All the News About Denver’s Best Residential Community Since 1961 Volume 54, Issue No. 12
A Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. Publication
December 2015
‘F’ For Access State Government Also Bombs On Ethics Enforcement; Gets a D+ Overall In New Report By Jeffrey A. Roberts Special to the GPHN
Turkey Trot, Park Hill Style
It takes many helping hands to assemble and distribute complete Thanksgiving food boxes – complete with turkeys and all the trimmings – to 268 families. That’s how many dinner boxes Greater Park Hill Community volunteers prepared this year – up from 177 ready-to-prepare family meals last year and 57 in 2013. The increase in need, in part, was due to limited resources elsewhere in Denver. From left, Denver Language School students Dez Roberts, Hunter Shinn, Lola Hunter and Mason Hunter, pitch in at the GPHC office at 2823 Fairfax St. the week before the holiday. Additional photos inside on page 8. Photo by Cara DeGette
Celebrating 40 Years Of Neighborhood Activism Park Hill Quintessential, Dynamic, Invested In Improving Denver, Says INC President
As Denver’s Inter-Neighbor Cooperation been raising concerns about the water prob(INC) observes its 40th anniversary, its lem for years, city officials are only now bepresident Larry Ambrose says the neighginning to pay attention because of an INC borhood movement plays a key role in city PARC resolution. Dave Felice government accountability. Operating separately, but in cooperation “Because we have a nominally with INC, renowned environmental nonpartisan city government, the researcher, the late Adrienne Anderelected officials are not responsible son, had been documenting the danto parties or platforms,” says Amgers of the recycled water in Denver’s brose. “Through the neighborhood parks – including at City Park – for movement, citizens have a voice to many years. Some of this information advocate on public issues of direct is published at www.DenverDirect.tv impact.” (search “purple pipes”). As an example of that advocacy, Inter-Neighborhood Cooperarecent reports about the impact of tion’s mission is, “to advocate for recycled water on trees dying in Denver citizens by bringing together, Washington Park came directly informing and empowering Denver from INC’s Parks and Recreation neighborhood organizations to acCommittee (INC PARC). The intively engage in addressing City isformation on the water was develsues.” oped by an INC study group first INC represents about half of Denformed by Friends and Neighbors ver’s 220 neighborhood organizaof Washington Park, an official tions. The group meets on the second Registered Neighborhood Organi- INC President Larry Ambrose. The group, which turns 40 this year, works Saturday each month to consider mazation. to advocate for citizens by bringing together, informing and empowering terial developed in INC committees, Although INC members have Denver neighborhood organizations. Photo courtesy of Larry Ambrose. continued on page 7
City Matters
Thanks To Advertisers & Blockworkers
Page 16
A Look Back At the Year That Was
Pages 12-14
Inside This Issue
Page 2
December 2015
Colorado gets an “F” for public access to information in a Center for Public Integrity report released in November that ranks each state on matters of transparency and accountability. Two reasons for the low ranking: The lack of an agency to monitor how access-to-information laws are working and no formal appeals process outside of the court system to assist people who are denied records. The “State Integrity 2015” report also dings Colorado for its Criminal Justice Records Act, which allows law enforcement agencies to withhold a wide range of records (“think footage from police body cameras,” it says) if they determine that their release would be “contrary to the public interest.” Another issue: The Colorado Judicial Branch is exempt from the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA), making it harder to obtain certain administrative records such as spending by the state public defender’s office in the James Holmes death penalty case (the Colorado Supreme Court recently released its own rules for accessing judicial branch administrative records). “There’s a huge, gaping hole right now,” the Center for Public Integrity quotes CFOIC President Steve Zansberg as saying. “One of the three branches of government is not subject to our open records act by its own ruling.” Colorado’s also flunked the “Ethics Enforcement Agencies” category but received praise for its transparent state budget process, earning a “B+” in that category. The state was given a “D+” overall, although it fared better than most other states, ranking 13th. The low ranking on public information put Colorado 16th from the bottom. Wyoming and New Hampshire scored worst. Iowa and Utah ranked first and second, respectively, with each earning a “C-.” The Washington, D.C.-based Center for Public Integrity is a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization. The report can be read in full at publicintegrity.org. Park Hill resident Jeffrey A. Roberts is Executive Director of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition, a nonprofit, nonpartisan alliance of groups, news organizations and individuals dedicated to ensuring the transparency of state and local governments in Colorado by promoting freedom of the press, open courts and open access to government records and meetings. Its website is Coloradofoic.org.
It’s Time To Push For Flooding Fixes
Next GPHC Meeting Thursday, Jan. 7 at 6:30 p.m. 2823 Fairfax St., Denver
This newspaper is made possible through the support of our advertisers and members. If you are not already a member, please consider joining the Greater Park Hill Community, Inc.