CANAL

added that the grant is part of the environmental nonpro t’s land acquisition program, which supports urban and rural habitat protection priorities and increases access to the outdoors.

“ is is a substantial resource for Colorado to have and now it will

Open Space, the town has made signi cant and much needed improvements to Trupp Park over the last seven years. ese improvements have included new improved drainage, a new playground, a new skate and bicycle playground, a new play eld, a new grandstand, and repaired trails. Trupp Park is currently identied as the town’s “community park” making it one of the town’s most highly utilized amenities. For this phase of the project, the primary improvements will be adding additional lighting, expanding the popular skate park, and nalizing the landscaping.

Bennett, Highway 79 Permanent Trail Construction, $140,000 e trail that runs along Highway 79 through Bennett was installed as a temporary asphalt trail in 2008 be permanent,” Yuan-Farrell said. “Whereas before, there was always an opportunity for Denver Water to sell that property to somebody else. is grant helps take that o the table.” He said the funding provided by Great Outdoors Colorado should last the conservancy for years to come.

“ is is a fund for the conservancy to maintain and grow,” Yuan-Farrell said. “It’s like seed funding for a hopefully larger substantial endow- by the developers responsible for the King Soopers in Bennett Market Place. is trail has quickly become the backbone of the town’s Adams County Trail system as it connects to many of the town’s business districts, trails, and parks. Currently, the trail is in serious disrepair as the useful life of 10 years or less has expired. e town replaced a portion of the trail in 2020, but there is still an asphalt portion that needs to be replaced. e replacement will be an eight-foot-wide concrete trail from just past Muegge Way to North Marketplace.

Bennett, Open Space Event Bleachers, $25,000 e Town of Bennett hosts many free outdoor events for the community. ese events primarily take ment with the expectation that perhaps the municipalities and counties that have land by the canal will contribute to it.” e nonpro t has awarded multiple grants to the High Line Canal place in Trupp Park, but we have also hosted events at the Historic Charles Muegge House, the Corridor of Honor, and the Mount View Cemetery. e events include Party in the Park, Veterans Day Celebrations, BBQ, and more. e largest event we host is Bennett Days, which typically includes a free bull riding event and a concert. In years past, we have rented bleachers for these events. However, the events have grown in popularity, and the cost to rent a sufcient set of bleachers has become a burden on our budget which has led to us having to consider charging a fee for the events. erefore, we are hopeful to purchase our own portable bleachers that can be moved to di erent Adams County Open Space events to accommodate our attendees.

Great Outdoors Colorado invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help with the preservation and enhancement of parks, trails, wildlife, rivers and open spaces, according to its website.

Conservancy over the years. In 2022, Great Outdoors Colorado provided $41,100 to help rid parts of the canal of an invasive species.

“ eir funding has been so impactful to all of the work that we’ve done,” Jones said. “And this is the next big stage of our work for permanent protection.”

Jones said more details about the canal’s function as a fully conserved space are expected to come this fall.

Namazi sometimes wears a bright red MAGA cap and a shirt with Mayor Kulmann’s picture on it, loudly proclaiming his devotion for the mayor and the conservative issues he claims she represents – antitrans, anti-LGBTQ and unregulated oil drilling are at the top policy goals on Namazi’s list.

For instance, he appeared at Adams County Pride, ornton Pride and Arts in the Park with signs saying, “Keep ornton Straight” and “Reelect Mayor Jan Kulmann.” But Kulmann says it is bizarre political theater and Namazi and his signs have nothing to do with her views or her campaign. She sees Namazi’s actions as a ploy to stoke confusion and negative reactions to her conservative, but nuanced, positions on numerous issues.

“He doesn’t speak for me, he doesn’t represent me or my values, and in fact works with my political opponent,” Kulmann alleged of Namazi on her campaign Facebook account. “His demeanor and theatrics continue to turn aggressive to the point that I don’t feel comfortable bringing my daughter to city events.”

Marvin, Kulmann’s opponent, told the Northglenn- ornton Sentinel, that Kulmann’s allegation is o base and that Namazi isn’t part of her campaign.

And Kulmann told the Sentinel that she felt unsafe at a recent public event when she asked Namazi to back away from her but he stood his ground.

“If a normal person was talking to you in whatever way they are and you ask them to stop, they will back o ,” she said.

In a video, a police o cer tells Namazi to back away from Kulmann, but he declines.

“If a police o cer says ‘you’re getting too close,’ you back o ,” Kulmann said. “He escalates the behavior each time.” e order by a county judge states that Namazi will stay at least ve yards away from Kulmann and includes stipulations that Namazi will not stalk, harass or threaten her. e order could be made permanent or dismissed at a July 5 hearing.

Kulmann is so concerned for herself and her children that she has pursued, and subsequently received, a restraining order against Namazi.

According to Ti any Coolidge, campaign manager for Kulmann, Namazi was served a temporary restraining order by the Adams County Sheri ’s O ce on June 22. e order alleges that Namazi shouted at and interrupted her, misrepresented her political views and has not left her alone even though she has asked.

Kulmann rst noticed Namazi at orntonfest, which was on June 3. en she saw him popping up at other events in a way she alleges is harassing.

“When he saw me (at ornton Pride) as I was getting ready to leave, he chased me out into the parking lot into my car and said, ‘We don’t even want you here,’” Kulmann alleged. “But of course nobody’s around to hear it and he’s not lming it.”

Bedolla, Garcia and Sandgren

Other members of the City Council raise concerns about Namazi’s activities at events and say they’ve experienced similar incidents.

City Councilor Eric Garcia, Mayor Pro-Tem Jessica Sandgren and council candidate Angie Bedolla fear Namazi might be misrepresenting their views and stated that he doesn’t speak for them.

“It’s all nonsense,” Garcia said. “He doesn’t represent me, he doesn’t represent my views. He doesn’t represent anything at all. To me, it looks like just a big huge act.”

Garcia said he witnessed Namazi follow Kulmann when he was with Kulmann and that he stepped in between them out of concern. He also said Namazi has called his personal cell phone.

Sandgren became fearful over his actions, including from a Facebook post in which Namazi wrote: “Jessica Sandgren, ornton Mayor Pro Tem walking serenely through a eld with a ray of sunshine overhead is truly a piece of art. I’ve stared at this photo for hours now, but I keep nding more meaning in it. She is honestly an inspiration, just like Jan Kulmann, Mayor of ornton.”

Sandgren saw it as creepy and harassing.

“I get we’re elected o cials and there’s a certain level of access people have to us,” Sandgren said. “But as a woman, I’m not comfortable with what is going on.” e council members say their views are more nuanced and complex than Namazi represents them as. For instance, Bedolla voted with Sandgren and Kulmann in 2021 against raising the pride ag in ornton. Bedolla said she supports the LGBTQ community, but a vote to allow the raising of any one ag “opens Pandora’s box” for other ags to be own.

Bedolla alleged that Namazi harassed her in front of her two daughters.

“I did not feel safe at all and I also did not feel that my daughters were very safe,” Bedolla said.

Kulmann also voted against it, but she said it was because of the procedure of voting on the item, not the item itself. Since there wasn’t consensus to bring the item forward during the planning session, that was against procedure.

“I even said in the moment ‘I’m really glad this passed. I support it 100%.’ I don’t support votes on the oor where we have not had a consensus agreement about it,” she said.

Sandgren said she faults the way the issue came about and it didn’t give the community a away to give their feedback.

Kulmann campaign manager

Coolidge, who also manages Bedolla’s and Garcia’s campaigns, alleges that Namazi is working for other candidates in ornton. Coolidge has called on Ward 2 candidate Ayala and Marvin to disavow Namazi. Videos show Namazi door knocking and passing out Ayala iers.

But Ayala claims Namazi isn’t working or volunteering for her campaign.

“De nitely wouldn’t have a MAGA person doing that on my campaign,” Ayala said.

After being told of videos of Namazi going door to door with Ayala’s campaign iers, she said that he may have been involved before he started acting as Danny Kulmann. Ayala said to her knowledge that he isn’t currently involved with her campaign.

“I have nothing to do with it,” Ayala said. “I don’t know that it’s necessarily harassment. It’s something that he’s doing though, and I don’t have anything to do with it.”

However, Namazi’s wife is a volunteer for the campaign, Ayala conrmed. She has a pet pig that also attends Ayala’s campaign events as an uno cial campaign mascot. Coolidge’s questions linger, though, given other moments involving Namazi, like a photo of Ayala’s campaign Facebook account dated April 15 with Namazi sitting at the same table as Ayala.

As for Namazi, he denied that he is an Ayala supporter.

When asked if Namazi’s actions are wrong, prior to the restraining order meant to keep him away from Kulmann, Ayala said, “He’s not breaking any laws.” When asked, given that Kulmann sees Namazi actions as harassment, if it’s OK, she said uncomfortable moments come

SEE NAMAZI, P9 with running a campaign.

“I think that when we decide to run for o ce, there are going to be people that have opinions of our viewpoints, whether they be for or against us and that’s part of running for o ce is that we have to face those challenges of working with the community,” Ayala said.

She added a caveat: “I would disavow anything illegal that anybody’s doing. If there is evidence of harassment I would disavow that.” e concerns have also led Councilor Marvin to say that neither Namazi nor his wife are a liated with her reelection campaign in any way. She said she’s only talked with the couple at public events in the past.

“As I’ve continued to say, over and over, these people are not associated with my campaign,” Marvin said. “I’m not paying them. ey’re not volunteering for my campaign. ey don’t have anything to do with it.”

Marvin said the situation is a symptom of a bigger issue – that the council is viewed as nonpartisan yet members of the council have ideological views.

Marvin said some council watchers for years have been “frustrated with candidates who sort of hide behind the nonpartisan piece of things and won’t openly speak about their positions on things.”

Marvin did not answer the question of whether Namazi’s actions are fair in an interview. e following day, Marvin followed up with an emailed statement.

“I believe that political discourse is healthy and an important part of the process, and as elected o cials people can and should have a wide latitude on how they can engage with us,” she wrote. “However, I don’t agree with anyone using tactics that make candidates or elected o cials feel unsafe. And I can empathize with that feeling, having been in situations myself where people have followed me, and I found that stressful and intimidating.”

Marvin also pointed to the fact that the city council changed the rules for campaigning within city events in 2019, which allowed for candidates to campaign at city events.

Kulmann has been on ornton’s council since 2013 and Marvin since 2019. e time Marvin spent on council leads her to believe Kulmann is far-right, and that Kulmann’s views during the Congressional District 8 race align with those views. One view, Marvin pointed to, was that Kulmann wouldn’t say whether or not the election was stolen.

But according to a Colorado Sun article from June 2022 amidst the campaign for the CD-8 seat, Kulmann did con rm that President Joe Biden won the election and said she was “...running to take back the House and put a stop on his radical agenda that continues to hurt working families across the country.”

Political theater in Thornton

In an interview with the Sentinel, Namazi insists he is not acting. He also has a story as to why he prefers to be called “Danny Kulmann”.

Namazi said he grew up in Texas and received a lot of hate for his Iranian last name after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He chose Dan before he went to college, but said he chose Kulmann as his “authentic self” to ornton’s community.

Now, much of his act plays out on Facebook where he posts videos of himself posed with City Councilors and Kulmann’s other supporters.

A 2016 graduate of Baylor University, Namazi moved to Colorado soon after and he and his wife purchased a house in ornton in 2017.

Namazi led papers with the Colorado Secretary of State in 2017 for a run for Colorado state Senate District 24 – as a Democrat.

But in public, he maintains his MAGA persona, pledging his support for former President Trump, his GOP opponent Ron DeSantis and conservative icons like Ben Shapiro. He alleged that it is obvious that Kulmann supports MAGA candidates like DeSantis based on her social media and her voting record.

“ at is the only presidential candidate she follows on social media and so I don’t think it takes a lot for a patriot like me to read between the lines of what she thinks,” Namazi said.

He pointed to views of DeSantis that he links with her that he agrees with.

“Ron says that he’s going to exterminate trans ideology,” Namazi said. “I very strongly support that. I know Jan supports that. She voted against her pride events. She voted to make sure that sort of indoctrination is now brought here to Colorado.”

Posters on Colorado Pols, a progressive online bulletin board and discussion site, seemed initially confused, trading snark with Namazi until one poster said what Namazi appears to be doing is “...doing vaudevillian political theater. Maybe that’s all this is… the spasmodic antics of someone who wants attention, and doesn’t care whose candidacies he hurts in the process.”

Far right, or middle of the road

As for Kulmann, she said she identi es as a middle of the road conservative – both scally conservative and socially liberal. Coolidge said her past congressional campaign spoke for itself. Kulmann learned her views weren’t partisan enough to win, which she sees as the reason she lost the Republican primary.

“I lost the primary because the primary is a very partisan race,” Kulmann said.

Further, in e Colorado Sun article published in June of 2022, it lays out other issues she and other Republican primary candidates for