Herald
EnglEwood 3/21/13
Englewood
March 22, 2013
75 cents
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourenglewoodnews.com
Arapahoe County, Colorado • Volume 93, Issue 5
County chooses new clerk Cleared in ethics probe, Crane to fill Doty’s term By deborah grigsby
dgrigsby@ourcoloradonews.com
Elementary School. The garden at Hay, like other community gardens, assign plots to residents on a firstcome, first-served basis.
The Arapahoe County commissioners have appointed Matt Crane as the county’s new clerk and recorder, replacing Nancy Doty, who has held the position while simultaneously serving as county commissioner. In 4 to 1 vote, Crane emerged as the candidate of choice during the March 19 public hearing, with supporters citing his experience and technical skills. Board members cast their votes aloud, each justifying their selection. “I know, personally, how difficult this job is,” said Doty. “Experience is key, and being able to Crane take over on day one is critical, therefore I cast my ballot for Matt Crane.” Commissioners Rod Bockenfeld, Nancy Jackson and Bill Holen echoed Doty’s remarks, also casting their vote for Crane, who held the position of Arapahoe County deputy of elections under Doty. Holen, who represents District 5, read a statement scolding those responsible for a mysterious letter sent to the board earlier this year calling Crane’s integrity into question, calling the attempt vicious and an “attempt to usurp the democratic process.” District 2 Commissioner Nancy Sharpe, the only holdout, cast her vote for Susan Beckman, a former county commissioner. Sharpe said she based her decision to support Beckman on the office’s need for solid executive leadership. “The technology is already there,” she said. “The person that fills this position should be a strong manager, a respected leader and have the integrity and honesty to ensure fair elections.” After votes were tallied, realizing she was the only holdout, Sharpe asked to go on record in support of Crane. Crane was among three final candidates to fill the vacancy created by Doty
Garden continues on Page 11
Clerk continues on Page 11
Volunteers Joseph Rogers, left, and Todd Fahnestock shovel compost into a wheelbarrow during a work day at the Hay World School community garden. Hay students will plant and tend about a third of the garden plots. Photos by Tom Munds
Volunteers get down and dirty First work day of spring prepares Hay plots for planting By Tom Munds
tmunds@ourcoloradonews.com About a dozen volunteers turned out March 17 to do make-the-muscles-ache work as they cleaned up and began preparing the community garden plots at Hay World School for spring plantings. Two years ago, volunteers, with the help of city workers, replaced the tennis court west of Hay school with a community garden. “Last year’s community garden was very successful, and this is our first work day this year as we begin the preparation work necessary to get all the plots ready so crops can be planted,” said Lara Fahnestock, who headed the volunteers. “We have a total of 45 plots in this garden. The schoolchildren plant and tend about a third of the plots, plus we also have several raised plots set aside for seniors or individuals with disabilities. The rest are for members of the Englewood community” Englewood launched its community garden project in 2010 through grants from Arapahoe County Open Space funds and through a partnership with Denver Urban Gardens. The first community garden is lo-
Hay World School student Elmer Kenney, 7, uses a rake to work compost into his family’s garden plot at Hay World School. About a dozen people gathered March 17 for the first community garden work day. cated just east of the Englewood Depot at 601 W. Dartmouth Ave. The partnership later created community gardens at Hay and Clayton Elementary School. A separate effort of staff and parents also established a garden at Bishop
Immigration law could be sidelined by legislation Move gets support from Democrats, Republicans By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com A Thornton Democrat is seeking to repeal a state law that requires police to report those they suspect of being in the country illegally to immigration authorities. And it’s an effort that has support from
Republicans, as well as from members of the law enforcement community. Rep. Joe Salazar said his House Bill 1258 would prevent local officers “from engaging in federal immigration enforcement,” as well as would help re-establish trust between police and immigrants. “It brings back dignity between law enforcement and the communities,” Salazar said before the House State, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee on March 18. Salazar’s bill would repeal a law that was put in place in 2006, which
POSTAL ADDRESS
Printed on recycled newsprint. Please recycle this copy.
critics say creates paperwork headaches and is redundant and divisive. They point to a federal program that local law enforcement already adheres to called SeReport cure Communities, which requires that police use fingerprints from arrestees to identify illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds. Critics say the Colorado law puts law enforcement in the awkward position of having to determine whether someone is here illegally on initial contact. Members of law enforcement say jails already are full, and keeping someone locked up for a traffic violation, just because they’re suspected of being the country illegally, is not the best of use of their resources. “My jails are overfull,” said Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle. “I don’t have extra
Capitol
resources to hold people for civil violations in my jail.” Norma Morones testified that she was pulled over for a minor traffic offense in 2011, and ended up being taken to jail and held there until immigration authorities could sort out her residency status. Morones said the incident resulted in “stress and fear and depression,” and left her hesitant to reach out to law enforcement again, even in cases where she wanted to report serious crimes. “Because of this incident, I lost trust in the police,” Morones said, through a translator. The bill passed the committee on a 9-2 vote, with two Republicans — Reps. Tim Dore of Elizabeth and Ray Scott of Grand Junction — casting a yes vote. It’s possible that even more GOP lawmakers could end up voting for the bill, as it goes through the legislative process. “I came into this a very strong no,” said Rep. Jared Wright, R-Fruita. “I’m now a very soft no.”