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January 10, 2014 Douglas County, Colorado | Volume 12, Issue 11 A publication of
parkerchronicle.net
School board member resigns Justin Williams cites desire to spend more time with family By Jane Reuter jreuter@coloradocommunitymedia.com Douglas County School Board Member Justin Williams stepped down from his post Jan. 6, saying he wants to fulfill a new year’s resolution to spend more time with his family. Williams had filed with the Colorado Secretary of State as a candidate for House District 44, but said he is not moving forward with that effort.
“I am in the process of withdrawing my filing to run for that seat,” he wrote in an email. “I am not running. I need to be a dad, something I have some room for improvement in.” The seat presently is held by Chris Holbert, who is running for the District 30 Senate seat, currently occupied by Ted Harvey. Williams In a news release issued by the Douglas County School District, Williams said, “I have served on the board for over six years and have really enjoyed being a part of such a wonderful school district
with excellent people. “It is time to spend my time focusing on my primary role as a husband and a father to my five children. I am very proud of the work we have accomplished and will always cherish it.” Williams, who represents the Parker area in District F, was first elected to the board in 2007. He was re-elected in 2011, and his second term was set to expire in November 2015. School board president Kevin Larsen, also quoted in the email, said the process to replace Williams will begin after the board formally accepts Williams’ resignation during its Jan. 21 meeting. “Our first priority is to thank Justin for
his service, his passion, and his unwavering commitment to DCSD,” wrote Larsen. “We regret that he will be unable to complete his term. “At our next meeting, the board will discuss a resolution to outline the process for replacing director Williams. I expect that we will set forth a process that includes an application and interview.” Williams, an executive with the Denver branch of the technology company Long View Systems, did not return calls requesting further comment. Douglas County Commissioner Jack Hilbert also has filed as a candidate for House District 44.
A case of Denver déjà vu? Last year’s battles will surface again this legislative session By Vic Vela
vvela@coloradcommunitymedia.com
U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Lucas Crowe, front row third from left, stands with his unit at Camp Bastion, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The 2001 Chaparral High School graduate is in the midst of his third deployment. Courtesy photo by Cpl. Ashley E. Santy
Marine talks about life overseas Staff Sgt. Lucas Crowe stationed in Afghanistan By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@ coloradocommunitymedia.com Hollywood movies that depict heroics on the battlefield sometimes fail to give credit to the supporting cast of characters. Both at home and abroad, hundreds of thousands of Marines, airmen, sailors and soldiers perform their duties behind the scenes, without much fanfare. More often than not, the recognition they receive comes strictly from loved ones, as well as the “family” with whom they serve alongside. Marine Staff Sgt. Lucas Crowe is one of them. The 2001 Chaparral High School graduate deployed to Afghanistan over the summer and is tasked with one of the most important duties imaginable: equipping aircraft with survival gear. “I’m the person that makes sure that if that plane ever crashes, people are living afterwards,” said Crowe, who is stationed at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. That means making sure there are enough helmets, life rafts, parachutes, life preservers and oxygen masks for ev-
eryone on board, not to mention ensuring emergency communication systems are functional. Though it’s rare for flight survival equipment to be used, the gear that Crowe packed while station in Miramar, Calif., saved one F-18 pilot’s life when he ejected after an engine failed. That pilot, per unwritten code, thanked Crowe with a bottle of whiskey. The responsibility is immense and “attention to detail is what it boils down to,” said Crowe, who served as a Marine recruiter at Chaparral, Ponderosa and Legend high schools in 2012. “You have to make sure when you sign off, you’re saying it’s good and it will work if needed.” During a Jan. 7 phone call from Camp Bastion, the married father of two described the boredom involved with being stationed in a desolate foreign land. There are days when there is no work, and Crowe and the 76 Marines in his squadron are left to fill the time. They read books, play video games and endlessly watch full seasons of TV shows. They also built a gym and have taken to the Insanity Workout; Crowe says at 30, he is considered a “grandpa” by the younger Marines and tries hard to keep up. But with downtime comes a few doses of excitement. Depending on the inspection cycle, the crew can be swamped. Crowe, who oversees a six-
member flight equipment staff, doublechecks to make sure everything is secured and systems are up to date. Crowe is in charge of C-130 equipment, and if the plane is traveling over the ocean, for example, he will include extra life rafts. Camp Bastion is the base of operations for a C-130 fixed with missiles. Those at the base are on call 24/7 and fly around waiting for a phone call that will give the pilots their coordinates. “We get letters from units on the ground that have been pinned down, and they suddenly have these missiles come out of nowhere and take out the enemy,” Crowe said. Even though it’s his third deployment, missing birthdays and holidays is still tough, but Crowe will be back home at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina within the next two months. The base is currently short a few Marines as a few squadrons traveled to the Philippines to help with typhoon relief efforts. Crowe was among those who responded to hard-hit areas of the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina made landfall in 2005. He worked three days straight, tossing life rafts to survivors from a helicopter. There might not be a lot of glory in the work, but Crowe is content in knowing he and his fellow Marines are making a difference.
Going into this year’s legislative session, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle insist that their next 120 days of work will focus on jobs and the economy. But the reality is that Democrats and Republicans will spend a good portion of their time refighting old battles inside the Capitol. Polarizing issues from last year’s session — rural energy mandates; oil and gas industry regulations; election reform; and, yes, gun control — will be debated again. It’s enough to make Yogi Berra proud, because a good portion of this year’s session will seem like deja vu all over again. “When you look at the outcry from the last session, there are some things that need to be looked at again,” said Senate Minority Leader Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs. “And we will have an opportunity to fix them.” Republicans will sponsor bills that seek to undo a Democrat-sponsored gun control package that was placed into law following last year’s session. The package led to new laws that created universal background checks on gun sales; limited the amount of ammunition that a highcapacity magazine can hold; and restricted domestic violence offenders’ access to guns. But Democratic leaders aren’t interested in having the same gun debates from last session, ones that led to emotionallycharged testimony and marathon committee hearings and floor votes. “We’re ready to move forward in Colorado and solve the problems that people are telling us we need to solve,” said House Speaker Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver. “We don’t need to rehash the same fights we fought over last year.” But Democrats won’t have much a choice. Besides gun legislation, Cadman Denver continues on Page 11
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