October 17, 2020
I am writing this column for my website to share some thoughts and move past a brief chapter of my life that I will remember both with pride and disappointment. I do not expect many people to read this column, but I am writing it for the record because that is something I enjoy doing.
In May of this past year, I lost my race for reelection to the Arvada Fire Board. First, and most importantly, I would like to thank those of you who supported me. I reached out to many people and many of you responded. Your support is very much appreciated. I was proud to hold the position It was a good experience.
First off, I want to express my concern about special district elections. They are not treated fairly by the two-party system. It does not make sense as to why special districts are not treated like other municipal elections. Comedian John Oliver once referred to special districts as “ghost government”. I think that goes too far but is fair criticism. Special districts are multi-million-dollar quasi-governmental agencies bigger than some small cities. Candidates and voters should be better focused on the issues and not reminding people to vote. If I had a dollar for every voter who told me they “vote in every election”, who never voted in a special district election, I could probably fund a big family vacation with money left over! I would like to encourage people to research special districts on their own and better understand their importance. I have expressed my opinion on this to many people in my party, including those in a position to make changes. For this, and other reasons, I have become disillusioned with the two-party system. I realize I join the ranks of many others. I also formally stated my views during the campaign. Special District boards, like City Councils, are public offices, not insider social clubs.
Due to the pandemic, we had the option of sending ballots to every voter in the district. It was the right thing to do, but I was outvoted four to one. Our Secretary of State has rightfully expressed concern about voter suppression. I hope she considers Special District elections on equal footing. That certainly has not been the case. The law should change. Special Districts should be part of the coordinated election in November.
I made other divisive votes during my term as a Fire Board Director especially over the last year and I stand by all of them. Our previous Chief was placed on administrative leave and we settled the matter. That was a decision we agreed on with the information we had. The fact that a few Directors withheld other information was deceptive, and manipulative in my opinion. The same goes for the attorneys who allowed this and reversed the legal “facts” they previously stated to provide all Directors the same information. Withholding and hiding facts that belong in the public domain OR to the elected bodies that govern organizations can be more deceptive than outright lies.
The issues that led to circumstances with hiring a new Chief went on too long. We acted and made the best decision we could. Our current Chief is certainly qualified, and he is his own person, but I maintain it would have been best to bring in a new Chief from outside the department to ensure we clear a new path. The department did hire a new deputy Chief and I think that was a good move.
Another disagreement that we never reached a consensus on was about the “chain of command”. I retired from a para-military organization and I understand there is a chain of command for operational procedures especially pertaining to the release of information. But I do not believe the chain of command is an excuse to cover up misconduct or malfeasance. Additionally, I do think that overly restricting free speech in the workplace will help the workplace. Not at all. It will just cause more problems in the long run.
Many of my colleagues know about some of the internal political issues. Getting the endorsement of the Firefighters, the IAFF, is a key factor in this is the election. It is part of the reason I won last time and lost this time. I believe the election numbers show that. The local did not endorse me this time because I opposed their position to start the merger process with the West Metro Fire Department. Nobody on the board supported the merger. In my case, I believe the local manufactured this dissent. I cannot prove this, and I could be wrong, and I am not exactly sure why. The obvious question is, why did they did not hold all the candidates to the same litmus test? Not only did they not do that, but they also made no attempt to do it. Any claim to the contrary is just false. Clear and obvious deception is indefensible to me.
I will always believe in the labor movement, but my respect for many of the people who pretend to be part of the cause has diminished it to a point of no return. I do not believe the labor movement will ever come back in this country, but I remain committed to its purpose.
At the start of the pandemic with people losing their jobs and homes, I was also outvoted four to one on giving pay raises to administrative staff. It was bad timing, excessive and unjustifiable based on the numbers and the circumstances.
To redirect, most of us know our nation is more divided than ever. It has been divided for a long time and it gotten worse.
Most recently this division has been magnified and defined mainly as racial injustice. I understand and support many of the Police reforms. I worked twenty-five behind the silver line in corrections and I support law enforcement, but the blue line needs to stay blue and not stained with blood.
It still disturbs me, however, that law enforcement has been maligned as a group. It also concerns me that violent protests and vandalism have sometimes been defined as peaceful. I support civil disobedience in times of change, not anarchy or crime. Efforts to abolish police departments deserve no platform.
I recently saw a clip from former labor secretary, Robert Reich, the State of the (Dis) Union. He talked about our nation’s division and described our division as “the byproduct of a rigged system”. He stated, “Democrats need to stand against the oligarchy”. I think (hope) my party will return to their roots and do this.
I was raised a Republican and switched parties many years ago because I do not believe my former party will ever level out corporate power with economic equality and employment rights. I worry about the stagnation and groupthink of the two-party system, but I will stay in the ring somewhere and weigh in like I am doing now.
Finally, during this pandemic, I wish all of you good health and safety. None of us have lived through times like these and my thoughts are with those who have lost family or friends. The economic impact has also been detrimental to many people.
An interesting, but not surprising concern for me is the jurisdictional disputes arising from government agencies at every level. Mayors claiming medical authority over Governors, and elected officials stating they should make decisions over the authority of local health departments, School districts acting on data from their own State or City. There are of course laws in place at different levels of government, but it always amazes me how different branches and bodies of government often think everything will be better if THEY are calling the shots. It certainly seems that political interpretations sometimes overrule medical data. This is certainly not unique to the government, but it is an important lesson in civics and empowerment. It helps explain why government sometimes fails and why moral relativity can turn to chaos.
The New Year will have increased meaning this year. Let us hope 2021 brings positive changes on many levels. Stay in touch.