WEEK OF JUNE 8, 2023
VOLUME 103 | ISSUE 17
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Recall scrutinizes Wink’s attendance Wink blasts ‘these little citizens’ and ‘stupid recall’ BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Bridge House leadership members and public officials from Englewood, Littleton, Sheridan and Arapahoe County “break ground” PHOTO BY NINA JOSS at the new Ready to Work location in Englewood.
Ready to Work: Workforce and housing program breaks ground in Englewood BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
By this time next year, an old roofing company building on South Windermere Street in Englewood will be a vibrant home, workplace and resource center helping people find their way out of homelessness. Elected officials and community leaders from Englewood, Littleton, Sheridan and other areas of Arapahoe County gathered on June 2 for the groundbreaking ceremony of the third location of Ready to Work, a workforce training and housing program run by the organization
Bridge House. With funding from many community partners, including Englewood, Littleton, Sheridan, Arapahoe County and donor foundations the new location will house about 48 individuals, Bridge House CEO Melissa Green said. “The most incredible part of opening up this house is we’re gonna have roughly 150 beds in the Ready to Work community,” she said at the groundbreaking ceremony. When individuals enter Ready to Work, which currently operates out of Boulder and Aurora, they live
VOICES: 12 | LIFE: 14 | CALENDAR: 17 | SPORTS: 20
in a private bedroom with shared dormitory-style bathrooms, Green said. On their first day, participants are employed by one of the program’s social enterprises, either landscaping or the culinary program, which offers catering and other food services. In addition, trainees receive personalized support services including recovery groups, job readiness classes, financial management guidance, career mentoring and on-site medical and dental care. SEE WORKFORCE, P10
Englewood City Council member Cheryl Wink is being brought to task for missing public meetings as part of a citizen-led recall effort. The recall petition claims that, beginning Jan. 18, 2022, Wink, “missed excessive city council meetings, study sessions, executive sessions, and committee meetings as assigned.” When asked about the recall, Wink pushed back in a June 2 phone call with the Englewood Herald, calling it “stupid” and saying, “These little citizens were angry about everything.” Wink later tried to back away from the remarks to an Englewood Herald reporter, who had recorded them. While a debate over housing density issues has been at the forefront of the recall efforts for four council members, only Wink’s recall is marked by the additional claims about attendance. A look at the attendance numbers
Between Jan. 18, 2022, and June 2, SEE ATTENDANCE, P2
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GLOBAL MOVEMENT Studio brings in dance from around the world P14