The Home Front: Council member in Colorado: Elected officials behaved in a way that would ’embarrass a teenager’

“Weld County Council Chairman Brett Abernathy had a point to prove Monday night at the county council’s regular meeting,” reports The Greeley Tribune. “It went something like this: The council-approved audit of Weld County commissioners and the Weld County Clerk and Recorder’s office was thorough, transparent and unbiased. It started with a statement on the night the council was prepared to present audit results. Although elected officials during the course of the audit had, at times, behaved in a way that would ’embarrass a teenager,’ Abernathy said it was time to put aside petty differences and work together to make Weld government work.”

“U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter has found the ‘fire in the belly’ again — or at least the desire to remain a member of Congress,” reports The Denver Post. “The Arvada Democrat on Monday said he would run for a seventh term in Colorado’s 7th Congressional District, a declaration that comes five short weeks after Perlmutter dropped out of Colorado’s crowded race for governor and said he was done with politics. ‘Over the last few weeks, a lot has happened, both for me and in the world. I’ve taken some time to regroup and recharge, and in so doing, I’ve had many meaningful conversations with friends, neighbors, supporters and family who have encouraged me to run again,’ said Perlmutter in a statement. ‘And I’ve come to the conclusion to run again for re-election.'”

“Even as the search for a new Rifle city manager continues, the position of assistant city manager will soon be vacant,” reports The Glenwood Springs Post-Independent. “Current interim City Manager Kimberly Bullen officially announced her resignation to City Council last week. She will become the Colorado northwest regional manager for the state Department of Local Affairs. “It’s been an absolute privilege working for the city of Rifle, working for City Council, and working with city staff,” Bullen said Wednesday. ‘This is a great organization and a great community.'”

“You don’t need to look any further than the numbers,” reports The Loveland Reporter-Herald. “They effectively tell the story of Loveland’s boys soccer program in recent years. The Indians have limped through the past four seasons, amassing just 12 wins in 60 games, including only five in the past two seasons with a conference record of 1-20-1. Loveland hasn’t posted a winning record since 2012, its only postseason appearance since 2009. Competing in the Front Range League, one of the deepest conferences in soccer the state has to offer, hasn’t made the Indians’ plight any easier. This season will see the third coach in the past four years at Loveland and with him just maybe a glimmer of hope at a step in the right direction.”

“The most significant challenge a new Fort Collins Police Services chief will face is maximizing transparency, according to city of Fort Collins survey results,” reports The Coloradoan in Fort Collins. “Of the 723 people who responded to a citywide survey about recruitment of a new police chief that closed last week, 63.6 percent — 432 residents (of 679 who answered the question) — listed transparency as one of the five most significant challenges for a new chief. The answer choice listed transparency of promoting good work and admitting mistakes.”

“Neo-Nazi rallies, a presidential faux pas and Confederate statues mixed with domestic and foreign terrorism to stun the nation last week,” reports The Steamboat Pilot in a piece pushed from the front page by eclipse news. “So it’s no wonder close to 200 people turned out Thursday night to discuss “Hope and Fear in America” with a group of spiritual leaders at the Bud Werner Memorial Library in Steamboat Springs. Moderators asked the panel and audience to describe the consequences of the fear that is surfacing in society. Their answers were first troubling but eventually turned to advice on how to manage fear and replace it with love and hope through rational communication.”

“Erie is poised to act on fracking regulation in a way that the Colorado legislature has not,” reports The Longmont Times-Call. “The Board of Trustees will hold a public hearing Tuesday night for an ordinance requiring oil and gas operators to map their pipelines throughout the town after similar legislation fell along party lines at the state Capitol earlier this year. The proposal marks the latest in Erie’s expanding campaign to retake some semblance of what fracking opponents argue is the industry’s clasp over local control.”

“Early campaign finance reports show a wide range of fundraising activity for the 11 certified Boulder City Council candidates,” reports The Boulder Daily Camera. “Three candidates — Sam Weaver, Jill Adler Grano and Eric Budd — have each raised more than $5,000 through reports made available Monday afternoon. On the other end of the spectrum, to this point, is candidate Ed Byrne, whose tally stands at $68. Every other candidate has reported somewhere between $1,576 and $3,828 in contributions.”

“Plans to renovate the former St. Scholastica into affordable housing units are expected to move forward within the next few weeks,” reports The Cañon City Daily Record. “The Cañon City Council on Monday approved first reading of an ordinance that would allow a portion of the property to be rezoned, allowing for a total of 82 units. “We are proceeding with closing and hope to start construction shortly,” said Steve Savage, the project’s coordinator, after the meeting. He said construction should begin on the project in two to three weeks.”

“A marijuana industry group recently reported the sensational headline that Colorado had taken in a half-billion dollars in pot taxes since recreational stores opened in January 2013,” reports The Gazette in Colorado Springs. “But the windfall hasn’t been what some voters anticipated – perhaps because it is spread across so many recipients. The money has gone to schools as promised but also this year to help balance the state budget by offsetting a separate tax break for businesses, to help fund multiple state agencies and departments, including money for public safety, law enforcement and the judiciary. Also new, a program to help the homeless with housing. Colorado cities and towns that approved legal sales have passed their own sales taxes to be collected on top of state taxes. Municipal spending of pot funds is often highly visible – streets repaired, new fire trucks, local students receiving scholarships, downtowns spruced up.”