Paul Lopez is scrambling to ensure that he meets the residency requirements for his runoff election with Joann Phillips, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "[Former City Councilman Richard 'Rick' Taylor] and others questioned whether Lopez has lived in the district recently. Public documents connect Lopez to at least three addresses in the past year. Asked last month to clarify his residency, Lopez said he had lived in his family home his whole life. Presented with an August 2006 traffic ticket that listed his address on Lowell Boulevard outside of District 3, Lopez said he lived at the apartment to be closer to the University of Colorado at Denver. He said he still considered the family home his primary residence. Lopez said he moved out of the apartment in February 2006 - although his lease didn't expire until August - and had not renewed his vehicle registration at the time he was ticketed. On March 25, 2006, Lopez reported a burglary at the apartment to police. He said Monday that his sister was living there at the time. Last September, he changed his voter registration with the election commission back to the address of his family home. Records also connect Lopez to an apartment outside the district on West 38th Avenue. He said Monday his new wife and brother-in-law lived in the apartment, but he had 'paid a couple bills there.' The relevance of where Lopez lived while maintaining a permanent address in the district is a matter for debate, as Denver's city charter does not define the term 'residency.' Assistant City Attorney David Broadwell said the matter could only be disputed in court with an official election challenge. Lopez's campaign manager, Gia Irlando, said the election commission asked for more proof of residency as recently as last week. The campaign supplied 14 pages of bills, college financial statements and IRS statements with the District 3 address. Election commission spokesman Alton Dillard said Lopez's residence was first checked against information on hand prior to May 1."
Denver Politics: "In Council District 3, second-place finisher JoAnne Phillips trails frontrunner Paul Lopez by 30 points. Her prospects seem even worse in light of the fact that she didn't challenge him in a single neighborhood."
Category: Denver May 2007 Election
6:19:44 AM 
|
|
