John Orr: Denver May 2005 Election

Public Comments on new Denver Justice Center

Tue, 23 Aug 2005 03:42:24 GMT

The public has a chance to comment on the new Denver Justice Center Wednesday night from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in the Webb Municipal Building, 201 West Colfax Avenue, according to The Cherry Creek News. Category: Denver May 2005 Election

Justice Center

Fri, 03 Jun 2005 12:11:30 GMT

Here's an article about fundraising and other issues around the new justice center from the Rocky Mountain News [June 3, 2005, "Justice center blitz set record"]. From the article, "Backers of Denver's justice center raised a record $685,000 in campaign contributions to win voter support last month, according to post-election campaign finance reports filed Thursday. Justice center opponents raised $1,265 during their campaign and collected in-kind contributions worth $76,000...Since the election, justice center opponents have filed two complaints with the Denver Election Commission. Denver Voters for Responsible Spending, a coalition of civil rights and government watchdog groups, is seeking an investigation into the amount of city resources that may have been 'inappropriately' spent to persuade voters to approve the project. Opponents are also seeking an investigation into a separate campaign committee they say proponents formed to promote the jail, but failed to disclose." Category: Denver May 2005 Election

Justice Center Vote Cooked?

Sun, 29 May 2005 14:25:05 GMT

Here's an article from the Denver Post about the Denver Election Commission and the justice center vote [May 29, 2005, "Election panel reforms sought"]. From the article, "New questions about the panel arose this month with a federal lawsuit filed by a longtime city election staffer. Fred Sandoval alleges that election commissioner Wayne Vaden called for his firing after Sandoval said the city intentionally limited turnout by changing balloting methods for the May 3 election that approved a $378 million justice center." Category: Denver May 2005 Election

Voting Irregularities?

Fri, 20 May 2005 12:23:21 GMT

Here's a short article from the Rocky Mountain News about Denver's handling of the justice center vote [May 20, 2005, "Charges fly on jail vote"]. From the article, "In the meantime, six more elections workers called Mayor John Hickenlooper's office to complain about the way the election was handled. In his suit, (Fred) Sandoval alleged that the Denver County clerk tried to hold down turnout in the May 3 election by not allowing a mail ballot and by limiting voter registration sites. But the director of the commission vigorously disputed that claim." Category: Denver May 2005 Election

Robb on the Justice Center Vote

Wed, 11 May 2005 03:29:05 GMT

Councilwoman Jeanne Robb (District 10) summarizes the results from last week's election in a story from today's Cherry Creek News. This is way cool. I first saw the article in my news aggregator. I like the idea of a neighborhood newspaper. Category: Denver May 2005 Election

Justice Center

Thu, 05 May 2005 12:00:44 GMT

Here's an article, for you numbers junkies, from the Rocky Mountain News analyzing the vote for the justice center [May 5, 2005, "Three M's carried day for new center"]. From the article, "The strongest support for the planned $378 million justice center came in Denver's more affluent neighborhoods, according to detailed election results." Category: Denver May 2005 Election

Justice Center

Wed, 04 May 2005 11:58:27 GMT

Election news from the Rocky Mountain News [May 4, 2005, "City voters say OK to justice complex"]. From the article, "Hickenlooper thanked a broad canvas of politicians, political operatives, neighborhood leaders and law officers for the victory during a speech Tuesday night. But there was little doubt that one of the major winners was the mayor himself. He had taken a perennially unpopular issue - jail building - and won by a large margin." Here's the coverage from the Denver Post [May 4, 2005, "Justice center prevails"]. From the article, "Hickenlooper's campaign was well-funded and had the backing of the neighborhood where the jail will be built. The proposal also garnered support from the Denver school board, the City Council and most of the state legislators representing Denver. City officials intend to issue $378 million in bonds for the justice center as older debts are paid off. As a result, Denver taxpayers would see no increase in their net property-tax bill." Voter turnout was pegged at 23 percent of active voters in Denver cast ballots (58,604 of 250,389 active voters in Denver). The justice center vote was also a referendum on Mayor Hickenlooper's popularity, according to the Rocky [May 4, 2005, "Big win for jail plan a victory for mayor, too"]. They write, "Perhaps the biggest winner in Tuesday's election wasn't even on the ballot: Mayor John Hickenlooper. The first-term mayor prevailed where his veteran predecessor had not." The Denver Post lines out what will be done next [May 4, 2005, "Design phase next, with rehab study"]. They write, "The city's preliminary schedule for the rest of the year calls for selling bonds to finance the project, selecting a design for the complex through a competitive process, soliciting community input and preparing for construction of an adjacent parking garage. If construction schedules hold, the city will open the complex's parking garage in late 2006, open its jail and courts in 2009 and complete renovations at the Smith Road jail by 2011. Meanwhile, a newly seated Crime Control and Prevention Commission will study diversionary programs and alternatives to incarceration, with the aim of recommending the best programs for Denver to use." More praise for the mayor from the Denver Post [May 4, 2005, "Mayor tapped his popularity to put new jail in the bag"]. They write, "By most accounts, it was the mayor's consensus-building skills and popularity that soundly snagged Denver a new jail and courthouse on West Colfax Avenue." The Denver Post editorial staff weighs in on the jail vote [May 4, 2005, "Green light for Denver jail"]. Here's a short article about Referred Question 1B from the Rocky Mountain News [May 4, 2005, "Proposal to merge fire departments gets go-ahead by ratio of 3-1"]. From the article, "Most of Glendale's firefighters will now join Denver's ranks as first-grade firefighters, earning the top pay of nearly $60,000 annually. That reflects a $20,000 bump in pay for nearly all of Glendale's firefighters. A no vote on Question 1B would have left Glendale firefighters, currently in training at the Denver fire academy, without a job." Here's the coverage of Referred Question 1B from the Denver Post [May 4, 2005, "Firefighters in Denver, Glendale hail merger"]. Category: Denver May 2005 Election

Election Results

Wed, 04 May 2005 02:07:16 GMT

Here are the election results from DenverGov. As of 8:05, with 0 precincts reporting, Referred Question 1A (justice center) was winning 56% to 44%. Referred Question 1B (Glendale fire department) was winning 75% to 25%. Update: 9:08 - Referred Question 1A is winning 56% to 44%. Congratulations boss, I know you feel good tonight. Referred Question 1B is winning 73% to 27%. Update: North Denver News: "Hickenlooper's incarceration initiative succeeds." Category: Denver May 2005 Election

Gulchies

Tue, 03 May 2005 12:09:23 GMT

Vote today, you crazy kids! Here's the link to Coyote Gulch's coverage of Tuesday's General Municipal Election. Additional links and coverage from Fail the Jail, and Safe Denver.com, DenverGov and the Denver Public Library. You can find the address for your polling place at DenverMaps or download a .pdf of locations from the Election commission. The winner of the Gulchie Award for the Referred Question 1A election is Fali the Jail.org. The vastly underfunded movement to stop the new justice center won over Safe Denver.com. Fail the Jail kept their content more current and provided an email list. Their website sought to inform while the Safe Denver website seemed to only be there to recruit supporters and collect donations. Fail the Jail provided the ballot language and links to informal polls on the issue. Safe Denver posted links to all three commercials. Fail the Jail did not have enough dough to run commercials in the first place so the two sites could not be compared on this issue. Fail the Jail did put up video from a community rally. The video provided by both sides was in QuickTime format showing an inclusive attitude for all desktop computer users. Both websites were well organized with easy to follow navigation. Neither campaign used a weblog in the election. Coyote Gulch thinks that this was a huge mistake. What better way to get the word out without having to depend on the Rocky and the Post? Safe Denver was the more attractive site adding to the well funded image. Coyote Gulch failed to find an online presence for Referred Question 1B so there is no Gulchie in that election. Category: Denver May 2005 Election

Justice Center

Mon, 02 May 2005 11:23:09 GMT

Here's the link to Coyote Gulch's coverage of Tuesday's General Municipal Election. Additional links and coverage from Fail the Jail, and Safe Denver.com, DenverGov and the Denver Public Library. You can find the address for your polling place at DenverMaps or download a .pdf of locations from the Election commission. Opponents of the new justice center are questioning the construction schedule, according to the Denver Post [May 2, 2005, "If OK'd, jail still years away"]. From the article, "Construction of the justice center is scheduled for completion in 2009. That will allow the city to shift inmates awaiting trial from the Smith Road jail to the new jail downtown. In turn, sentenced inmates could be moved from the older, obsolete portions of the Smith Road jail to newer areas. After opening the justice center, the city would embark on a renovation of the Smith Road jail. Those plans call for razing old buildings containing 464 jail beds and replacing them with modernized facilities with 384 beds. Thus, the Smith Road renovation would amount to a net reduction of 80 beds, but it would add safer, more humane facilities." The Rocky Mountain News editorial staff is urging voters to approve the new Justice Center [May 2, 2005, "Vote 'yes' on Denver's justice center"]. From the editorial, "Public safety is central to the role of government, yet Denver's Smith Road jail is overcrowded, unsafe, inhumane and expensive to operate. Planning for a facility adequate to meet the city's needs for decades is prudent and responsible. Denver is what it is today, in large measure, because planners in the past took a similarly long view about what it should become." Colorado Pols: "Some politicos watching the jail campaign in Denver think that Republicans are behind some of the anti-jail efforts as a means of damaging Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's mystique. We've mentioned this before, and when you look at some of the new anti-jail mail being sent out, that theory makes a lot more sense." Category: Denver May 2005 Election

Justice Center

Sun, 01 May 2005 12:11:25 GMT

The Denver Post lays out the major issues around a new Justice Center today [May 1, 2005, "Voters weigh pros and cons of proposed justice center"]. From the article, "Voters will decide the issue Tuesday after a campaign that pitted Mayor John Hickenlooper and most of the city's leaders against those who have argued that less expensive solutions should be explored first." Here's an article from the Denver Post about Referred Question 1B [May 1, 2005, "Glendale firefighters' fate rests on Tuesday's 1B vote"]. From the article, "Glendale, an enclave of Denver that covers a half-mile square, can no longer afford its own fire department. Denver, in turn, would be allowed to use Glendale's centrally located fire headquarters for a $1-a-year lease and scrap plans to build a new firehouse to serve strips of neighborhoods around Glendale. In addition, Glendale would be under the umbrella of a more formidable firefighting force, proponents say. And Denver would avoid providing free backup to Glendale's firefighters, which it has done in the past on major fires such as the fatal blaze at the Spanish Gate apartments in December 2003." Here's the link to Coyote Gulch's coverage of Tuesday's General Municipal Election. Additional links and coverage from Fail the Jail, and Safe Denver.com, DenverGov and the Denver Public Library. You can find the address for your polling place at DenverMaps or download a .pdf of locations from the Election commission. The Denver Post editorial staff is urging voters to approve Referred Question 1A on Tuesday [May 1, 2005, "Vote "yes" on new Denver jail"]. They write, "So, city residents should vote 'yes' on Referendum 1A. And while you're at it, vote 'yes' on Referendum 1B to merge the Glendale and Denver fire departments, saving money for citizens of both cities." A little more background can be found in this article from the Rocky Mountain News [April 30, 2005, "Jail's fate in voters' hands"]. Category: Denver May 2005 Election

Justice Center

Sat, 30 Apr 2005 12:27:35 GMT

Light blogging today ... commitments and mischief. Here's the link to Coyote Gulch's coverage of Tuesday's General Municipal Election. Additional links and coverage from Fail the Jail, and Safe Denver.com, DenverGov and the Denver Public Library. Coyote Gulch loves librarians.

Justice Center

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 11:16:51 GMT

This is the last day for early voting. Both sides in the election for the new Justice Center are predicting victory, according to the Rocky Mountain News [April 29, 2005, "Jail fight down to the wire"]. From the article, "The tax question has been around for months, but in the closing days of the campaign it has been the 900-pound gorilla threatening to crowd out other issues. This is how the proponents have it gauged: Although the center will cost $378 million, a sum that will be paid by property taxes, no homeowner will have a tax hike solely because of center construction." Supporters of the new Justice Center have had plenty of dough to spend to get Referred Question 1A passed, according to the Denver Post [April 29, 2005, "Stream of contributions floods justice-center push"]. Colorado Pols: "It sounds like Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and his staff are going to be sweating out the next couple of days. Internal polls show that while the new Denver jail/justice center should pass on Tuesday, it's going to be very, very close." Here's the link to Safe Denver.com and the link to Fail the Jail.org Category: Denver May 2005 Election

Justice Center

Thu, 28 Apr 2005 11:24:37 GMT

Coyote Gulch received email today asking if I would link to the Fail the Jail website. I've had the link up on my category page for a few days now. I confess that I probably missed the kick-off of the website. So much to read... So the answer is, "Of course, Christine, I will link to Fail the Jail just as I have to SafeDenver.com." Coyote Gulch attempts objectivity in his election coverage. Please stop laughing now. Opponents of the new Justice Center feel that unused space in current city buildings could be utilized more efficiently obviating the need for the new constructruction at the proposed location, according to the Denver Post [April 28, 2005, "Courthouse a waste of space?"]. From the article, "But two city-owned buildings - the Denver Permit Center and the Wellington Webb building - have at least 85,000 square feet of vacant space, according to city records. The Rocky Mountain News building, purchased by the city for $16 million, is 140,000 square feet." Westword has a short interview with John Simonet about the new Justice Center today. They write, "As the fight over Referendum 1A heats up, Off Limits turned to a cooler, calmer head -- that of former manager of safety John Simonet , who ran the Denver County Jail for two decades -- for his take on the new Justice Center proposal." Locations for early voting. Category: Denver May 2005 Election

Justice Center

Wed, 27 Apr 2005 01:54:23 GMT

MakesMeRalph: "Salazar is coming out for the pro-Denver jail side. Now all of us against the PATRIOT act have something to look forward to when Denver cops finish using nightsticks on us."

Justice Center and Gulchies

Tue, 26 Apr 2005 12:52:53 GMT

Still undecided about the new Justice Center? Here's some background from the Denver Post [April 26, 2005, "Sides doing the hard sell on jail vote"]. From the article, "ease crowding in the city's jail without raising taxpayers' net burden. Opponents say taxpayers would rather pay for other pressing needs, such as schools. The opposition campaign, Citizens for Responsible Spending, stoked the issue last week in a press conference decrying the jail expansion amid job cuts and school closures by Denver Public Schools. A press release publicizing the event chastised the city's 'upside-down priorities' of funding a new jail but closing schools." Coyote Gulch will announce the winner(s) of the Gulchies for the May election next Tuesday. Category: Denver May 2005 Election

Denver Justice Center Seeks and Finds Solution - Urban Land Institute

Tue, 26 Apr 2005 00:20:11 GMT

Here's an article in support of the new Justice Center from the Urban Land Institute. They write, "The acquisition of the RMN (Rocky Mountain News) site led the new mayor, John Hickenlooper, to seek an independent review of the two proposed solutions."

Justice Center

Mon, 25 Apr 2005 12:03:01 GMT

Supporters of the new Justice Center rallied at the state capital yesterday, according to the Rocky Mountain News [April 25, 2005, "Salazar backs justice center"]. From the article, "Construction of the Justice Center would be paid for from funds that are freed up as existing bonds on other projects are repaid, meaning that a property owner will detect no increase in his current tax rate. Opponents say the city is trying to disguise a tax increase. Hickenlooper said the proposal will not increase taxes and argued that it would save people money to have a justice center downtown instead of having to spend time and money traveling to the jail on Smith Road. He said the Justice Center also will provide better safety for officials, police and the public. 'If you don't do something, we will have a serious incident,' Hickenlooper said." Here's the coverage from the Denver Post [April 25, 2005, "Salazar joins new-jail posse"]. Category: Denver May 2005 Election

Justice Center

Sun, 24 Apr 2005 12:35:50 GMT

Coyote Gulch took advantage of early voting to cast his ballot yesterday. Now I won't have to fight the crowds on May 3rd. Here's an article from the Denver Post with a good deal of detail about the jail population [April 24, 2005, "Tough crowd crams jail"]. They also list the early voting locations. More background about the new Justice Center from the Denver Post [April 24, 2005, "To jail or not to jail"]. From the article, "For the second time in less than four years, Denver voters are being asked to approve a new jail and criminal justice center. The old jail's many problems haven't evaporated since voters in November 2001 rejected a plan for a $325 million justice center near Interstate 25 and West Sixth Avenue. Now, Referendum 1A proposes to cure those problems with a $378 million jail and justice center downtown. The election is May 3; early voting has started and runs through Friday." Mayor Hickenlooper takes up the argument in favor of the new Justice Center in today's Denver Post [April 24, 2005, "YES: It's a necessity"]. Meanwhile Rosella Gonzales and Phil Cherner urge voters to reject it [April 24, 2005, "NO: It's too much"]. More background from the Coyote Gulch archives.

Justice Center

Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:56:44 GMT

Early voting starts today for the May 3rd election, according to the Rocky Mountain News [April 23, 2005, "Early-voting sites open doors today"]. Here's the list of sites: Civil Service Commission, 1570 Grove St; St. Andrew's United Presbyterian Church, 3096 S. Sheridan Blvd; Southwest Improvement Council, 1000 S. Lowell Blvd; Big Bear Ice Arena, 8580 Lowry Blvd; District 3 Police Station, 1625 S. University Blvd; Porter Place, 1001 E. Yale Ave; Former District 2 Police Station, 3555 Colorado Blvd; Pecos Community Center, 3555 Pecos St; Corona Presbyterian Church, 1205 E. Eighth Ave; Montbello Recreation Center, 15555 E. 53rd; Play it Again Sports, 2200 S. Monaco Parkway. How will the election play out. Here's some background from the Rocky Mountain News [April 23, 2005, "Shoe leather for new jail"]. From the article, "In west Denver, residents opposing the plan walk the neighborhood with hand-made 'No Vote on 1A' signs strapped on their backs. In Five Points, community activists such as the Rev. Elaine Smith are knocking on doors and walking the streets to persuade voters in the predominantly black neighborhood to reject the justice center." The Denver Post is urging voters to pass Referred Question 1B on the May 3rd ballot [April 23, 2005, "Merge fire districts for Denver, Glendale"]. They write, "Denver voters can save millions of dollars for their city and neighboring Glendale by approving Referred Question 1B on the May 3 ballot. The measure would blend the two cities' fire departments to provide better service at less cost. Glendale has already approved the merger. If Denver voters follow suit, Glendale will pay Denver $1 million for 2005 and another $1.8 million annually for the next six years to provide fire service. Denver taxpayers also will save the cost of building a new firehouse in the area because the city will use the existing Glendale facility." Category: Denver May 2005 Election

Denver Justice Center

Thu, 21 Apr 2005 12:07:33 GMT

Colorado Luis: "I'm always a bit uncomfortable about voting for something that helps promote locking people up, but I've been stumped on alternatives to the current penal system. I do think it is important for Denver not to house inmates under inhumane conditions such as those existing at the current Smith Road jail facility. So Hickenlooper and the Yes on 1A people have got my vote on this one." Category: Denver May 2005 Election

General Municipal Election

Wed, 20 Apr 2005 12:08:40 GMT

5280 Weblog: "Early voting begins Saturday on Denver's new jail proposal." Here's the link to the Election Commission's voting information (including early voting sites) and a sample ballot. Category: Denver May 2005 Election

Denver May 2005 Election

Tue, 19 Apr 2005 13:17:10 GMT

Vincent Carroll weighs in on John Hickenlooper and the Justice Center in his column in today's Rocky Mountain News [April 19, 2005, "No time to bask in Time glow"]. He writes, "Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper deserves a lot of the nice things Time magazine said about him in an article naming him one of America's top five big-city mayors. But the magazine didn't happen to mention what will be one of the most significant legacies of the Hickenlooper administration, if the mayor can pull it off: gaining voters' approval for a new justice center downtown."

Denver Justice Center

Fri, 15 Apr 2005 12:13:19 GMT

Supporters of the new Denver Justice Center have added two new ads this week, according to the Denver Post [April 15, 2005, "Denver pro-jail group unveils 2 new TV ads"]. From the article, "The campaign by Citizens for a Safe Denver launched its second and third commercials - both featuring Mayor John Hickenlooper - on local television stations and some cable channels." The ads are not up on the SafeDenver website yet. In other jail news the prisoner population out on Havana is at it's highest level ever, according to the Rocky Mountain News [April 15, 2005, "Jail count a record, city says"]. From the article, "The inmate population at Denver's Smith Road jail hit an all-time high this week, and officials were preparing to release some prisoners earlier than expected to ease crowding, city officials said Thursday. Soon after an e-mail announcing the record inmate population went out to reporters, opponents of a proposed $378 million jail and courthouse project cried foul." I'll bet.

Justice Center Poll

Wed, 13 Apr 2005 23:34:26 GMT

Councilwoman Marcia Johnson's office is conducting an online poll to gauge support for the new Denver Justice Center. The link was included in the latest newsletter. I can't remember if this is the first poll they've done so I asked Lynn Pressnall in email. Haven't heard back. I'll let you know. The app returns a nifty purple and gold pie chart. Wow! Coyote Gulch got a link from the Denver Public Library today. That's on top of the link from the Council District 5 page on DenverGov. Thanks. Category: Denver May 2005 Election