After last month’s blast of wind — the strongest ever reported in Denver or in the U.S. — July is the month the sun doesn’t rise, it overflows. It is the Valley’s hottest month of the year, with an average high temperature of 88°F, while nights rarely fall below 50°F. The good news: July is actually a little less windy than most months.
Prior to the pandemic shutting down travel and hospitality, the Cherry Creek Valley was always a hot spot for vacationers since temperatures rarely top 100°F.
Here are our cool choices for shopping, dining and entertainment so a summer breeze and the sun’s rays let you shine and discover each day’s bright prospects:
3See fashions by designers, local boutiques during Denver Fashion Week at the McNichols Bldg. July 11-17, Information: denverfashionweek.com.
3View over 60 Treasures of British Art paintings on display at the Denver Art Museum, Level 2, through July 12. Information: 720-913-0130.
3If you’re considering selling your home in these uncertain times rely on the knowledge and experience of Denice and Stephanie. No none knows Denver like the RE/MAX Alliance pair. Information: 303-886.0000.
3For a dazzling selection of flowers, plants and trees go to Country Fair Garden Center. After 26 years on Colorado Blvd. they’re now located in South Lowry Square at 7150 Leetsdale Dr. Information: 303-757-4949.
3With so many events canceled this July, you won’t want to miss Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, the final completed symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven at Red Rocks Amphitheater, July 26, 7 p.m. Colorado Symphony Music Director Brett Mitchell is joined by four vocal soloists and a massive community chorus made up of the Symphony Chorus plus other choruses from around the state. Information: 303-623-7876.
It seems like many things most of us have taken for granted are canceled this year, just as Woodstock’s 50th Anniversary was canceled last July. It’s a reminder of Jimi Hendrix’s 1969 Star Spangled Banner performance at that iconic festival and the fact we again find ourselves and the country in the midst of uncertain, tentative times.
Hendrix’s rendition turned the lyrics “o’er the ramparts we watched” into a blazing protest reflecting the violence carried out under our flag and its national anthem.
Denver has more thunderstorms during July than any other month. About once every two years, an inch or more of rain drenches the city in one day during the month. Remember July 27th is Take Your Houseplants for a Walk Day. If storms develop, the lightning bolts play Rock & Roll music and your plants will be right as rain — all wet!
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
How things have changed … how political correctness, which, in fact, is nothing more than Social Marxism reminding you all that the first person to use the term “we must be politically correct” was Trotsky in the Thoughts of Lenin.
Thomas Jefferson’s statue was pushed into the mud outside a high school in Portland, Oregon, named for the former President. The statue had been spray painted with the phrase “slave owner.” The group behind that act, Rose City Justice, is just one of many organizations demonstrating over the tragic killing of George Floyd. Many of these organizations are calling for an ever increasing number of statues to be torn down and destroyed.
Regarding Jefferson, I take you to April 29, 1962, when President Jack Kennedy was making remarks at a dinner honoring Nobel Prize winners from the entire western hemisphere. Jack Kennedy told that extraordinary tale when he said, “I want to tell you how welcome you are to the White House. I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, human knowledge that has ever been gathered together in the White House with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.” Wow.
Note: the dinner was held in the State Dining Room and in the Blue Room as well. Nobel Prize winners were throughout the rooms and following the dinner that was emceed by Fredric March, winner of the Oscar twice, reading excerpts from Sinclair Lewis, George Marshall and Ernest Hemingway. How would any of those three men fare today?
I have used George Orwell so many times in my life and on the radio and in this award-winning column. We have spoken about Orwell before. You remember Winston Smith, the protagonist of the novel 1984. Do you remember what Winston Smith’s job was? Winston Smith’s job, while working at the Ministry of Truth, was to rewrite history every day. Remember also what the people of the Soviet Union would say — how they were sure of today and the drudgery and sure tomorrow the drudgery would continue. The problem they really had was the past because it changed from time to time to suit Stalin or Khrushchev.
Thomas Jefferson was brilliant. Roosevelt used Thomas Jefferson as a symbol to fight European fascists and in the famous Four Freedoms speech. Every time any politician begins with “We the People” he is stealing from Thomas Jefferson. And now Jefferson lays face down in the mud.
I think all of us understand how intense a time it is. And how on edge we all are and how many lessons from the past we must study and learn from, and please God, not repeat.
But Orwell says it best. The Orwell quote, writing about Winston Smith: “Every record has been destroyed or falsified. Every book has been rewritten. Every picture has been repainted. Every statue and street building has been renamed. Every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History HAS stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party and Big Brother are always right.”
So what do we learn? To teach my grandson that Jefferson was a slaver and white supremacist and a crypto fascist? Or, that because of the brilliant man that Jack Kennedy wrote about, I’m allowed to write this, the Chronicle to publish it, and you to read it.
United States Rugby Foundation has recognized Glendale Mayor Mike Dunafon with its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award to be presented to the mayor August 2020.
Lifetime Achievement: Glendale Mayor Mike Dunafon is receiving the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from United States Rugby Foundation in August 2020. He is shown here in Chile back in 2001 while he served as Manager of the United States U-19 National Team.
Dunafon was a football, rather than a rugby standout, in his youth. He was a star running back at Golden High School and then played at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) where he played H-back and wide receiver. Many of Dunafon’s receiving records are still intact at UNC. He was signed on as a wide receiver by the Denver Broncos in 1976, but injuries curtailed his professional career.
In 1978 he traveled down to the Caribbean island Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, where he was introduced to one of the islands’ favorite sports — rugby and he fell in love with the game’s continuous play and the camaraderie between players and teams.
Dunafon has stated that: “Rugby has had an incredible impact on my life; it’s an extended family that welcomed me instantly as I took to the pitch for the first time and it has since instilled in me an inherent respect and acceptance for people.” He went on to note, “I knew that if I could share that experience with my community, we could create something truly extraordinary that exceeds the bounds of race, religion, sex and economic standing.”
Island Paradise: Mike Dunafon, pictured here in a promotion for Village Cay Marina in the Caribbean island Tortola in 1978, the year he was introduced to the sport of rugby.
He played for British Virgin Islands RFC until 1992 when he moved back to Colorado. He also has a USA Rugby Level 3 coaching certification. From 2000 to 2001, he was the Manager of the United States U-19 National Team, taking them on three international tours to Australia, a World Cup Qualifier in Trinidad, and the 2001 Junior World Cup in Chile.
“Rugby continues to be a big part of my life and has become part of the Glendale lexicon since Infinity Park was established in 2007,” says Dunafon. “I’m thrilled to be honored by the U.S. Rugby Foundation and look forward to the August award event.”
As the only municipally-owned, rugby-specific stadium in the United States, Infinity Park has hosted teams from all over the world. According to U.S. Rugby Foundation Executive Director Brian Vizard, Dunafon’s “biggest impact on rugby in America is the development of RugbyTown USA in Glendale, Colorado.”
On May 30, 2007, then Governor Bill Ritter officially proclaimed Glendale to be the “Rugby Capital of Colorado.”
Vizard went on to note: “As Mayor of Glendale, Mike’s vision was to revitalize a community by embracing the ethos that he saw in rugby — the camaraderie, sportsmanship, and commitment to community. Infinity Park is widely considered to be the finest rugby training facility in the country. I have seen the growth of RugbyTown over the years and am truly amazed by what Mike and the City of Glendale have been able to accomplish.”
Adds Vizard, “We look forward to . . . recognizing Mike with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his over 40 years of service to the sport.”
Glendale has various men’s, women’s and under 19 teams as well as junior programs for kids of all ages. The Glendale Raptors recently withdrew from Major League Rugby wanting to concentrate on developing top players for the national team known as the American Eagles. With regard to the same, USA Rugby has moved from Boulder to Glendale which should greatly assist such an effort.
Dunafon who was reelected for another four-year term as Mayor of Glendale in April 2020, indicated that: “Glendale’s role in the world of rugby will keep on growing. As much as we have achieved over the last decade it is just the beginning. We hope that every kid who plays rugby will want to someday visit and play in RugbyTown U.S.A.”
In a stunning civil lawsuit filed in United States District Court in Denver the powerful and highly politically connected Andrew S. Armatas is accused of sexual assault by a former judicial assistant. Armatas was originally appointed to the bench in 1990 by Mayor Federico Peña and was made the chief presiding judge in 1995 by Mayor Wellington Webb. He retired as chief presiding judge in 2013 but thereafter filled in when other judges were absent.
Judge Touchy Feely: Andrew S. Armatas (photo from 2000) who was the chief presiding judge for Denver County Courts for over a decade and a half has been accused of sexual assault in a blockbuster lawsuit filed in Federal District Court, at left. Armatas is a current member of the five person Denver Ethics Board.
Armatas is an active member of the five member Denver’s Ethics Commission having been appointed in 2013 by Mayor Michael Hancock who has faced various allegations of sexual misconduct himself while in office.
The Lawsuit
The Complaint in the case captioned Rebecca Norris v. City and County of Denver Case No. 20 CV 1226 was filed on May 1, 2020, and lays out a litany of alleged misdeeds by the judge regarding various women at the courthouse one of whom indicated that Armatas was known as Judge “Touchy Feely.”
The lawsuit alleges job discrimination and retaliation under federal and state law with Ms. Norris being fired in January 2019. She was hired in 2007 as a judicial assistant in Denver County Court and received Employee of the Year Award twice. She asserts she was fired in retaliation for her accusations against Judge Armatas, accusations she says the City ignored for more than two years.
According to the lawsuit, Norris claims she first complained about Judge Armatas in the summer of 2016. The lawsuit says she was working in an empty courtroom when Judge Armatas walked in and sat “uncomfortably close” to her. It also says Judge Armatas said to her, “You look like you like to get dirty. You look like you could get wild.” The Complaint declares “Judge Armatas then immediately made unwelcomed physical advances toward (Norris), kissing her and touching her breasts prompting her to scream at him to get away from her and demanding that he leave, whereupon Judge Armatas quickly left the courtroom.” The lawsuit says Norris informed her immediate supervisor that same day what had happened.
The Termination Letter
While efforts to reach Judge Armatas by the Chronicle have not been successful, his side of the story is at least partially laid out in the City’s Termination Letter to Ms. Norris of which the Chronicle has obtained a copy. The termination letter states Norris’ supervisor denies being told anything. It says Norris told inconsistent stories about what happened with the Judge and changed the date of the alleged incident after she learned the Judge was out of state that day. The termination letter says, “The evidence is clear that you made false allegations of a very serious nature against a judge in order to avoid discipline. The accusation that you told your supervisor immediately after the assault occurred and she did nothing in response is untrue and disturbing. You have betrayed the trust of the County Court with your dishonesty and false reporting.”
The Termination Letter asserts that Norris only brought up the allegations after she was under investigation for inappropriate comments to a co-worker. The Complaint, however, asserts that Judge Barry Schwartz confirmed that Norris advised him of the alleged assault before the disciplinary investigation. In the Com-plaint there are various other individuals identified who Norris told about the alleged assault on or about time the alleged assault occurred.
Norris’ attorney Kenneth Padilla responded that “This is a classic example of victim blaming. My client reported the sexual assault to her supervisor by phone immediately and her supervisor told her to take the day off. Furthermore, it was not documented by the city whatsoever. So reconstructing it three years later is very difficult. . . . Telling them they don’t have the right date, or you don’t remember everything. This happens frequently in sexual assault cases, they try to victimize the victim.”
Denver Ethics Board
In a bit of irony Judge Armatas was appointed to the Denver Ethics Board in 2013 by Denver Mayor Michael Hancock with his most recent term ending in 2021. Hancock was accused of sexually harassing a female police officer assigned to his security detail and the City paid a significant settlement in the case, but Hancock managed to avoid any discipline. Cases of sexual harassment are handled by the Office of Human Resources who developed a new sexual harassment training program for other city officials but cleared Hancock of any wrongdoing. It has been asserted that in the City and County of Denver there is one set of rules for the powerful like Mayor Hancock and former Chief Presiding Judge Armatas and another for everyday employees.
Birds Of A Feather: Denver Mayor Michael Hancock who has been accused of sexually harassing a female member of his police detail as well as being a john for a prostitution house in Denver, appointed Judge Armatas to the Denver Ethics Board in 2013 and reappointed him in 2017.
Bankruptcy
The Norris Complaint is not the first brush with notoriety for Judge Armatas. In March 1995 just two months after being raised to Chief Presiding Judge for Denver’s County Courts by former Mayor Wellington Webb he filed for federal bankruptcy under Chapter 7. He listed a mere $16,094 in assets, with and extraordinary $2,659,035 in liabilities. Patty Calhoun in her article in Westword (April 5, 1995) stated that Armatas’ explanation of the 1980s downturn in the real estate market leaves “a real odor in the court.”
The article notes that “when Mayor Wellington Webb asked Armatas to become the presiding judge, Armatas had to know that his bankruptcy filing was imminent. Rather than show judgment, though, he accepted the appointment.” The article goes on to note of the sealing of the divorce records of Armatas and federal tax liens filed against him
Allegations By Other Women
The federal Complaint by Norris set forth a myriad of other allegations by women working in the Denver County system which will be extremely embarrassing for Judge Armatas if allowed in the court proceedings. In July of 2018 Norris retained the services of Employment Matters, an outside consulting firm to help investigate her allegations and that of others. The Complaint states (underlines added):
“Nicole Coburn . . . who was employed by the [the City] as a courtroom clerk stated that Judge Armatas asked her out for drinks several times . . . that he asked for her phone number and that she gave it to him, thinking it was just to talk about work, but ‘then it got weird’; that he texted her on different occasions; that he asked her to meet him for drinks on weekends and after work; that she thought his behavior was creepy because he kept coming to her work area asking to go out with him and because ‘he’s so old.’ Judge Armatas was in his seventies and Ms. [Coburn] is in her thirties.”
“Stacie Beckwith, the Finance Manager for the Denver County Court, informed the Clerk and chief administrative officer of the Denver Count [sic] Court, Terrie Langham, that Judge Armatas had asked her out for coffee; that when she met him Judge Armatas asked her whether she had informed her husband about their meeting, that when she told Armatas that she told her husband everything, Judge Armatas responded that he didn’t tell his wife, touching her hand as she was holding her coffee cup in a way that she felt to be flirtatious and highly inappropriate . . . .”
“Connie Strehler, another Denver County clerk, stated that she worked in the adjoining courtroom that shared space for the courtroom clerks where Judge Armatas worked and that therefore, she had frequent contact with Judge Armatas. Also she said that after Judge Armatas retired, he filled in for her judge; that Judge Armatas always liked to hug female employees of the Denver County Court; that she did not appreciate Judge Armatas hugging her; . . . that Judge Armatas was known as Judge “Touchy Feely”; that Judge Armatas liked to hug a lot and that he hugged ‘the ladies.’ Not just her; and that on one occasion Judge Armatas caressed her hand, rubbing his hand on top of her hand, in a way she did not appreciate.”
The City has yet to file an Answer but a Scheduling and Planning Conference by phone has been set for August 12, 2020. The case has been assigned to recently appointed Federal District Court Judge Daniel D. Domenico.
