Twenty Years Ago This Week: Former U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez had only just been named to lead the Republican Party’s effort to bring the Republican National Convention to Denver in 2016 when his name was suddenly dropped due to a potential gubernatorial bid.
Two weeks earlier, Colorado GOP Chairman Ryan Call had invited 70 business, civic and political leaders — including then Gov. John Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock — to the Brown Palace Hotel to garner support for the city’s bid to host the next party convention.
“I am excited, thoroughly jazzed about this whole thing,” Beauprez told The Colorado Statesman at the Brown Palace. “We’re always looking for ways to show the world what a great city Denver is, and what a beautiful state we have.”
But when asked for clarification on rumors that he was already trying to find someone else to take his place to chair Denver’s RNC bid, he replied, “…100% of my focus and I’m committed to the bid. I have the intention to stay.”
Beauprez did acknowledge that it would place him and others in an awkward position if he simultaneously was leading Denver’s bipartisan effort to lure the RNC into town while campaigning for governor.
When asked bluntly whether he would be running for governor, Beauprez would not confirm or deny when asked flat out whether he’d run.
“We’ll see,” Beauprez hedged. “I’ll admit I’m curious, but have not made a decision.”
As for the rumor that he would announce his gubernatorial candidacy the following week, Beauprez said he’d be at his ranch in northwest Colorado, tending to his buffalo herd.
In other news, Russell Weisfield brought suit against the City of Arvada, alleging that the council’s four rounds of secret voting to elect Rachel Zenzinger’s successor had violated state law. Weisfield’s suit referenced a 2012 law which required that a public body must record the outcome of the vote for leadership in its minutes.
Councilmember Rachel Zenzinger had stepped down the previous December. She made the decision after being elected by vacancy committee to fill the the state senate seat opened when Sen. Evie Hudak, D-Westminster, resigned in response to a recall effort.
After four rounds of voting, Jerry Marks, was the final candidate out of five selected by the Arvada Council. On the fifth ballot, the council voted unanimously by a non-secret ballot to approve the motion, but their earlier votes were not recorded.
“I had a lot of respect for Rachel Zenzinger when she sat on council there,” said Weisfield. “I wanted to make sure that whoever filled the position was vetted in the best way possible. What was done was not that. There were a lot of issues that raised questions of transparency and openness.”
Weisfield further advocated for amending the city charter to request a special election when filling future vacancies on the council.
“We have the money to run our representative government efficiently, or at least properly,” Weisfield said. “There’s always money to make sure that our government upholds the ideals of representative democracy.”
Mayor Marc Williams and fellow council members declined to comment on the lawsuit, but City Attorney Marc Daly said that the city had complied with all laws, including providing 24-hour notice of the meeting.
But Dave Chandler, a community activist and member of Citizens for a Better Arvada, agreed with Weisfield and said he was suspicious of the way the Marks was elected.
“It was a very ‘good ol’ boyish’ kind of meeting, which is only going to be exaggerated now,” Chandler said of the all-male council. “There was very little discussion about ‘would this be what the voters in District 1 want.’”
Marks addressed the controversy by pointing out that he was a native of Arvada and had lived in his current house for over 22 years.
“I know a fair amount of the issues and what goes on in this community from the economic development board to the Arvada chamber… I’m just as qualified and capable as anyone else,” Marks said.
Rachael Wright is the author of the Captain Savva Mystery series, with degrees in Political Science and History from Colorado Mesa University, and is a contributing writer to Colorado Politics and The Gazette.
