WESTMINSTER 1.31.13 January 31, 2013
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A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourwestminsternews.com
Adams County and Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 68, Issue 14
Election process change snuffed Mayoral candidate will still need 40 percent on first ballot to win By Ashley Reimers
areimers@ourcoloradonews.com The power of community input and persuasion was strong Monday night during the Westminster City Council meeting. So strong, that four council members changed their vote regarding an ordinance that would have removed the requirement of a mayor candidate to earn at least 40 percent of the vote. Two weeks ago during the Jan. 14 coun-
cil meeting, councilors Herb Atchison, Bob Briggs, Mark Kaiser and Mary Lindsey voted to approve the ordinance on first reading, while mayor Nancy McNally, mayor pro tem Faith Winter and councilor Scott Major voted against the ordinance. But after great opposition from community members, the ordinance was unanimously shot down. “I want to thank everyone for coming tonight and all of the comments I have received,” Lindsey said. “I come prepared to change my vote that I had given two weeks ago. I would like to look at this at a better and later time.” If approved, the ordinance would have removed the 40 percent voter approval rate for a mayor election and the need for a run-off election. The overall candidate with the most votes would be the winner, even if he or she
only earned a small percentage of the votes. This new process caused concern for many residents who urged council to deny the ordinance during Monday’s meeting. “I join the chorus in saying that this bill needs to die,” said Larry Valente, Westminster resident and Adams County School District 50 school board member. “We need to go forth in a different manner.” Rep. Cherylin Peniston, D-Westminster, also spoke to council giving her insight concerning the ordinance. “It is our responsibility not to undermine or lose the trust of our citizens and I believe that is what this bill does,” she said. “The citizens feel as if they have now lost the trust of the councilors. I feel this change crosses the line.” With the denial of the ordinance, this
year’s mayoral election will run as it has since 1993 when the 40 percent requirement was established. Three council members, Major, Briggs and Atchison have officially filed their candidate affidavit to run for mayor this year. Briggs’ and Atchison’s original vote to approve the ordinance caused alarm for many residents and their fellow council members. Although McNally strongly opposed the ordinance from the beginning, she credits the resilience of the community for the final outcome of the vote. “This issue hits the core of my being,” McNally said. “Every voice counts. You did pay attention and from the bottom of my heard, thank you for paying attention and thank you for caring. It’s not about the seven of us, it’s about you and how you make your choice in who runs this city.”
Daveco owner relinquishes ownership By Darin Moriki
dmoriki@ourcoloradonews.com
Teenage mother Jacquelline Cossio, left, shows her baby Genesis to Westminster Mayor Nancy McNally who was visiting during the grand opening of Hope House Thursday, Jan. 24, in Westminster. Photo by Andy Carpenean
A place for hope, second chances Resource center for teen moms opens By Ashley Reimers
areimers@ourcoloradonews. com Hope House is a place for second chances and new beginnings. It’s a place where teen moms can gain an education and a new outlook on life. And now, teen moms in the Westminster area will have a resource center in their backyard offering free services. Hope House is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping disadvantaged teen moms become self-sufficient. The Westminster resource center opened on Jan. 24 at 9088 Marshall Court. The center focuses around GED and mentoring programs to
teenage girls who are parenting their children. Executive Director Lisa Steven said the both programs seek to empower at-risk teenagers to strive for personal and economic self -sufficiency and experience hope for a healthy future with their child. “It’s really about empowering these teenage moms to build a stable life for their kids,” she said. “But there is a lot of complexity in that, so it’s about supporting these girls and giving them access to gain self-sufficiency.” The mentoring program matches a teen mom with a trained volunteer mentor who helps the mom work toward selfsufficiency through a structured curriculum. They meet two to four times a month to develop goals for reaching pre-determined selfsufficiency markers, such as ob-
POSTAL ADDRESS
taining safe housing. The GED program helps teen moms earn their GED through individual instruction. GED and career prep specialist Katie Morton said the teen moms meet three times a week for their GED classes and the program has an 80 percent graduation rate. “Usually it takes the girls around seven-and-a-half weeks to earn their GED, which is much faster than the average rate, which is around six months,” she said. “One reason why it’s faster is because the girls are getting oneon-one help.” Hope House also offers a residential program for teen moms who are homeless or are living in an unsafe environment. The fivephase program empowers and equips parenting teenage moms as they move toward personal and economic self-sufficiency. Jacqueline Cossio is in the residential program. She found Hope House on Google when she was searching for housing. She and her eight-month old daughter Genesis moved into the safe house in July 2012. Since then,
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she’s earned her GED and volunteers in a dental office. She has plans to go to college to become a dental hygienist. “Hope House has given me so many opportunities. Now that I’m in the residential program, my baby has her own room and a safe place to live,” she said. “She’s just a really happy baby. It feels good to be able to give her a good life. That’s why I’m doing this and it’s so worth it.” Westminster Mayor Nancy McNally said she’s excited to have Hope House in the community because it’s offering educational and mentoring opportunities that are priceless. “Hope House is showing these young moms that they can have a bright future and can provide for themselves and their child,” she said. “I am glad that Hope House found Westminster to be a good fit because they offer the teen moms in our community hope for the future.” For more information on Hope House or volunteer opportunities, visit www.hopehouseofcolorado.org.
The owner of the world’s largest liquor stores, Daveco Liquors, must relinquish control of his store to an independent blind trust for two years due to his role in a multimillion dollar racketeering scheme that defrauded the city of Thornton as well as the Colorado Department of Revenue. The move, which would allow for a third-party trustee to eventually sell the business, is part of an 11-page Department of Revenue’s Liquor and Tobacco Enforcement Division agreement that names Daveco Liquors owner Hani “Henry” Sawaged, of Highlands Ranch, and his four brothers, Issam Sawaged, Ghassan D. Sawaged, Bassam D. Sawaged and Shafeek Sawaged as respondents. The family members also own Davidsons Liquors at 5555 Boatworks Drive in Highlands Ranch, but that store has not been implicated in the ruling. According to the Guinness Book of World Records website, the 100,073.1-square-foot Daveco Liquors store at 16434 Washington St. in Thornton opened on Nov. 18, 2006 and still holds the title for the world’s largest “off-license” liquor store. Denver District Attorney’s Office communications director Lynn Kimbrough said the Department of Revenue investigation into Daveco Liquors began in September 2008, when the city Auditor’s Office discovered inconsistencies in sales tax amounts reported to the city during a routine sales tax audit. The case was then turned over to the Thornton Police Department and the Colorado Department of Revenue, which found that Sawaged and his brothers logged fictitious merchandise returns and pocketed $5.4 million dollars in cash from Daveco Liquors from at least January 2007 through August 2008. In all, court documents state the underreporting and underpaying sales tax to the city of Thornton and to the Colorado Department of Revenue resulted in losses exceeding $1 million. Hani Sawaged pleaded guilty in November 2012 to violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act in Denver District Court and was sentenced to two years of supervised probation. Hani Sawaged was also ordered to pay $1.3 million in restitution to the state and the city of Thornton. In exchange for his guilty plea, the Denver District Attorney’s Office and Denver District Court dropped a total of 51 other felony charges against him, including 20 counts of filing false tax returns, three Daveco continues on Page 18