3-21-13 Villager

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Since 1982

“The Little Newspaper with the Big Influence” Volume 31 • Number 17 • March 21, 2013

What’s Inside DeGette reintroduces marijuana bill

303-773-8313 • Published every Thursday

www.villagerpublishing.com

Crane appointed clerk and recorder

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Candidate had been exonerated in ethics probe

M By Peter Jones

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Families choosing to boycott the TCAP

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Cherry Hills Village honors exemplary city employees

Don’t Miss:

Metro’s Flatt named • South Firefighter of the Year Page 3 I-25/Arapahoe • study complete Page 3 honor inspiring • Seniors teachers Page 20

Index

Pages 5-6.........................................Opinion Page 8.........................................Classifieds Pages 14-22....................................Fleurish Pages 23-26......................................Easter Pages 28-32......................................Legals Page 33..............................................Sports

TheVillagerNewspaper @VillagerDenver

att Crane is Arapahoe County’s new clerk and recorder. Despite – and in part, perhaps because of – a recent ethics investigation into the candidate, the Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 on March 19 to appoint Crane, the county’s outgoing deputy of elections. Crane will complete the term of Nancy Doty, R-Centennial, who resigned after being elected last November as a District 1 county commissioner. The midterm appointment was delayed for nearly two months after the board received an anonymous email charging Crane with conflicts of interest during his previous tenure as the City of Denver’s elections-operations manager. Last month, Crane was exonerated by the Arapahoe County Ethics Committee, which concluded that Crane “has no past or present conflicts of interest, no past or present ethical issues and no past or present appearances of impropriety that should impact his ability to conduct the activities of the office.” The majority of commissioners supporting Crane, including his former boss Doty, cited Crane’s onthe-job knowhow as their main reason for backing the in-house candidate over his two better-known rivals. “I know personally how difficult this position is and I feel that experience is very, very important. Being able to take over on day one is critical,” Doty said.

Former state Rep. Cindy Acree congratulates rival Matt Crane on March 19 moments after he was appointed as Arapahoe County’s next clerk and recorder. The Board of Commissioners selected Crane over Acree and former Commissioner Susan Beckman to fill the term of Nancy Doty, who has resigned.

This disgraceful and outrageous effort on the part of certain unknown individuals in an effort to influence this Board of County Commissioners has indeed succeeded, but not in the direction they had hoped. - Arapahoe County Commissioner Bill Holen, D-Aurora

Photo by Peter Jones

In casting his vote, Commissioner Bill Holen, D-Aurora, expressed indignation about what he called a “viciously contrived attack” against Crane. “This disgraceful and outrageous effort on the part of certain unknown individuals in an effort to influence this Board of County Commissioners has indeed succeeded, but not in the direction they had hoped,” Holen said. Nancy Sharpe, R-Greenwood Village, cast the sole vote for former county Commissioner Susan Beckman, who left office in January due to term limits. Doty was elected to replace Beckman last November.

In backing Beckman, Sharpe stressed the importance of established leadership. “I believe the person we should appoint to this position should be a person who has … a proven track record of leadership experience because we have good technical knowledge that’s already there,” she said. The third finalist, former state Rep. Cindy Acree, received no votes. All three finalists were Republicans. Because Doty left the clerk’s office as an elected Republican, the GOP-majority Board of Commissioners had asked the party to assist in initial recruitment efforts. The

Arapahoe County Republican Executive Committee later endorsed Beckman by unanimous acclamation. At the request of officials, County Attorney Ron Carl investigated whether Doty should be asked to recuse herself from the vote due to her associations with Crane, who had worked on her campaign for commissioner but did not make a financial contribution. Carl said the association did not amount to a conflict of interest. Crane will complete Doty’s term, which expires Jan. 15, 2015. He will be eligible to run for a full term in November 2014.

Cherry Creek Schools Foundation celebrates ‘A Formula for the Future’

O

By Jan Wondra utstanding educators, parent volunteers and retiring Superintendent of Cherry Creek Schools Mary Chelsey were honored at the March 15 Cherry Creek Schools Foundation luncheon, held at the DTC Hyatt Regency. A crowd of hundreds of business leaders, city government officials, educators and foundation volunteers came together for the 19th time to honor outstanding educators and volunteers. The day’s theme, “A Formula for the Future,” reiterates the foundation’s mission to fund programs that strengthen literacy and learning, while supporting teachers through professional development and classroom grants. The day’s dynamic keynote speaker, Steve Spangler, is a former Cherry Creek School District science teacher who is known across the country as “The Science Guy.”

“Building a strong partnership with the business community has been critical to public education,” said Chelsey, acknowledging the luncheon’s key sponsors, Arrow Electronics and Great West Life. “Technology and professional equipping of our teachers are keys to the future. I believe that with the right resources and opportunities our kids do remarkable things.” The foundation has raised and given more than $7 million to the students and staff of the Cherry Creek School District. It invests in the future of the teaching profession through the Monte C. Moses Future Educator Scholarship, a $5,000 award to a student pursuing a degree in education. The 2013 recipient, Christopher Madsen, will graduate from Cherokee Trail High School this May. He is already pursuing his passion for teaching in the Teacher Cadet program and plans to attend Continued page 2

Retiring Cherry Creek School District Superintendent Mary Chesley with daughter Kathryn Wells and grandson Austin Wells, who attends Coyote Hills Elementary.

Photos by Jan Wondra


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