CHV approves hiring of interim city manager

BY FREDA MIKLIN GOVERNMENTAL REPORTER

On March 21, in a unanimous vote, the Cherry Hills Village City Council approved the hiring of sole finalist Jim Thorsen as its interim City Manager for 13 months beginning July 3, 2023.

Current City Manager Chris Cramer will take a leave of absence for that period so that his family may accompany Cramer’s son to Spain to take advantage of an educational opportunity.

Thorsen, whose salary will be $190,000 per year, previously served as CHV’s city

What is a Situationship?

manager from 2016 to 2020, when he retired and was replaced by Cramer, who was then CHV community development director.

Thorsen spent 36 years in city government before his retirement in 2020, beginning his career as an engineering technician with the City of Greenwood Village. Later, he moved to California and eventually served as city manager for the City of Malibu.

After the vote, CHV city council members expressed their appreciation that Thorsen was available to accept the interim city manager position. fmiklin.villager@gmail. com

Estranged husband charged in murder of neighborhood mom

BY FREDA MIKLIN STAFF WRITER

Shortly after 8:00 a.m. on March 30, police were called to a home in the Hills West neighborhood near the corner of East Belleview Avenue and South Havana Street, where they found Tracy Lee Bloch Lechner, 42, a mother of two young children, deceased in her driveway from a gunshot wound.

Her estranged husband, David Samuel Lechner, 45, had fled the scene but was arrested a mile away a short time later and charged with First Degree Murder – Felony, Menacing/ Aggravated Assault with a gun – Felony, and Domestic Violence – Misdemeanor. He is being held in the Arapahoe County Detention Facility without bond.

The arrest affidavit says that a witness who happened to be driving by and heard a commotion reported seeing David Lechner shoot the victim in the face at point-blank range as he stood over her, before fleeing in his car.

Tracy Lechner was a highly respected private attorney with expertise in the fields of cybersecurity, technology, information security, and media. She also served as adjunct faculty at the University of Colorado School of Law.

At Tracy’s funeral service, Rabbi Yaakov Meyer spoke about the scourge of omnipresent violence in our society and the need to reject it, seeking instead tolerance and understanding. Her father, Dr. Clifford Bloch, spoke about Tracy as a super-mom who taught kindness to her children and as a woman of valor, a customary

A Situationship is new term being repeated in the relationship and marriage literature and is defined as an uncommitted relationship that is good for the situation of the day. A couple might have gone on a few dates, or even have had a sexual encounter, but the coupling lacks direction and or commitment. This has become common in the online dating scene. Psychologists have described these situationships as satisfying when both people in the coupling are okay with the casual nature of this type of relationship. However, most of the time one person in this duo is starting to connect, has feelings and the other does not. Because this has the potential for rejection and dissatisfaction, one must know the rules of the road before they get hurt, rejected, and crash and burn.

Situational relationships are not harmful if one can see the benefits up front. These types of relationships give one an opportunity for exploration and growth. “I like this, I don’t like this.” It also allows the freedom of prioritizing one’s choices without checking in with one another. It also good for companionship without commitment. A dinner or movie buddy could be labeled as a situationship.

The negative side of this arrangement is this relationship is not consistent or supportive. It is shallow, does not go deep, and lacks clear expectations. If one of the partners opens up, shares deep feelings and demonstrates vulnerability, there might be disappointment and hurt that follows. Trust has not yet been established and values, needs, and wants might be dismissed and disregarded. There is guessing, ambiguity, and uncertainly which adds stress and anxiety to this tenuous relationship choice. Conflict and resentment are common as there are inconsistent views that have not been shared. People in these kinds of arrangements make assumptions about the other person that may not be correct.

The longer this situationship continues, the worse it gets. Many describe that the participants in this coupling are experiencing inertia. This has been described as being stuck, not wanted to leave the relationship and not wanting to stay in it. There is comfort in being together and separating would be a hassle, so they stay put. They have hit milestones like meeting one another’s friends, family or celebrate small anniversaries that usually bond and attach one to another. In this type of relationship joy is diminished and questioning oneself increases.

One of the primary characteristics of a situationship is compartmentalizing. The members of this coupling can also be dating and being intimate with other partners. Since there is no commitment, no boundaries and no expectations, this kind of polyamory is common. Planning in these types of relationships is rare. Most of the encounters with each other are spontaneous and if it works out, it works out. There is little consistency and lots of excuses such as, I am busy with work or am traveling. Being together is not the priority. Convenience trumps everything.

Conversations in a situationship lack talk about the future. Everything is about today. In a situtationshiop, there is little direction and loads of ambiguity. If this kind of relationship works for you, stay with it. If this arrangement is making you heart hurt, speak up, get out, and honor yourself. You are in charge. You are worth not being one of many, but, rather, being the one and only. joneen@my relationship center.org designation of great honor. Her mother, Natalie Bloch, spoke in glowing terms about Tracy’s boundless energy, dedication to her children, and courage as she worked to help other victims of domestic abuse battle a tangled and heartless court system as she had done for the past three and a half years, attempting to get divorced from her husband, who was under a restraining order when he came to her house and allegedly committed this heinous crime. fmiklin.villager@gmail.com

Tracy’s friends have set up a way to help Tracy’s two young children, “SupportForTracy LechnersKids” on spotfund. com.

Eric Hogue Named President of Colorado Christian University

The Board of Trustees of Colorado Christian University is pleased to announce that Eric Hogue has been named the new president of the University. Hogue, who currently serves as vice president of University Advancement for CCU, will assume the presidency on June 1.

“Eric Hogue is uniquely qualified to lead the University during a tumultuous time for Christ-centered higher education,” said Wil Armstrong, chairman of the University’s Board of Trustees. “The search committee was impressed at every step of the process by Eric and his vision for the University. As a natural leader and gifted orator, he brings an infectious passion for Colorado Christian University. He is a true champion for Christ-centered higher education.”

Hogue steps into the presidency at the culmination of a nine-month nationwide search conducted by the University’s Board of Trustees in conjunction with CarterBaldwin, one of the top executive search firms in the country. Trustee Susan Ruther ford, an experienced corporate human resources executive, drove the process as chair of the search committee. The search firm and the committee vetted over 60 qualified academic, busi ness, and government leaders.

Hogue replaces Dr. Donald W. Sweeting, who served as president of CCU for six years before transitioning to the role of University chancellor in August 2022. CCU Trustee Tim McTav ish, MBA ‘13, has been the University’s interim president since Sweeting assumed the chancellor role.

“We cast a wide and robust net in searching for the next president,” said Rutherford. “As we got to know Eric better, it was clear that he should be the next leader for CCU. We stacked him up against the highest caliber of candidates, and he came out well ahead.”

Hogue ascends to the presidency as the University marks