LITTLETON 1.3.13
January 3, 2013
Arapahoe County, Colorado • Volume 123, Issue 50
75 cents
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourlittletonnews.com
Council chooses new judge
2012: RIDING INTO HISTORY
Feldman to replace Anderson, pending contract approval By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@ourcoloradonews.com
In one of our Images of the Year, Buck Kamphausen, left, Dana Dunbar and Josh Voss brought this 1938 Coleman snowplow home to its old stomping grounds for the Western Welcome Week Grand Parade in August. For more photos that helped make 2012 a special year, turn to pages 4 and 5. File photo by Deborah Grigsby
Believers fight for tough neighborhood North Littleton Promise works to help children By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@ourcoloradonews.com In the heart of a neighborhood struggling with stability, North Littleton Promise is working to give children a place to feel safe and included. “We love them,” said Maureen Shannon, executive director. “They come in and they bring smiles and they make our day.” NLP provides after-school activities for about 40 elementary-school kids and 20 middle-schoolers in space donated by Church of God Holiness on Delaware Street. In colorful rooms piled high with books, volunteers help with homework, serve up snacks, teach hymns and much more. Some of those same children might have been awakened by gunfire on Oct. 19, when a house party ended with 18-year-old Da Von Flores shot to death and a 17-year-old wounded. As a large group of young kids watched police gather evidence on Fox Street the next day, they talked about how their moms ran to their bedrooms to check on them when the shots rang out. “Bad things aren’t the norm,” said Shannon. “It’s disconcerting when it happens, and it gets so much publicity, but it’s not the norm.” Founded by members of Centennial Covenant Church in search of a struggling neighborhood to serve, NLP works to prevent things like gang involvement, truancy
North Littleton Promise serves neighborhoods like this one, where a teenage boy was shot to death in mid-October. Photo by Jennifer Smith and teen pregnancy. Its goal is to show kids there’s another way of life, through mentoring, exposure to new activities, academic support, play, worship and cultural understanding. “We talk about choices and help them look toward the future,” said Shannon. Today, about a dozen churches are involved in the mission, supplying about a third of the program’s funding and dozens of volunteers. “It’s pretty rewarding,” said volunteer Dave Baresel. “It’s something I never ex-
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pected to do, because I didn’t think I was very good with kids. But I think the Lord made me do it. I’m kind of a coward when it comes to kids. … But they’re so cute. Some of them are a little roughhouse, but that’s OK, because they’re kids. It’s nice to be able to help them.” Parents like Yaneli Velasquez are definitely appreciative, even more so because they only pay either $5 or $10 a semester. The 25-year-old mother of four sends her son, 7-year-old Reyli, allowing her a bit more time with his three younger sisters. “It means a lot,” said Velasquez. “My kid is happy he’s learning about Jesus.” When the weather’s nice, the kids are encouraged to join one of NLP’s three soccer teams — not just for the exercise, but to be part of something positive. “With freedom comes a lot of temptation to get in trouble,” said Shannon. “They want to be busy so they don’t seek out those options. … It’s a way to fit in and have an identity.” For more information, visit www.northlittletonpromise.org or call 303-548-0445.
Ethan Feldman will replace James Anderson as Littleton’s presiding judge as of Feb. 1, assuming Littleton City Council approves the contract on Jan. 15. Feldman has accepted the offer made by council. If the contract is approved, Feldman will be officially sworn in at that same meeting. “Judge Feldman is a highly regarded jurist with an exemplary career,” said Mayor Debbie Brinkman. “He is a longtime resident of Littleton, and as such, his community roots are deep. City council couldn’t be more pleased to welcome him as presiding judge, and we look forward to working Feldman with him.” Feldman was considered for the same position in 2010 when Anderson was appointed. The longtime Arapahoe County judge left the bench last year for an unsuccessful bid for district attorney in the 18th Judicial District. He graduated from Northwestern University in Illinois in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in Russian studies. He earned his law degree from the University of Denver in 1974, then served as deputy district attorney and later as chief deputy district attorney for major crimes in the 18th Judicial District from 1974 to 1980. From 1980 to 1991, he was in private practice in Littleton and Greenwood Village while also serving as a part-time municipal judge in Glendale. He was appointed to the Arapahoe County Judiciary in 1991 and served for 20 years. The judgeship is a contract position. Anderson’s two-year contract was to expire on Dec. 21, but council voted Dec. 4 to extend it until Jan. 31. Feldman was chosen over six other finalists, including Anderson, Littleton Associate Judge Julie Anderson, Littleton City Prosecutor Tricia McCarthy, Centennial Presiding Judge Ford Wheatley, attorneys Tomee Crespin and Corrine Magid. Anderson was a central figure in the firing of former City Attorney Suzanne Staiert last September, just hours after she filed a sexual-harassment complaint against him with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The city ultimately settled with Staiert, paying her $143,000 while denying any wrongdoing. Staiert withdrew the complaint and went on to become the deputy secretary of state. After leaving the city, Staiert asked the Colorado Supreme Court Attorney Regulation Council to investigate Anderson’s behavior. “(Anderson’s) actions were inappropriate and unprofessional,” wrote John Gleason, regulation counsel, in a letter dated Nov. 7. “After a review of the evidence and interviews with various witnesses, however, we conclude there is not clear and convincing evidence of a violation of the disciplinary rules.” Anderson has never publicly commented on the situation. But during a recorded meeting with Staiert and human-relations director Erich WonSavage, he never denies any of the behavior Staiert alleged, including giving her gifts and showing up at meetings just to see her. He simply says it was not his intent to make her uncomfortable.