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Dramatic Shift In Glendale City Council
Four New Members To Represent The City
by Mark Smiley
The Glendale City Council experienced a dramatic shakeup in 2016 from just a year ago. For its first regularly scheduled council meeting in April, four of the six regular councilmembers that represented the city one year ago have exited and four new members have entered. Jeff Allen, who served for eight years was term limited, Paula Bovo and Scott Franssen resigned having moved from the city, and Joe Gigglio opted not to run for another term. Mike Dunafon was re-elected as Mayor of Glendale in April for a second four year term.
Lindsey Mintz (appointed in January 2016), Scott Norquist (appointed in March 2016), Storm Gloor, and Scott Brock joined the Glendale City Council on April 12, 2016. Doris Rigoni and Dario Katardzic were the only carryovers with Rigoni appointed Mayor Pro Tem.
Glendale was founded in 1859 and is the second oldest town in Colorado, formally incorporating in 1952. One of the challenges facing Glendale is it is difficult to recruit persons to run for City Council. As the residents are often on the go, few individuals are willing to make a four year commitment to stay in the city as a councilperson.
In December 2015 an anonymous flyer was sent out titled “Glendale Needs You. Be a Hero” declaring it was “Easy to run for Mayor or City Council” and “Earn $1,000 per month for attending a few monthly meetings and get free health care.” Many assumed it was sent out by the city itself but it was not as it contained numerous misstatements of fact.
It is, of course, never “easy to run” for public office no matter where you are and it can be expensive. As a councilmember you are expected to do far more than just attend a “few council meetings.” You are expected to attend council meetings, study sessions and represent the city on various local and regional committees and boards as well as representing the city at various important county and state functions. One can expect to spend significant hours studying the issues facing the city as well as regularly meeting with and answering questions from constituents who tend to call at all different times and throughout weekends.
Councilmembers have the same health insurance as any other employee of the city, meaning they have to pay for spouses and other family members, and like any other health insurance plan these days employees are responsible for significant co-pays for medical services provided.
When the Chronicle investigated who had, in fact, sent the flyer it was traced back to Kyle Miller of the public relations firm of Stratton-Carpenter & Associates that represents Mohammad Ali Kheirkhahi and Authentic Persian & Oriental Rugs. When contacted by phone by the Chronicle on why he sent out an anonymous flyer to all Glendale residents, Kyle Miller sounded stunned that he had been found out. He declined to answer any questions. A few days later the Chronicle received an e-mail from Stratton-Carpenter & Associates asserting that the flyer was that of Authentic Persian & Oriental Rugs and other “individuals and businesses” to “ensure [the people of Glendale] have factual, truthful information about running for elected office in the City.” It did not address why the names of the persons who were behind it had not been revealed.
Former Glendale Councilman Jeff Allen opined, “It’s the usual phony, underhanded misinformation that Kheirkhahi seems to specialize in.”
Notwithstanding the misinformation in the anonymous flyer, Mayor Mike Dunafon strongly adopted the concept of getting more people to run for City Council or even mayor as he was having difficulty recruiting people willing to serve on the City Council. “It is a significant investment of time and energy to be a councilmember, and if you do not do what people like Kheirkhahi want, you can be expected to be screamed at and attempted to be intimidated.”
While several of the new members have been active in the Glendale community, none have ever served in elective office.
Storm Gloor is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Music and Entertainment Industry Studies at the University of Colorado Denver. He holds an MBA degree from West Texas A&M University. Gloor spent 13 years in music retail and wholesale, most of them as Director of Music Operations for Hastings Entertainment, based in Amarillo, Texas. He has served on several committees and participated in panels for 
NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers), and is a member of MEIEA (Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association), as well as the Americana Music Association.
“I’ve been a Glendale resident for almost 10 years and have enjoyed all of the great things about living here,” said Gloor. “There’s so much to do and enjoy, and such a rich diversity. I’m anxious to ‘give back,’ in a sense, by serving and representing the citizens of Glendale. I hope to help assure that Glendale remains a great place to live and/or work as we all pursue our life and career goals.” In addition to his duties as Glendale Councilmember, Gloor serves as the Chairman of the Glendale YMCA Board of Advisors.
Scott Norquist elevated to the City Council from the Planning Commission where he had served since February 2013, when Mayor Pro Tem Paula Bovo resigned after moving out of Glendale. Norquist is the Tax Manager for Hanson & Co. Certified Public Accountants in Denver. Norquist is experienced in many aspects of individual, corporate, partnership, trust and gift tax compliance and planning. He graduated with a Master’s degree in Taxation from the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver and has worked at Hanson & Co. since 2006.
His undergraduate work was at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo where he earned a B.S. in Business Administration and Public Accounting.
Norquist serves on many boards including the Glendale YMCA Boa
rd of Advisors and the Davis Contemporary Dance Company.
“As a council member, my goal is to represent the interest of Glendale’s citizens, and to fairly, accurately, and confidently convey their interests to my fellow council members. As a long-term Glendale resident I know where we have been, I know where we can go, and I know what it will take for us to get there.” Norquist said.
Scott Brock is another business owner in Glendale and is equally as excited to join the council. He owns Custom Executive Security whose main client is SmokinGun Apothecary. Brock served in the Air Force from 1979 to 1988 and has used his military experience in his endeavors since.
“I am happy and honored to be able to serve as a city councilman in our wonderful city,” said Brock. “It is my goal for our citizens to be able to enjoy all the benefits and opportunities the city has to offer, and to further and strengthen the business growth of Glendale in projects such as our [Glendale] 180.”
Lindsey Mintz has been part of the Glendale community for over nine years. After attending Villanova University and the University of San Diego on academic scholarships, she found herself moving to Colorado and establishing her roots in Glendale. Lindsey opened her first business in Glendale, the T-Bar, in July 2014.
Since opening, Mintz has worked diligently with the Greater Glendale Chamber of Commerce, the Glendale Police Department, and other local business owners to prepare the city for its urban revival — the G180 Project.
“I am truly blessed to have been chosen to represent the citizens of Glendale and their values and ideas,” said Mintz. I look forward to spending the next four years representing and serving them and being their voice. This is an incredibly exciting time in Glendale’s history. The G180 project has been the vision of Glendaleans for many years and I am honored to be a part of helping that vision come to fruition. Along with Rugb
ytown USA, the G180 project will make Glendale an international entertainment destination.”
Mintz was unanimously appointed to the City Council in January 2016. Her current responsibilities include representing Glendale on the Denver Regional Council of Governments and the RTD Committee. In her free time, Lindsey loves to enjoy the outdoors — doing everything from biking, running, climbing Colorado’s infamous “Fourteeners,” backpacking, hunting, and finding the craziest obstacles races she can compete in.
The city council meets at Glendale City Hall at 950 S. Birch Street the first Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.glendale.co.us.
Local Glendalean Is ‘Naked And Afraid’
by Megan Carthel
Glendale and Denver residents have been getting Naked and Afraid.
Bree Walker, Glendale resident, was Naked and Afraid in the jungle of Honduras, right along the Conrejal River.
“I got really bored one day and just filled out a paragraph online, and then I guess I qualified to go,” Walker said. “And then, a month later I was on my way.”
When Walker filled out that paragraph, she signed up for Naked and Afraid. It’s a T.V. show designed to put survivalists to the test mentally and physically. Contestants are thrown into remote locations for 21 days with only one item each and no clothes or shoes. They’re left to make their own shelters, hunt and gather their own food. Two strangers meet for the first time and have to survive together — naked.
While being naked was a shock at first to Walker, eventually everything became routine — even feasting on the philodendron fruit which can leave third degree burns along the throat if not picked at the right time.
“It became a daily routine and a lot simpler than we have here,” Walker said. “I loved not having the Internet, and I loved not having a phone, or doing my hair or makeup or anything, or what I am going to wear today.”
Walker and her partner Clarence were in the Honduras jungle during monsoon season and a blood moon, meaning light of any kind was hard to come by. Walker found refuge and sunlight near the river at what she called her “breakfast rock.” To prepare for the show, she ran the dirt trails by Arrowhead barefoot and packed on an extra 17 pounds by eating paleo meals every hour and a half. Those extra pounds didn’t last long — she lost 25 pounds throughout the entire experience. Walker made it 14 out of the 21-day challenge due to hypothermia and a 106-degree fever among other complications.
Walker and Clarence were inserted into the wilderness in late September 2015, just about a month after Walker’s 30th birthday — a present of sorts to herself.
“I think it helped me find myself because turning 30 just made me feel like, do I really know who I am, and what can I really put myself through? What can I really conquer?” Walker said.
Walker discovered her own inner strength, realizing she could do much more than her partner could. After her experience she said she threw away the body shaming and pressure society often puts on women. Her journey in the jungle taught her she was stronger and more independent than she thought, something she wants women and girls to see within themselves.
“Don’t let anybody tell you not to do something. Go try it and find out for yourself because you’re strong enough,” Walker said.
Walker isn’t the only local resident who was strong enough to be naked and afraid. Matt Wright, a Denver resident and survival expert, also went on the show. His episode aired April 24, 2016. Wright’s episode was filmed in Thailand in November 2014. When it came to being afraid, he wasn’t, but when it came to being naked, things were a little different at first.
“You really realize you have nothing to defend yourself,” Wright said.
Both Walker and Wright said being naked made them feel more vulnerable, but any awkwardness quickly dissipated as the focus switched to survival, food, water and shelter.
“When I was out there, the most peaceful thing was that those were the four things I had to worry about. That was it. Yeah, it was tough as heck, but if I was there a little bit longer and would’ve had that warmth, it would’ve just clicked,” Walker said.
And when it comes to the partners?
“It was the hardest forced relationship you could imagine,” Wright said.
The camera and sound crew only film the contestants a few hours each day, and for the remainder of the time, they are completely alone. Wright said his partner became his best friend because she was his only friend. Wright didn’t forget about his girlfriend Brooke back in Denver however. On the show he recorded a proposal to her after reading a special note she sent with him tucked away in his knife. Their wedding is set for late July.
Walker’s partner was a little more distant — they didn’t share a shelter, a first in the show’s history. Her partner refused consolation by Walker when he was frightened in the middle of the night by growling in the jungle — his own stomach growling. While Wright may have been more prepared than his partner was, they worked together to survive, and he gained a new outlook on people.
“[The experience] opened up a huge window where I believe now anybody is capable of anything,” Wright said.
Wright’s outlook on negative situations has changed too, frequently seeing that “it could be worse.” For Walker, being back in the real world made her realize how much everything was about time and that she was born under a wandering star.
Despite hundreds of bug bites, lost weight, infections and hospitalization, Walker and Wright say they would do the show again “in a heartbeat.” Walker’s show will air May 29 on the Discovery Channel.n
