February 20, 2014
50 cents Jefferson County, Colorado | Volume 30, Issue 34 A publication of
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Debates on 38th continue
Fairmont lifesavers
Amidst mixed reviews funding to continue for avenue project By Hugh Johnson
Gail Powers, left, speaks on the importance of CPR education after accepting a Live Saving Award for her husband Tim Powers from the Fairmont Fire Protection District. Her husband was one of three men who saved the life of Perry Longo, center, after he collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest during a game of basketball at the Tony Grampsas gym in Golden. The FFPD Board of Directors along with Fire Chief Alan Fletcher, right, also presented a life saving award to Beau Bressler, not pictured, who utilized a nearby AED when Longo collapsed. The third man who assisted in stabilizing Longo has remained anonymous. Photo by Amy Woodward
Magazine ammo ban repeal efforts fail GOP lawmaker takes heat for comments made about Aurora shooting By Vic Vela
vvela@coloradocommunitymedia.com As expected, Republican efforts to repeal a law that limits ammunition magazine rounds failed in majority Democrat legislative committees last week. But one of the hearings produced unexpected comments from a lawmaker who would end up having to do some damage control over his remarks concerning events that took place during the 2012 Aurora theater shooting. Sen. Bernie Herpin, R-Colorado Springs, told the Senate’s State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee on Feb. 12 that it may have been a “good thing” that Aurora theater shooting suspect James Holmes was carrying a 100-round ammunition magazine because it jammed. “If he had instead had four, five, six 15-round magazines, no telling how much damage he could have done until a good guy showed up,” Herpin told committee members. Herpin was trying to make the point that larger capacity magazines are unreliable and that fewer people were killed or injured because Holmes’ weapon jammed. He later apologized for coming across as being in-
sensitive. Herpin’s comments were met with outrage by Tom Sullivan, the father of 27-yearold Alex Sullivan, who was one of 12 people who were killed in the July 2012 Aurora theater shooting. “I’ve had a lot of thoughts since July 20, 2012, and I can tell you that I never have once thought that it was better that that man walked into that theater with a 100-round drum, and opened fire on the over 200 people that were in that theater,” Sullivan said. Herpin is a freshman senator who won a Report recall election against John Morse last fall. Morse, who at the time was Senate president, was one of three Democratic lawmakers who were either voted out of office or resigned in the face of recall elections over their votes on gun bills last year. Herpin isn’t the only lawmaker who has raised eyebrows for comments having to do with gun legislation. Last year, Rep. Joe Salazar and then-Sen. Evie Hudak, both Democrats, made comments regarding rape and gun violence that, like Herpin’s comments last week, made national headlines. Herpin was in front of the committee to sponsor a bill that sought to repeal a law from last year that banned ammunition
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magazines from carrying more than 15 rounds. The bill was one of two GOP-sponsored repeals that failed at the Legislature last week, each one falling on party-line votes in the Democrat-led General Assembly. Two days earlier, a House committee rejected a separate effort sponsored by Rep. Chris Holbert, R-Parker, which also sought to repeal the magazine limit law. Holbert argued that limiting the number of rounds in a magazine is arbitrary and does nothing to promote public safety. “This legislation doesn’t make us safer,” Holbert said. “It doesn’t limit a criminal’s ability to do something monstrous. All it does is punish a law-abiding citizen.” But Democrats and other supporters of magazine limits say the law saves lives because the fewer rounds that a killer can get off, the less damage they can cause. The law was drafted in response to recent mass shootings like the one in Aurora and at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School the same year. Jane Dougherty’s sister, Mary Sherlock, was a school psychologist who was killed during the Sandy Hook massacre. “Twenty-six souls were lost in fewer than 11 minutes that Friday morning,” Dougherty said. “We hear over and over again about gun owners having their rights taken away from them. … I ask you, `What about my sister’s rights?’” In a nod to the ramifications from last year’s recall efforts, Holbert tried to appeal to Democrats on the committee to seize the “political opportunity” by supporting his repeal bill. “Are you willing to risk political capital?” Holbert said. “I ask you to please keep an open mind.” But Rep. Mike Foote, D-Lafayette, took exception to Holbert’s comments. “I don’t think we should be making a decision based on what’s politically expedient or politically smart,” Foote said.
City council approved an amendment to the Capital Investment Program budget to allow a supplemental $41,870 for the 38th Avenue Corridor plan. However, the amendment provoked a lengthy discussion about the various issues concerning 38th. The money will go to Entelechy Design in Denver for a design contract extension. Entelechy completed the initial phase of the 38th Avenue project. Part of that initial phase was the implementation of the 2012 road diet or restriping the road down to three lanes from five. The road diet serves as a precursor to a permanent narrowing of the road to support 38th being more of a destination and less of a thoroughfare. The diet has had some unforeseen consequences. For one, an increase in congestion, because there are fewer lanes, has caused some motorists to speed on adjacent residential streets. People have said that 38th is also more dangerous as a result. That danger has prompted some to reconsider whether 38th truly can be a town center. “I won’t drive 38th avenue anymore ... It’s a hazard to drive up and down that street,” said former Councilwoman Wanda Sang. “I may go back about 60 years and tell you that 38th Avenue was never a commercial area ... I don’t think that you’ll ever make it that way.” The discussion came as a result of a memorandum created by District 1 Councilmember Jerry DiTullio. In the memo, DiTullio referenced section 5.20 of the city charter. The section outlines the process for street width designation disputes, specifically how the dispute can eventually be settled by a vote of the people in the district if enough property owners protest and petition a particular change. DiTullio said that before council allocates another $41,000, they need to fully investigate the possibility of a legal protest. If it comes down to that, DiTullio believes that it would be best for council to mitigate certain minor but divisive issues surrounding 38th, including back-in parking and the inclusion of bike lanes. “Bud” Starker, councilmember district 1, Tim Fitzgerald of district 3 believe it’s best to remain focused on the future. Fitzgerald said that Wheat Ridge is a drive through town and the way to change that is to build some that will entice people to stop. “We’re not living 60 year ago. We’re living today and our vision of today should look forward into the future,” Starker said.
‘We’re not living 60 years ago. We’re living today and our vision of today should look forward into the future’ Bud Starker, Councilmember District 1