’s lobbying actions are reportedly being kept sub rosa as he is already in political hot water for destroying open space at Hentzell Park for a development, all the while claiming he is a strong supporter of parks and open space.
IRG has been in an ongoing battle with Colorado Health over Lowry Vista ever since the Denver City Council approved the massive development. In a letter dated November 29, 2013, Ann K. Wei as “Counsel” for IRG-I argued that the term “open space/ non-irrigated park” was not defined and therefore IRG-I’s developmental activities for a massive mixed-use development were somehow not inconsistent with the terms. In the letter IRG-I asserted Colorado Health’s claims to the contrary were “overreaching, arbitrary and capricious.” The Assistant Attorney General’s November 15, 2013, letter basically shot down those claims on behalf of Colorado Health.
The Attorney General’s Office appears to have questions concerning the trustworthiness of IRG-I. On November 18, 2013, Jennifer Robbins for the Attorney General wrote directly to Sam Rupe of the Air Force explaining what it was requiring and why, rather than having IRG act as an intermediary.
IRG-I’s Sly Request
Brent Anderson’s (CEO IRG-I) letter of request dated December 13, 2012, on behalf of IRG-I to the Air Force is a model of obliqueness. It never refers the fact that the Air Force placed a restrictive covenant of use to only “open space/non-irrigated park” nor does the cover letter note that IRG was asking the Air Force to remain on the hook for contaminant liability even when IRG was changing the use to a massive mixed use development. Instead Anderson simply asks that the Air Force should acknowledge that IRG-I’s actions are consistent with the restrictive covenant.
Whether the Air Force will see through the IRG-I sly verbiage whereby a massive mixed use development becomes “consistent” with a restrictive covenant that the property be used only for “open space/non-irrigated park” is unclear and it is unknown what effect Mayor Hancock’s apparent lobbying efforts will have.
The Rise And Fall Of Councilwoman Marcia Johnson
While the City Council’s approval of the Lowry Vista project occurred January 25, 2012, its sordid circumstances reverberate still today. Prior to the Lowry Vista debacle Marcia Johnson was generally a well-respected councilwoman first elected in 2003 and re-elected in 2007 and best known for her work on Westerly Creek. After the Lowry Vista affair she has become loathed by many residents throughout the Cherry Creek Valley and her name synonymous with what is what wrong with the Denver City Council. Even though she was eligible to run for re-election in 2011 she declined to do so as neighborhood groups were out canvassing to find a candidate to oust her. She has, however, continued to assert that she did nothing unethical or wrong regarding Lowry Vista.
Secrets Uncovered
It was discovered by the Chronicle (October 2008) that in 2005 even before IRG got LRA to essentially give it 80 acres of prime land for nothing, a secret $1 million payment had been committed by IRG affiliate to Denver for acceptable zoning for the landfill. Opponents called the million dollar payment illegal contract zoning. Neighborhood groups also discovered that Johnson had taken various campaign contributions from IRG partnerships and affiliates which helped explain to them why it appeared that she was in the back pocket of the developer since 2006.
However, what particularly shocked neighborhood groups was that under the Denver City Council’s unwritten practice of so called “courtesy zoning” all IRG had to do was get Johnson’s acquiescence to its scheme and the rest of the council would turn a blind eye to what was occurring. The outrage by neighbor groups across the city over the Lowry Vista hearing before the City Council on January 25, 2010, continues to this day.
Larry Ambrose, president of the Sloan’s Lake Neighborhood Association in northwest Denver and president of the Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation — the umbrella organization for all neighbor associations in Denver — several months back (December 15, 2013)wrote a guest commentary in The Denver Post titled “Why Developers Win Out In Denver.” He stated: “The most notorious example of the dangers of courtesy zoning is displayed in the Lowry Vista Rezoning in 2009. Eighty-seven percent of the speakers, including every registered neighborhood organization in Southeast Denver, spoke against the plan and stayed at City Hall until 2 a.m. to hear the outcome. Despite the fact that the site was an unmitigated toxic waste dump and citizen testimony was overwhelmingly against the plan, the council obediently followed (by a vote of 12-1) the recommendation of Councilwoman Marcia Johnson to pass the 400,000-square-foot development, which remains vacant today. All that was necessary were the magic words uttered by one council member and the votes fell into place.”
Johnson replied back in The Denver Post two weeks later (December 28, 2013) under the title “Process Was Ethical in Lowry Vista Rezoning” in which she declared:
“When looking at zoning change applications, I applied a bull’s eye with those closest to the center having the most impact on my decision. This parcel is directly across from Windsor Gardens, a community of well over 3,000 people. Residents told me, in public meetings I held, that having a grocery store, the proposed anchor, and other shops just a shuttle stop away would be a huge help since some use public transportation when shopping. Those 3,000 voices were represented by one person in favor of the zoning change, at the public hearing.”
Neighborhood Outrage
Neighborhood groups found her admissions in the article shocking. “Her problem,” stated Mayfair neighborhood resident Trish Abbott, “is that she never was a particularly good liar. She appeared to be in the back pocket of the developer from the beginning. In her entire eight years on City Council she never gave a damn about Windsor Gardens or the retirees that live there. She apparently didn’t even pay any attention at the hearing. The Board of Windsor Gardens before the hearing revoked its original support for the development. She really is one despicable human being.”
In addition Johnson in her article did not dispute Ambrose’s charge that the Denver City Council works on the unofficial policy of rigged “courtesy zoning” which means a developer only needs the support of the councilperson for the district where the development occurs to gain approval from the whole Denver City Council. As a result council members pay absolutely no attention to what the public has to say at public hearings. Johnson confessed “courtesy zoning” had occurred declaring in the article “My colleagues believed I had done my homework and concurred. This deference is hardily unethical.”
Abbott responds, “Of course what she is admitting to in the article is extremely unethical if not outright illegal. What is the point of a public hearing in which citizens give testimony if the council pays no attention to it? If all that happens is her fellow council members ‘believe’ she has ‘done her homework’ and the public be damned then the system totally falls apart. She did not testify or give admissible evidence. She admits that her fellow council members did not consider the five hours of public testimony but acted solely on the belief she had done her homework. This should make the entire Lowry Vista rezoning void. I am not sure that what she is admitting to in the article may not be criminal in nature. It’s time an honest DA or the Colorado Attorney General look at what is going on at Denver zoning approval meetings and bring indictments where appropriate.”
