July 17, 2014 VOLU M E 9 0 | I S S UE 48
LakewoodSentinel.com A publication of
J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
Marijuana to hit the ballot in November 7-4 council vote puts fate in hands of voters By Clarke Reader
creader@coloradocommunitymedia.com
County Clerk Hillary Hall’s issuing of same-sex marriage licenses. Hall had been issuing licenses to gay couples since the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals judge ruled late last month that Utah could not prevent gay couples from getting married there. The court for the 10th Circuit, which includes Colorado, stayed its ruling until the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in. Suthers, a Republican who is against gay marriage, filed a restraining order against Hall to stop her from issuing “invalid” marriage licenses. The Attorney General’s Office argued that Hall was exceeding her authority and was violating her
In a contentious vote on July 14, Lakewood city council decided 7-4 to approve putting the allowance of retail marijuana in the city on the ballot in November. The no votes were Pete Roybal, Ramey Johnson, Dave Wiechman and Karen Harrison. Council also unanimously voted to ban marijuana manufacturing, testing and growing sites, as well as hash oil manufacturing sites and marijuana clubs. The vote followed nearly four hours of public comment and council debate on the topic, one that has been a hot-button issue in the city since Amendment 64 was passed. “I’ve always had great faith in voters of this city, and I think it’s reasonable to ask the clarifying question,” said Mayor Bob Murphy before the final vote. “ I cannot be presumptive enough in my own mind to say that I know what was in the mind of voters when they approved Amendment 64. All we’re doing is asking them, and that’s democracy.” Council had three options moving forward on the issue of allowing marijuana business in the city. They could legislatively decide to permit any of the four areas, legislatively decide to ban all of them or ban them but put it to the voters to be approved. The bulk of the speakers on hand were in favor of city council banning all four areas outright, for a variety of reasons from increased access that children and youth will have to how it would affect the city’s image. “I want to voice the strongest possible opposition to any kind of marijuana in the city. Being a marijuana city tarnishes the reputation of Lakewood and will discourage economic development,” said Bill Armstrong, president of Colorado Christian University (CCU). Numerous staff members and students at the university spoke against the measure during public comment. Ron Castagna, former principal of Lakewood High School said the issue is very important to all Jeffco educators and added that it would be a tragedy to see retail shops pop up all over the city. Business people in the city and health officials from Jefferson County Public Health to the Colorado Tobacco Education and Prevention Alliance spoke about the ill effects of marijuana use and unintended consequences of allowing retail shops in the city. “There are alternate paths here and we don’t want to follow Denver’s commercialization path. Denver opened the floodgates and can’t control it” said Gina Carbone, with Smart Colorado. “There are big differences between decriminalization, legalization and commercialization but the beauty of 64 is it allows each community to pick which is best for them.” There were a handful of supporters for allowing retail businesses, who highlighted the fact that prohibitions have never worked when it comes to stopping these kinds of activities and it is better to have them regulated safely. “Marijuana is not going away and in every instance prohibition has failed miserably and created unintended consequences,” said Chris Bruhl. “I’m not in favor of pot parades in the street, stoned driving, or children being exposed to it but we need a rational policy of managing this. We all have the same goal, we want a safe, stable place to live.” Ward 5 councilwoman Harrison put forth an amendment that would include retail businesses in the ban, but it was defeat 5-6 (with Murphy, Shakti, Tom Quinn, Adam Paul, Cindy Baroway and Karen Kellen voting no). “I’m convinced we’re going to be losing money and am concerned that we’re going to be in legal jeopardy since it is still illegal in the eyes of the federal government,” said Ward 4 Councilman Dave Wiechman. “Beyond the money issue there is a concern on a very fundamental level is public health. Are we doing all we can to protect public health? We don’t need to be the guinea pig, we need time to figure it out. If we do this wrong we can’t go back.” Ward 1 Councilwoman Johnson predicted that if the issue goes to the ballot, Lakewood will be swamped with money from outside interests wanting to help get retail marijuana passed.
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Tami Fischer, executive director and CEO of Metro West, speaks with Mayor Bob Murphy and Councilwoman Cindy Baroway at the groundbreaking for CityScape Belmar. Photos by Clarke Reader
High class living Metro West breaks ground on CityScape Belmar By Clarke Reader
creader@colorado communitymedia.com The Belmar area is becoming a booming location for people to live, and while the options are becoming more and more diverse, one group hasn’t been specifically served yet — seniors. Metro West Housing Solutions aims to change that with CityScape at Belmar, its third senior specific housing unit. CityScape will feature 130 homes for seniors, ages 62 and older, at cost-effective prices. “It (CityScape) will let seniors have everything at their fingertips,” said Tami Fischer, executive director and CEO of MWHS. “This will be a phenomenal option for seniors who like to be in active places.” The groundbreaking for the development was held at Valkarie Gallery in Block 7 at Belmar on July 10 and gave city staff, developers and community partners their first chance to hear about CityScape. “Metro West has set a high
CityScape Belmar is Metro West Housing Solutions’ latest project in Lakewood. The seniors only residence will feature 130 apartments. benchmark with developments like Lamar Station (Crossing),” said Lakewood Mayor Bob Murphy. “This new development is so important because it rounds out the range of housing options in Belmar.” Amenities — which Fischer said are extremely important to senior residents — include a community
room with a bistro and kitchen, fitness and wellness facilities and a community garden. “We’ve found in our other communities that gardens are great for seniors,” said Brendalee Connors, asset manager with MWHS. “They Living continues on Page 3
Decisions make gay marriage more likely Attorney general shot down in bid to stop clerk By Vic Vela
vvela@colorado communitymedia.com Gay-marriage supporters have earned another set of victories as judges in separate court cases moved Colorado one step closer to recognizing same-sex nuptials. On July 10, a district court judge denied Attorney General John Suthers’ request to prevent the Boulder County Clerk’s Office from issuing “invalid” marriage licenses. That ruling came the day after an Adams County district court judge ruled in a separate case that the state’s ban on gay marriage is un-
constitutional. However, the judge in that case issued a stay in his ruling, which could last until the U.S. Supreme Court deals with the issue of same-sex marriage. Because of the stay, a 2006 voterapproved ban on gay marriage is still on the books. But, given that gay marriage bans are crumbling everywhere in the country, it is becoming increasingly likely that Colorado’s ban isn’t going to hold up much longer. “Together these two decisions prove that same-sex marriage is inevitable, and continuing to argue against it in court is a waste of taxpayer dollars,” said House Speaker Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, who is gay. The Boulder case was brought by Suthers as a response to Boulder