by Mark Smiley | Jan 30, 2017 | General Featured
by Mark Smiley
Step 13 has hired only its third Executive Director in 30 years, Paul Scudo. Scudo who had served as Director of Programs the last two years was hired after the search committee narrowed down the field of candidates to 12. He officially began his role in October 2016, but he was serving on an interim basis since last June. Peter Droege who was the Executive Director left the organization in May 2016.
For more than 30 years Step 13 has helped men overcome addiction and become contributing members of society through a “tough love” residential program that requires sobriety, work, and accountability. There is a zero-tolerance policy for drinking or drug use, and work is required from day one in the program.
The organization was founded by Bob Coté and his legacy lives on at the organization. Scudo not only acknowledges this, he embraces it. “We are privileged that for years Bob broke his back and did whatever it took to keep the doors open, help men out, and get the name Step 13 out in the community, and generate a donor base,” said Scudo.
Scudo was born in Philadelphia, and lived there until he was 16 when his parents moved to Charlotte, N.C. After graduating high school, he went to Michigan State University and got a degree in Hospitality Business. It is here where he met his two best friends who eventually saved his life and put him on the path to recovery. He moved to Denver and worked for the Hyatt Hotels Corporation and then the Hilton Worldwide Holding as Regional Director of Sales and Marketing.
It is in this position where Scudo made a comfortable living. He had an attractive home in Park Hill, with a loving wife, and for those who knew him, a pretty good life. But, Scudo kept a dark secret. He had become addicted to cocaine and alcohol and his addiction took a turn for the worse starting in 1998.
Five years later, in 2003, he was arrested for possession of narcotics and put into drug court. Even with the possibility of having a felony on record and going to jail, Scudo could not stop using drugs.
He continued to test positive on court ordered probation tests. The court would put him in jail for two days once a month for four years. Because Scudo showed up in a business suit and made seemingly valid excuses, they would continue to give him opportunities.
Finally, those opportunities would run out as his excuses were no longer accepted. In 2007, the court finally revoked deferred judgment, charged Scudo with a felony, and sent him to jail for six months. His 18-month probation that stretched to four years now converted into jail time.
After losing his job and serving his sentence, his first phone call after being released from jail was to his drug dealer. With no job and no income, but with a large amount of money in savings, a 401K, an IRA, Scudo became a hermit in his Park Hill home. He burned through $200,000 in 18 months, stopped paying the mortgage and all other bills, aside from the phone bill, so he could contact his dealer.
After the mortgage company and police officers came to his door and warned him to pay his mortgage or be evicted in 30 days, Scudo turned to doing more drugs.
After 30 days had expired, police officers came into his home and told him he had 10 minutes to gather what he could.
“I never, in my mind, believed I was going to lose everything,” said Scudo. Every other possession he had accumulated in his 40 years on the planet was thrown in a dumpster.
All of a sudden, Scudo was homeless. Over the next two years, he would hide in alleys and wooded areas. He would only go to populated areas to steal food from a grocery store or to get change to get a bottle of alcohol so that he could drink and numb the pain.
After being on the streets for two years, Scudo describes what was a spiritual intervention. He was in an alley and his two best friends from his days at Michigan State University came down the alley and said, “We finally found you, are you ready for help?” Scudo looked up at them and said yes but he couldn’t afford it. They told him they had it taken care of.
They put him into a drug addiction treatment center called CeDAR. CeDAR is integrated into the University of Colorado Hospital and is an expensive treatment facility. Scudo remained at CeDAR for three months.
He then moved to the Oxford House, a sober living home. He remained at the Ox-
Continued on page 15
Continued from page 5
ford House for a year and found it difficult to find work. A friend from his alcohol recovery fellowship group who owned a handyman business hired him to be his assistant. He worked for him for a year and started to volunteer at CeDAR.
His volunteer work would eventually lead to a full-time position as Recovery Care Manager at CeDAR after more education. He worked at CeDAR for three years and during this time was asked by the Anschutz Foundation (who funds both CeDAR and Step 13) to speak to the men of Step 13. Scudo volunteered for six months at Step 13 until one day Droege and then Board Chair Wendy Bergen pulled Scudo aside to ask if he would be willing to build a recovery program.
After volunteering to launch this program, it became clear it was going to take more of a full-time effort. Scudo was then hired in 2014 to be the Director of Programs for Step 13. “There was something in my heart telling me to do this,” Scudo said.
“I have a picture of Bob [whom he never had the chance to meet] on the wall in my office and I look at it every day to remind me I am lucky that he did all the really hard groundwork to get this organization where it is, and staying true to three key principles: sobriety, work, and accountability,” said Scudo. “While there’s been some change, the core philosophies remain the same. We are going to remain true to Bob’s original principles and we still believe accountability, self-sufficiency, partnered with work and individual recovery is how an individual restores their dignity and self-worth. We are going to help as many men as we can.”
Matthew Saks, chair of the board of Step 13 commented, “Paul Scudo is the ideal leader to take Step 13 into the future. He brings to this work so many important qualities: a deep sense of personal integrity, an understanding of nonprofit organizations and, most importantly, a profound passion for helping men in their struggle with addiction. In his work as program director, he has already transformed our recovery program into a national model for success. Having him in place as Executive Director ensures our organization’s sustainability and impact for many years to come.”
Scudo now lives with his new wife of four years, Cynthia, who has eight grown children and 20 grandchildren. Scudo, now 50 years of age, is appreciative for all of the gifts in his life. “I’ve changed the way I live my life,” said Scudo. “[It’s] about being of service and caring for other human beings. [It’s] how I interact with the average person I come in contact with.”
Scudo has a vision of where to take Step 13. He wants to open sober living homes and give men that are living at Step 13 that next step. He would also like to open up more Step 13 facilities across the state to help men in need.
“I’m humbled and I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead Step 13 into the future and in doing such, I’m going to stay true to Bob’s principles.”
Scudo is active in an alcohol recovery fellowship as a world delegate. He also enjoys camping, hiking, golfing, reading, bike riding, and movies. For more information on Step 13, visit www.step13.org.
by Mark Smiley | Jan 30, 2017 | Travel
by Megan Carthel
The Glendale Sports Center has a new director. Monica Henrichs started the position in mid-November, something she has been working toward.
“I want to say I’ve been preparing for this for a while because mentally I always knew this is where I wanted to be,” Henrichs said.
Henrichs is from Wisconsin and went to the University of Wisconsin where she studied Kinesiology and met her husband, Eric. The couple moved to Denver after being married for three weeks. Prior to the move to Denver, Henrichs was a trainer, 
fitness instructor and health coach at a gym in Wisconsin, where she was working toward the director position.
“I’ve always felt like I wanted to be in a director role where I can still talk to people and work with people but have more of a say in how programs run and be a little more creative on that side,” Henrichs said.
Henrichs isn’t afraid to get creative when it comes to running the Glendale Sports Center. In the works for 2017 is a variety of classes and challenges to form more of a community within the gym.
“I’d like to introduce some new formats of classes, offering a lot more variety I think is huge for our members because then they stay a little more excited,” Henrichs said. “My big, big goal for 2017 is to create a community between the fitness center and group fitness.”
Henrichs said she is compiling a list of new classes the current instructors would like to teach and that the classes should be available around April. Henrichs has more up her sleeve than just new classes
“We’re going to do a lot of fun challenges coming up that are fitness center based but also include group fitness and so people who are just fitness center people are getting a little bit of group fitness and vice-versa. That makes it more interesting I think,” Henrichs said.
In March, Henrichs and the Sports Center are planning a “fitness Bingo” challenge that is designed to incorporate both fitness center and group fitness aspects. The current 2017 class schedule has one minor adjustment added to it. Henrichs is teaching a bootcamp class on Thursday evenings. The class is a head-to-toe workout based on strength and includes cardio and speed drills. Each week is a little different, but Henrichs can guarantee one thing.
“Lots of fun sweating time,” Henrichs said.
Outside of the gym, Henrichs likes to watch sports and is an avid Green Bay Packers fan, owning a fair share of team emblazoned coffee mugs and a cheese head. She said she is excited for rugby to start up, a sport she has watched since she was a kid.
Henrichs and her husband have embraced the Colorado lifestyle, already hiking a fourteener and enjoying breweries around town.
by Mark Smiley | Jan 30, 2017 | Valley Gadfly
“If music be the food of love, play on,” Shakespeare wrote. February is the month of love and romance with swooning ballads and contemporary pop songs to help us build a dream. Every self-respecting music fan — and that’s most of us — are plugged into high fidelity soundtracks. Thus snow, music and love become putty in our hands.
“Give me excess of it,” Shakespeare says in Act I of Twelfth Night. Illyria’s Duke Orsino opens the play with that emotion affected by airs of a melancholic lover.
Here are our heart to heart choices for shopping, dining and entertainment for sharing, caring and growing together so you’ll feel the bliss and get a hug and kiss:
3 Strike all the right chords as the Sean McGowan Trio plays the love songs of Lerner & Loewe at Dazzle Jazz, Feb. 9, 7 p.m. Finger style guitarist McGowan’s music will melt your heart. Information: 303-839-5100.
3 Capture love’s recipe at the Seasoned Chef Cooking School’s couples class to fire up romance at home Feb. 10, 6:30 p.m. Information: 303-377-3222.
3 Giggle, love and laugh together at Bovine Metropolis Theater’s Armando playing Feb. 10-11 and 14 at 7, 8 or 9 p.m. Information: 303-758-4722.
3 Share a musical sure to have your love asking for more by making it to Motown The Musical at the Buell Feb. 15-19. Information: 303-893-4100.
3 Fuel the flames of passion by treating your sweetheart to the Inn at Cherry Creek’s Valentine package including champagne, dinner, accommodations for two plus breakfast at sweet, sweet savings. Information: 303-377-8577.
3 What better gift than a home to share with your Valentine? Make your dreams come true with loan rates on a $400,000 home as low as $14,000 down from Stone Creek Mortgage. Information: 303-573-1200.
3 Re-energize your love life with meals, parties, events plus two plays at the New Play Summit in the DCPA Feb. 24-26. Information: 303-893-6030.
3 Swoon to the music, art, design and flavors of the Beaux Arts Ball at the Colorado Convention Center Feb. 25, 6 p.m. Information: 303-728-6546.
3 You and your buddy or beau will be bubbling over with love listening to the more than 25 songs in Red Hot & Cole. The Cherry Creek Theatre’s regional premiere of the two-act revue runs through Feb. 19. Performances are Thursdays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. Sunday shows also on Feb. 12 and 19, 7 p.m. The Theater’s new home is at the MACC on the JCC campus, 930 S. Dahlia. Information: 303-800-6578.
This is the shortest month of the year. The Welsh call February “y mis bach” which means “little month.” Those of us living in the Valley are still trapped in winter, but we can at least feel uplifted that spring will soon be here. Throughout the 28 days Buddy Holly’s melodic words assure us: “Our true love ways will bring us joy to share.”
The third week in February is International Flirting Week. If you believe Paul McCartney’s silly love songs, take to heart it’s also An Affair to Remember Month.
Elvis Presley’s tune “Can’t Help Falling In Love” is fair warning. So if it isn’t snowing and you’re spinning around you’re on love’s musical joyride. You’ll feel love’s chill whether it’s Mozart, Madonna, tango or techno. Actually, neither true love nor music make the world go around but it sure makes life’s high notes seem sweeter.
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
by Mark Smiley | Jan 30, 2017 | Editorials
A couple of well accepted axioms are that bureaucracies endlessly seek to grow and expand and that some of the least ethical of humans naturally gravitate to ethical boards and commissions if for no other reason than to help obscure their own highly unethical conduct in life. Both appeared to be at work in the most recent attempt of the Independent Ethics Commission (IEC) to control home rule cities and others throughout Colorado under Amendment 41 by attacking former Glendale City Councilman Jeff Allen on behalf of owners of Authentic Persian & Oriental Rugs store.
Amendment 41 was the brainchild of Jared Polis before he became a congressman and it was a ballot initiative to the State Constitution imposing draconian limits on gifts by lobbyists and others to elected officials and to restrict certain lobbying for two years. By its express terms it did not apply to home rule cities in Colorado such as Denver, Aurora, Colorado Springs and 67 other cities since the Amendment stated it “shall not apply to home rule counties or home rule municipalities that have adopted charters, ordinances or resolutions that address the matters that are covered by this article.”
That is how the IEC has apparently ruled ever since its inception in 2006. But that all changed just before Christmas when the five-member board unanimously claimed jurisdiction over every city in the state.
The new IEC position was almost unanimously condemned by all g
ood government groups in Colorado and even by strong Amendment 41 supporters such as Ethics Watch and Colorado Common Cause.
This is certainly not the first public condemnation of the IEC while under the control of its Chairman William Leone, an attorney, who has been controversial and is considered in some quarters to be highly disreputable. In early 2016 the State Auditor did an audit of the IEC and as stated by the headline in The Colorado Independent, “Audit: Colorado’s Ethics Commission has questionable ethics.” The State Auditor castigated Leone’s IEC saying it engaged in incredible sloppy record keeping and openly violated the state’s open meetings and open records laws. The Auditor could not even determine “whether the IEC consistently followed it rules over time, or properly conducted hearings . . . .” Former Secretary of State Scott Gessler has simply called the IEC — “Corrupt.”
As a result of the audit the Colorado Legislature was aghast at the conduct of IEC and Leone who was a former Acting U.S. Attorney for Colorado, albeit intimately involved in the Alberto Gonzales scandal at the United States Department of Justice in 2006.
When Pat Steadman, State Senator for District 31 (which includes Denver and Glendale), sought to address the ethical lapses of Leone and the IEC including its use of the Attorney General lawyers and not its own, Leone went ballistic. He declared the bill was a “backroom deal” made by an unnamed former commissioner and Ethics Watch and Common Cause. He threatened to sue the legislature and “fight to the death in court,” if necessary. Steadman was incredulous at Leone’s assertion that not even the legislature had the right to pass bills that would in any manner affect the IEC. As one observer noted, “Bill Leone believes he is above the law and the ethics rules apply to everyone but him.” The bill ultimately failed and Leone’s megalomania went unchecked.
But few people knew exactly how out of control Bill Leone was until mid-January. Under Amendment 41 all complaints to it must be kept confidential until it is determined that the IEC has jurisdiction and the complaint is determined to be “non-frivolous.” The IEC illegally leaked to The Denver Post that it had determined that a complaint against Jeff Allen filed by the owners of the Authentic Persian & Oriental Rug store by Russell Kemp of Ireland Stapleton was “non-frivolous.”
The claim proffered was that Allen should not have voted on a unanimously approved city budget because the City, under a law adopted years ago, gives money to the Greater Glendale Chamber of Commerce and Jeff Allen as COO of the Chamber draws a small salary. Under such ludicrous logic no councilman could ever approve any annual budget because under that budget they draw a salary approved years before.
But the key to the decision is what in the world does such a complaint have to do with the IEC under Amendment 41 and its gift/lobbying limitations? Aha! It doesn’t. Amendment 41 has a vague little noticed provision that declares that the IEC has jurisdiction over not only gifts and revolving door lobbying but also “any other standard of conduct or reporting requirement in state law.” Thus under Bill Leone the IEC could go after doctors, lawyers, contractors, or virtually anyone else in the state. Its purported jurisdiction is virtually unlimited according to William Leone.
Moreover, individuals covering IEC meetings and hearings have reported possible skullduggery concerning the Allen case. Last year another ethically dubious establishment character Bernie Buescher (once an appointed Secretary of State but later soundly rejected by voters) was discovered hanging around various meetings although he had no public case or controversy before the IEC. He was engaged in what appeared to be illegal ex parte communications with Leone and Leone’s Executive Director Dino Ioannides. When caught in the act he disclosed that he was representing “rug merchants” in Glendale to get their high-rise built and was hoping to use the IEC to pressure the City Council. Upon review it was discovered that Buescher is “of counsel” to the law firm of Ireland Stapleton which of course represents M.A.K. Investments.
In various IEC minutes Ioannides declared that he has a “conflict of interest” regarding a certain mysterious case which observers believe concerned Jeff Allen. Typical of the lack of ethics of the IEC, Ioannides did not disclose (as required by state law) what was in fact the “conflict of interest.” Did it involve Bernie Buescher and the wealthy rug merchants of Glendale?
Which brings us back to Jeff Allen. He is but a pawn in a massive power game of William Leone. Allen left the City Council years ago and gets only a small salary as a Chamber COO. He has no funds to fight the sick megalomaniac dreams of ethically challenged Bill Leone and his IEC. It will of course bankrupt him.
That is, of course, why Leone picked Allen. If he challenged Mayor Michael Hancock over his 2015 Super Bowl Trip he could expect a major fight on his hands. Leone and the IEC can roll over the corpse of Jeff Allen many times over. He has no ability to fight a cadre of sleazy, unscrupulous lawyers like Bill Leone, Russell Kemp and Bernie Buescher.
It can only be hoped that Glendale and home rule cities throughout Colorado will rise up to take on Bill Leone and his highly unethical Independent Ethics Commission on behalf of Allen. If Allen goes down, he will be only the first of many potential victims of one morally repugnant individual — William Leone.
— Editorial Board
