Gerald Styron, Denver mayoral candidate, once threatened to bring a gun to Westword

A fourteenth hopeful has entered the Denver mayor's race, and we're disappointed we had to read about Gerald Styron's candidacy somewhere else first. As Facethestate.comreports, when Styron was a write-in candidate for then-incumbent Rick Garcia's District 1 City Council slot in 2007, he asked a Westword editor if he had...

By Patricia Calhoun

February 3, 2011

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A fourteenth hopeful has entered the Denver mayor's race, and we're disappointed we had to read about Gerald Styron's candidacy somewhere else first. As Facethestate.comreports, when Styron was a write-in candidate for then-incumbent Rick Garcia's District 1 City Council slot in 2007, he asked a Westword editor if he had to bring a gun to the office to get press.

Clearly, no: Showing up at our office on a scooter, his straggly beard blowing in the breeze, Styron had no problem catching our eye, or our ear when he dropped off a CD of campaign songs to go with his crackpot flier. But he was also carrying a serious grudge that he hadn't been included in Kenny Be's campaign cartoon that week. "Don't take this the wrong way," he said, "but what do I have to do to get your attention? Bring a gun?"

This round, Gerald, all you have to do is contact Michael Roberts, who is interviewing all the mayoral candidates.

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to the next mayoral debate. But leave the gun at home.

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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