Pony Up

Give that man a raise!

This past summer, Denver City Councilwoman Rosemary Rodriguez had discussed putting a measure on this same November ballot that would have changed the commission structure from an appointed director working for three elected commissioners to a single election clerk and recorder, but she decided to postpone the idea. Next time, council may just want to have the city elect an official proofreader.

But back to the bear that's pushing 1A. In the last commercial in the blue-bear series, its head comes off to revealŠMayor Hickenlooper, second only to the bear as the most overused mascot this election season. And while Hick did his own skydiving -- albeit tethered to a later airbrushed-out instructor -- for the pro-C and D campaign ad, a stunt dancer was definitely employed for this one.

It won't be the last we see of the bear, either. According to Rich Grant, spokesman for the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau -- who initially insisted that the blue bear starring in the commercials could be just any bear, and not just a riff on Argent's creation -- the blue bear will continue after the November 1 vote as a symbol for Denver tourism.

You deserve a break today: The McMad Neighbors weren't lovin' it. But now that the much-vilified McDonald's has opened at the corner of East Colfax Avenue and Krameria Street, many others are.

The burger palace made its debut last weekend to little fanfare -- or fighting. Over the past year, McMad yard signs had sprouted all over Park Hill, south City Park and Mayfair, where neighbors vehemently opposed having yet another drive-thru in their midst. Instead, they wanted more mixed-use development, with restaurants and retail on the bottom floor of a building and office and residential on the top floors -- much like the Main Street Zoning plan, which is being tested farther west on Colfax. But in March, the city zoning department approved the McDonald's application, and in July the Board of Adjustment overruled the neighborhood group's appeal.

The resulting restaurant is quite a feat of modern fast-food design. Instead of a Playland, the exterior features patio furniture and a bronze fountain that depicts children playing with a fireman's hose. Inside, another whimsical sculpture graces the well-appointed dining area. This is the Palm of McDonald's outlets. And customers have gone out of their way to thank the franchise owners for making the place look so good, says its manager.

But some neighbors still want to have it their way -- and two dozen of them have a lawsuit pending in district court against the city, McDonald's, the franchisee and the developer. "We think that is nothing but a veneer," McMad Neighbor John Lebsack says of the joint's impressive looks. "The real impact on the neighborhood has not been addressed at all. They didn't put any kind of buffer between the parking lot and the apartment houses. We asked for landscaping thereŠand the lights are horrendous. We're trying to deal with the city to see if there's something we can do with the lights."

All we need is love.