North Jeffco Westsider 053113

Westsider Westsider 5-31-13

North Jeffco

POSTAL PATRON

May 31, 2013

A Colorado Community Media Publication

ourwestminsternews.com

North Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 12, Issue 21

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County addresses open carry Ordinance passed to limit display of guns in some locations By Glenn Wallace

gwallace@ourcoloradonews.com The open carrying of a gun into some Jefferson County facilities may soon be prohibited, after the Board of County Commissioners voted 2-1 at the May 21 public hearing to approve an ordinance to ban “open carry” firearms in certain locations. District 3 Commissioner Donald Rosier cast the opposing vote, citing support for the second amendment. “This (ordinance) would allow the sheriff to conduct annual vulnerability assessments to determine which buildings it would be appropriate to have this ban in effect,” county attorney Writer Mott said during the hearing. Jeffco Sheriff Ted Mink also helped present the ordinance, that his department helped propose after a couple of recent incidents involving people bringing weapons in to county office space, causing a disruption. Mink said the ban was intended to be implemented only in offices where county department heads had requested it. These offices are places where “a high level of anxiety, and anger, or frustration” may occur. He said so far, the District Attorney’s office, a couple human services locations and the sheriff’s department building were on the initial list to consider a ban. “Obviously, open carry does create a disruption for county staff in some of those buildings,” Mink said. Open carry-banned areas would have to be well marked, to comply with state law which allows for open carry in public places. The open carry ban would not prohibit those with a concealed carry permit from bringing in a firearm. “Until this item showed up I did not realize it was lawful for anyone to openly carry a firearm in county buildings,” Jeffco resident Jim Engelking said during the public hearing. He added that he would like to see the ban extended to all county buildings. Lakewood resident and firearms instructor Aaron James Brown took a different view, expressing concern that the ban limited second amendment rights and could be extended even to open space parkland. ”It’s only law abiding citizens who openly carry,” Brown said. District 2 Commissioner Casey Tighe said he felt the ordinance struck a balance between public safety and second amendment rights. ”Some of the business done in this building can be controversial. There can be tension involved, and there’s always the concern that someone with an open carry is just trying to intimidate,” Tighe said. Commissioner Rosier, who said he carries a concealed weapon every day, said he disagreed with the ordinance, saying that ”signs don’t stop crime.”

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Community members compete in the 2012 Blazing Bullets Trail Run in Westminster. This year the race will be Saturday, June 8, and supports the Westminster Public Safety Recognition Foundation. Courtesy photo

Trail run challenges city’s best By Ashley Reimers

areimers@ourcoloradonews.com Westminster police officers and firefighters will once again battle it out to the finish line during the 4h Annual Blazing Bullets Trail Run on Saturday, June 8. All ages are welcome to run or walk the 5k race or a take it up a notch and compete in the 10k race. The race begins at 8 a.m. at Christopher Fields, 5875 W.104th Ave, and covers many Westminster trails. “This run is a lot of fun because the whole time the police officers and firefighters are bantering back and forth about who is going to win the race. Even before the race, both sides are razzing each other about the race,” said Westminster police detective and race director Jean Matthews. “Citizens tell me how fun it is to listen to both sides. People really seem to get a kick out of it. It’s pretty entertaining.” The trail run is also a fundraiser for the Westminster Public Safety Recognition Foundation, a nonprofit organization

dedicated to recognizing city employees, residents, and police and fire personnel for heroism, bravery and acts of service in the name of public safety in Westminster. The money raised from the race will go toward the foundation’s annual awards banquet. “The foundation’s No. 1 goal is to honor our local heroes, and we do that through the awards banquet in September,” said Betty Whorton, chairperson for the foundation. “The banquet is our way of showing our police officers, firefighters and anyone who has stepped out to help someone else that we appreciate what they have done. It’s our way of saying thank you.” Matthews said last year’s race was the biggest yet, with close to 250 runners. She’s hoping that number grows this year with even more participants. She said this year’s race has a little more meaning after the many tragedies that have happened in the past year including the Aurora Theater shooting, Sandy Hook Elementary

shooting, the Boston Marathon bombing, and especially the local tragedy of the murder of Jessica Ridgeway. “We invited the school and parents at Witt Elementary, where Jessica went to school, to see if they would like to participate in the race,” she said. “We just wanted to hold out the invitation to them because of everything they have gone through and to keep the bond we have with them going.” A variety of vendors will also be at race headquarters and fire trucks and police cars will be on display. Awards will be given to the overall male and female winners for both the 5k and 10k runs, along with first- and secondplace awards in all age divisions. All runners will receive a T-shirt and goody bag. The preregistration fee for the races is $30, and registration on the day of the event is $35. Check-in begins at 6:30 a.m. with the both races starting at 8 a.m. To register for the race visit www. RunSignUp.com/BlazingBullets.

Law aims to keep jobs in Colorado Governor signs bill that Republicans link to unions By Vic Vela

vvela@ourcoloradonews. com Gov. John Hickenlooper on May 24 signed into law a statecontracting reform bill that aims to reduce the outsourcing of public works projects and penalizes employers who do not hire local workers or who buy foreign-produced materials. But it’s a bill that earned little legislative support from Republicans, who panned the legislation as another example of Democrats protecting unions over businesses. House Bill 1292, which

Democrats dubbed the “Keep Jobs in Colorado Act,” reforms the bidding process for state work projects, such as highway construction. Bill sponsors say the legislation helps to ensure that Colorado taxpayer dollars are being spent on local workers. “This really was my number one priority coming into this legislative session,” said state Sen. Andy Kerr, D-Lakewood. “We need to do everything we can to keep and create jobs in Colorado, and make sure our taxpayer dollars are being used as wisely as possible.” Under the bill, state agencies would not only weigh bid costs from contractors, but also would take into consideration “best value” bids, which include factors such as the contractor’s employment practices, such as worker wag-

es and benefits. The teeth in the act is in the enforcement of a law that’s been on the books for 80 years. Before the bill was introduced, there was a requirement that state-funded construction projects have a workforce that is made up of 80 percent of Colorado workers. For years, the requirement was rarely, if ever enforced, primarily because the penalty for employers who violated the law was jail time. Now, the bill creates a series of civil penalties that could eventually lead to contractor disbarment whenever that 80 percent threshold is not met. State agencies can waive the 80 percent rule if contractors can show there is not sufficient Colorado labor available for a project. The bill also requires many

Gov. John Hickenlooper, shown at the State of the State address Jan. 10. File photo contractors to provide proof of the country of origin for materials used in projects, such as iron and steel. The two state entities that will oversee enforcement of Jobs continues on Page 18