Cheyenne Frontier Days
Neighborhoods Lose Crestmoor Vote 8-4
Courtesy Voting Abandoned To Aid Developer
Citizens Consider Suing The City, Metropolitan Homes And Its CEO Peter Kudla
by Charles C. Bonniwell
The residents of Hilltop, Crestmoor and Lowry were encouraged when Councilwoman Mary Beth Susman voted at the June 8 City Council meeting against a proposed high density apartment house development on the 2.3 acre site at Cedar and Monaco that once housed a church. But their hopes were dashed when the City Council, in a lame duck session nonetheless, approved the rezoning and the project of Englewood based developer Peter Kudla of Metropolitan Homes by an 8 to 4 vote by abandoning courtesy voting, a City Council tradition for over 25 years.
Five of the 8 votes for the project (Jeanne Faatz, Charlie Brown, Susan Shepherd, Chris Nevitt and Peggy Lehman) were lame duck council members, while among the council members voting no only Jeanne Robb will be out of office come July.
For over 25 years the concept of “courtesy zoning” has been used against neighborhood groups whereby Denver City Council members by large margins voted similarly to the councilmember whose district a proposed development is housed. Courtesy voting was originally instituted in the 1980s as council members found projects being approved they adamantly opposed in their district by council members who came under the control of real estate developers. Over time real estate developers adjusted and were benefited by courtesy voting as they needed to control only the council member in the respective district a proposed development was in. Controlling a single council member was a great deal less expensive for real estate developers than gaining a majority on the council.
Neighborhood groups have become increasingly active after council members ignored their concerns and rubber stamped high density projects in their neighborhoods for the benefit of politically connected real estate developers. In the most recent Denver election three pro neighborhood candidates, (Wayne New, Paul Kashmann and Rafael Espinoza) prevailed over heavily financed candidates backed by real estate developers, lobbyists and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. The winning candidates represent over 27% of Denver’s landmass and most of the areas that real estate developers want to develop including Sloan’s Lake, Cherry Creek North, the Golden Triangle, Washington Park and the Highlands.
It was rumored that the real estate developers i
ntended to change the informal rules they had exploited for so long in order to continue to have high density projects approved in the most desirable neighborhoods in Denver. Retiring Councilman Charlie Brown indicated after the Crestmoor Park vote that, “Councilman-elect Paul Kashmann declared in a debate with Liz Adams [who Brown endorsed] that he wanted to put an end to ‘courtesy zoning.’ Well he is going to get his wish.”
Similarly retiring Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz before casting her vote against the neighborhood groups stated she was going to cast a “non-courtesy” vote.
Councilwoman Mary Beth Susman expressed extreme disappointment that her fellow council members did not agree with her arguments against the project. She noted, “The site was in an ‘Area of Stability’ under Blueprint Denver as well as not being in a transit service area. It did not fit any of the guidelines where redevelopment is supposed to occur, but that didn’t appear to matter for a majority of the Council.”
Nevitt Response Angers Even The Post
Lame duck Councilman Chris Nevitt who lost the auditor’s race to Tim O’Brien even though he outspent him 10 to 1, appeared to express the thinking of council members backed by real estate developers. He indicated that no zoning or other restrictions should now ultimately apply in Denver as Denver residents had a moral obligation to support high density throughout the city in order to prevent urban “sprawl” in the suburbs. That viewpoint was apparently too much even for The Denver Post which in an editorial on the vote argued that “stable neighborhoods shouldn’t be expected to offer themselves as sacrifice zones for the alleged greater good of limiting growth in the far reaches of suburban counties.” It was also pointed out that the destruction of Denver single family neighborhoods by the City Council had done little to slow down growth in suburban counties.
It is expected that Nevitt is going to be hired by Mayor Hancock for a position in the administration regarding real estate development where he can put his development concepts into city policy. Individuals close to Nevitt have indicated that he has not given up the idea that he should be the successor to Hancock as mayor of Denver and he believes that real estate developers will continue to support him in his future political endeavors even though voters rejected him this spring for citywide office.
Fear And Loathing Of Peter Kudla
Residents who fought the project generally had a very low opinion of Metropolitan Homes CEO Peter Kudla who spoke at the City Council meeting, “I do believe in myself as a responsible developer and builder.” That statement drew gasps of disbelief from some members of the audience.
One of the leaders of the neighborhood opposition, Katie McCrimmon, a former reporter for the Rocky Mountain News, said of Kudla, “He is a bully who brought New Jersey ethics and New Jersey brashness to Denver. With the help of well paid lobbyists and lawyers he got everything he wanted from the City Council and the residents got nothing. You cannot in my opinion believe anything he says.” She pointed out that his other projects including one at Lowry and the massive Vallagio at Inverness development have had their share of problems including at least one lawsuit.
Another activist who did not want to be identified for fear of Kudla stated, “He is a vertically challenged thug who likes at times to dress like a gangster. When he walks into a room you feel physically repulsed by him. That is the type of human being the Denver City Council thinks it should entrust to destroy our neighborhoods.”
McCrimmon had a warning for the rest of Denver, “If you have a church in your neighborhood that is in any way distressed beware. There is a developer out there that will buy and change it into a massive apartment project and the city will do nothing but help the developer. The precedent has been set with the Mount Gilead property. Blueprint Denver and zoning laws are now irrelevant in this city.”
Was The Vote Crooked?
Many of the residents believed directly or indirectly the vote was crooked. McCrimmon points that hours after the 2 a.m. vote fences went up around the property. “Those fences had to be pre-ordered and it looks like so was the vote,” asserted McCrimmon.
Some of the residents believe that Susman’s opposition was in name only and that she made it known to other council members that she was in fact in favor of the project. They point to the scheduled March vote which was suddenly delayed under, they believe, the ruse to supposedly “better understand the process and timing” and work out modifications according to an email by Councilwoman Susman.
Neighborhood activist Christine O’Conner emailed Councilwoman Susman, “I trust that you do not believe what you wrote . . . This is another fairy tale you are telling. The developer and ‘team’ know the ‘process’ inside out.” Residents opposing the project also point out that Susman voted in committee to bring the project to the full Council which is unusual if she was, in fact, opposed to the project.
Lisa Pardo, who was on the steering committee for the “Friends of Crestmoor Park,” asserted “the date was quickly moved for a vote in front of a lame duck City Council with no accountability, and although this is undemocratic, she [Susman] did nothing to prevent or protest it. I don’t believe they [Kudla and Metropolitan Homes] would have prevailed otherwise.”
Both council members Brown and Susman vigorously denied to the Chronicle that the vote was rigged to prevent Susman from having to make a highly unpopular vote with her constituents.
Neighborhood groups are apparently seriously considering a lawsuit concerning the vote and the actions of the City and County of Denver regarding Crestmoor Park. As of press time no formal announcement or filing of a complaint had occurred.
Raptors Turn To 7s Rugby Season
by Marco Cummings
Writer for and on behalf of the City of Glendale
Raptors vs Northeast 7’s in the Plate Final during day three of the Serevi RugbyTown 7s at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado. Photo by Seth McConnell
Just as the seasons change from spring to summer, so will the seasons change for the Glendale Raptors.
The team will have had little time to rest on the laurels of their first Pacific Rugby Premiership (PRP) championship, as the focus now shifts to summer and the start of the competitive Rugby 7s season, which will culminate with the Serevi RugbyTown Sevens (SRS) Tournament hosted at Infinity Park Aug. 14-16.
Nevertheless, within the Raptors’ camp, the team’s first PRP championship in two seasons continues to be celebrated within the walls of RugbyTown USA. Capping a season of ups and downs for Glendale, the team successfully avenged last year’s finals loss to San Francisco Golden Gate (SFGG) by bringing home the city’s first title via a 25-11 win on May 16.
“You’ve got to show a lot of grit when it comes down to it,” Raptors captain Zach Fenoglio said. “I really felt that we put our hearts on the line and it led to a PRP championship.”
One of the biggest challenges for the Raptors during the 2015 PRP campaign was injuries. The biggest blow came when USA Eagle Ben Tarr went out with a season-ending knee injury which required surgery for the prop. Additionally, center Armandt Peens dealt with an ankle injury down the stretch, but made a return in the final.
Another major challenge for Glendale was the constant shifting in and out of the lineup by Fenoglio and fellow USA Eagles Chad London and Nick Wallace, who were often away on international duty. Those who stayed behind with the Raptors fared well however, securing a spot in the PRP final and paving the way for the trio’s triumphant return.
“All of the guys with Glendale truly approach everything with a professional attitude,” Fenoglio said. “I give a huge credit to the team getting the job done while we were away.”
A huge help to the cohesiveness of the group was veteran Mose Timoteo. The 38-year-old scrum half was signed from SFGG in the offseason and helped a second club to a PRP championship in as many seasons.
“That’s the great thing about rugby. When you lose a brother, you come into a new environment and gain brothers,” Timoteo explained. “You have guys that you fight with and will fight for you. To win two [PRP finals] is a dream.”
The PRP season offered a chance for veterans like Fenoglio and Timoteo to step up and shine on a regular basis. In the 7s format, young players often have an opportunity to shine and hone their game for the PRP. Last year Cody Melphy proved to be one of the summer’s standouts who later found himself in contention for playing time in the PRP.
“[The 7s format] gives us an opportunity to see new players in different positions, try new combinations, and look at new structures and game plans,” Glendale head coach Andre Snyman explained. “We’ve got local guys like Cody Melphy. He’s always steady, a good young player.”
The Pacific Rugby Premiership provides a structured and traditional 15-a-side format with a strong focus on defense and structure. Rugby 7s proves to be perhaps a more fluid, dynamic and offensively based game.
Last summer Glendale competed in tournaments including the Denver 7s, Heartland 7s and Omaha 7s in their quest to qualify for Club 7s Nationals, but fell just short of the goal. This year, the Raptors will once again look toward a Nationals berth.
Capping the 7s season will be one of the nation’s premier 7s tournaments, the Serevi RugbyTown Sevens hosted at Infinity Park. For the fourth consecutive year, 17 teams from around the world will come to Glendale to compete for a $10,000 winner-take-all purse.
“The SRS tournament continues to grow in stature as we enter the fourth year of the competition,” Raptors director of rugby Mark Bullock said. “There are more international teams competing and the USA military teams have raised the standard of their play.”
In addition to the overall purse and SRS Championship, teams representing each American military branch — the Marines, Navy, Air Force, Army and Coast Guard — will look to compete for both the overall tournament and military championships.
“We would not be fit to call ourselves Marines if our goal was anything less than winning the Armed Forces Championship,” said USMC coach Major Russell “Bubba” Strange.
A high school tournament has also been brought on as a new addition to SRS, with clubs such as Atlantis, Utah Lions, Serevi Selects, Rogue River (Canada), Rocky Mountain Rebels and the Raptors Academy being featured.
“I think this tournament is great. It brings some international players and some great national players together to play against each other and compete,” added Snyman. “[SRS] gives the players an opportunity to compare themselves against the best and show off their skills.”
So no matter what time of year it is, spring or fall, summer or winter, 15s or 7s, it’s always the time of year for rugby in RugbyTown USA.
Conferencing With The Clinton Foundation
by Mark Smiley
The Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation (originally founded in 2001 as the William J. Clinton Foundation) came to Denver in the form of CGI America conference at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel from June 8-10 and the Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle was in attendance. It was the second consecutive CGI America event in Denver with the annual conference moving to Atlanta next June.
This year’s conference in Denver attracted wide national media attention as the Clinton Foundation has come under attack because of a book titled Clinton Cash by conservative author Peter Schweizer whose criticisms have been expanded upon by various liberal media outlets including The New York Times and The Washington Post. The critical press attention clearly had an effect as attendance was reduced from 1,500 attendees in 2014 to 1,000 this year and the number of financial sponsors reduced from 35 to 13. While President Clinton and Chelsea attended this year, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton chose to remain in Washington and work on her presidential campaign.
Enthusiastic Attendees
But the negative media attention concerning the Clinton Foundation did not appear to dim the enthusiasm of those attending this year’s CGI America conference. Very few people from the Cherry Creek Valley were fortunate enough to attend the event as it was restricted to Clinton Foundation members only as well as invited speakers and the press. Membership in the Clinton Foundation is similar to an exclusive country club and by “invitation only,” costing $20,000 annually ($19,000 of which is tax deductible according to the Foundation).
Membership in the Clinton Foundation entitles your organization to one person attending the annual Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) held in New York City every fall. Not just anyone from your organization can attend; you must be a “CEO, chairman or executive director” to be permitted to attend the event in New York. CGI America is one of at least four offshoots of CGI including: CGI Latin America, CGI Middle East and Africa, and CGI University. The CEO restriction was apparently significantly relaxed for the Denver event.
One might ask what an attendee can gain from attending. Gwendolyn Rodriguez of the startup company Venture In Network (VIN), which sets out to increase the success rates of startups, specifically those led by women and minority entrepreneurs, commented: “I would love to leave with part of a team and of course funding is important. I would love to get commitments from people who are passionate about strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
Denver’s Scaled Down Occasion
CGI Middle East and Africa held their event in May at a five star resort, the Palmeraie Palace in Marrakesh, Morocco, which includes a championship 18 hole golf course. The event became controversial when it was learned that government controlled phosphate mining company OPC paid the Clinton Foundation $ 1,000,000 to sponsor the event. OPC has been accused of human rights violations by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice among others.
The CGI America event held in Denver was a much more down home event than that held in Morocco. The big, sponsored event in Denver was simply an “evening of science and STEM trivia” coupled with “beer education” sponsored by CA Technologies.
Prince Of Darkness Holds Court
Denver had to pay approximately $500,000 to the Clinton Foundation to hold the event, which was raised by Steve Farber, a principal in the law firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP. Farber has been called Denver’s “Prince of Darkness” for his behind the scenes manipulations of Denver government. He is considered second only to Oakwood Homes founder Pat Hamill for his control over Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. His firm represented Mayor Hancock in 2011 concerning charges he was a patron of houses of prostitution in Denver, including Denver Players/Denver Sugar. Both Farber and Hamill are important directors of Colorado Concern, an organization of wealthy corporate CEOs who seek to directly influence Colorado politics.
Farber was very much in evidence at the event. His table was front and center and he would stand up to receive visitors dressed to the T in what one attendee called his “Mafia don pinstriped suit.”
Well Run Event
If one thing was abundantly clear it was that the Clinton Foundation knows how to hold a conference with details both large and small attended to with incredible professionalism. If you were not previously aware that the event was being held at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel you would think that the hotel was called the “CGI America.” The signage overlays for the event seemed almost permanent and were ubiquitous.
If you ever looked confused about where you were supposed to go, a friendly volunteer would approach and point you in the right direction. Volunteers were dressed in what one volunteer humorously called their “Jet Blue Flight Attendant uniforms.” They seamlessly directed attendees to empty chairs at the crowded luncheons. The media room was sumptuously laid out for the always ravenous press.
Television Interviews
One of the highlights of the conference were the television interviews of former President Bill Clinton by CNN and Bloomberg News on the last day of the event. The CNN interview was for the kickoff of Jake Tapper taking over from Candy Crowley on CNN’s Sunday “State of the Union” show. The print media were escorted to the interview room and given a handout declaring that there was a “news embargo” on the interview and that no one could report on what was said until after airing of interview on Sunday. That proscription was roundly ignored by various members of the press.
The problem for the press was that the interview by Tapper was bland and verging on embarrassing for Tapper. There were no tough questions and no interesting information was obtained in the 20 minute interview. Prior to the taping Tapper gushed over the former President telling him how great he looked and informing him that he didn’t look a day older since he last met him over five years ago. One member of the print media whispered — “Is he planning to ask him out to a prom?”
Immediately after the CNN interview former President Clinton went next door for a live television interview with Betty Liu who was clearly somewhat in awe, but at least was more professional and obtained some interesting information, including that Clinton would probably not do paid speeches for the time his wife was President. “No, I don’t think so…because once you get to be president, then you are just making the daily story,” said Clinton. “I will still give speeches, if I’m asked to do so,” without accepting honoraria for them.”
Clinton went on to say that he believed the Republicans would choose for their candidate whomever they thought was most electable as they always seemed to do. While Ms. Liu would not get an Edward R. Murrow award for courage in journalism for her interview she clearly had a great deal more gumption than a somewhat timid Jake Tapper.
The Clinton Foundation made sure that both television interviews had audiences of Clinton admirers exclusively and who laughed and applauded on cue. If it is charged that the Clintons know how to manipulate the press to their advantage, it was on clear display at CGI America 2015.
Commitments To Action
The stated purpose of CGI America is to bring together leaders from the business, philanthropic, NGO and government sectors to come up with Commitments to Action which are to be “new, specific and measurable” to help the poorest and most vulnerable in America. The fact that CGI does not provide any money whatsoever for the poor and vulnerable but spends all of its money on administrative costs and holding conferences like CGI America Denver has brought CGI under extensive criticism. CGI in turn states that it is not its job to provide money or grants but obtain Commitments for Action from others that come to its conferences.
During the festivities former President Clinton or Chelsea would announce new Commitments to Action, some of which were arranged prior to the conference and some formulated at the conference. He or she would bring on stage the participants in a Commitment for Action for recognition and a photograph with the former president or his daughter. In the June 10 press release from the Clinton Global Initiative Press Office it asserted that CGI America 2015 had resulted in 79 new Commitments to Action which would cause to happen among other things:
- Nearly 210,000 jobs being created or filled
- More than 126,000 girls and women to be positively impacted
- More than $11.3 million of new capital invested or loaned to small and medium-sized enterprises
- More than 111,000 students will gain access to STEM education opportunities
- More than 1.2 million people will receive access to training programs
Former President Clinton personally added that because of the efforts at CGI America 2015, “more than 1.6 million people will be better off.” Some critics denigrated the press release and the President’s remark pointing out that CGI America’s jobs claim alone would constitute approximately 10 percent of all new jobs likely to be created in the United States this year. Other critics noted that the Clinton Foundation had basically made the Clintons extraordinarily financially wealthy while claiming to help the poor, and wondered whether at least some of the participants in the Commitments to Action were going to try, in fact, to emulate the Clinton family model.
But some participants scoffed at the criticisms. Gwendolyn Rodriguez from VIN, who was referenced earlier, found the conference particularly beneficial and was able to obtain commitments and partnerships from high profile attendees. “I learned a lot about the work going on to make our nation greater from the people who lead those efforts,” said Rodriguez. “Together we discussed the challenges and opportunities that exist and what we are going to do about it. I checked off a lot more than the list I came in with, so the conference was worth it for me and I will be excited to do it again next year.”
