Politics & Government

The fallout continues following Mayor Michael Hancock’s apology for inappropriate texts sent to Denver police officer Leslie Branch-Wise. The scandal has led to veiled lawsuit threats from an attorney representing Wayne McDonald, a former Hancock pal who won $200,000 in a previous suit over over his 2012 firing from a position with the mayor; he’d supposedly made similarly problematic comments to Branch-Wise. And it’s also emboldened critics such as the Colorado Latino Forum’s Lisa Calderón, organizer of a March 7 march to call for his resignation. Nick Rogers, president of the Denver Police Protective Association, doesn’t go quite as far as Calderón. But he sees the Branch-Wise matter as another example of Hancock’s flawed leadership.

In a historic move, Thornton Democrat Steve Lebsock was expelled today by the Colorado House of Representatives in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment by at least eleven women, including Democratic colleague Representative Faith Winter.

The fallout has been considerable in the wake of Denver Mayor Michael Hancock’s apology for inappropriate texts sent to Denver police officer Leslie Branch-Wise. The latest example comes from an attorney representing Wayne McDonald, a former Hancock friend and onetime City of Denver employee who won a $200,000 settlement four years after filing a lawsuit over his 2012 firing, which had reportedly been prompted by “inappropriate comments” he’d made to Branch-Wise, then a part of the mayor’s security team. According to the lawyer, Milwaukee-based William Sulton, corresponding via email, Hancock told untruths about McDonald after sacking him, and in alluding to him during his video apology to Branch-Wise, “Mayor Hancock caused the same false statements to be published about Mr. McDonald.”

Colorado Coalition for the Homeless won a battle against the feds to utilize a lot in Lakewood to house the formerly homeless.

#TimeUPHancock protesters will meet at the front steps of the City and County building to call on Mayor Hancock to resign after he admitted to sending suggestive text messages to a former subordinate.

A new poll shows Mike Coffman trailing Jason Crow. But there’s plenty of time for Coffman to make up ground.

The fallout from Denver Mayor Michael Hancock’s apology for inappropriate texts sent to Denver police detective Leslie Branch-Wise when she was on his security detail in 2011 and 2012 has been fast, furious and, at times, contradictory. Hancock has been lambasted by two different police organizations and chided by powerful politicos, with one former city council member calling on him to resign. Meanwhile, the City of Denver has announced that it is developing new sexual harassment training for city employees even though Hancock continues to insist that he didn’t sexually harass Branch-Wise, and the head of a notorious Denver prostitution ring says the mayor was a client.

On the evening of February 27, around the same time that Denver Mayor Michael Hancock issued a video apology for inappropriate text messages sent to a Denver police officer, representatives for KC Becker, the Colorado House of Representative’s majority leader, publicly issued documents about alleged impropriety by Representative Steve Lebsock, a Thornton Democrat accused of sexually harassing at least eleven women, including fellow rep Faith Winter and lobbyist Holly Tarry. One passage maintains that Lebsock said to one complainant, “Don’t you need a fuck buddy? I need a fuck buddy.”

Last night, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock issued an extraordinary video apology for what his office has termed “inappropriate behavior” toward Denver Police Detective Leslie Branch-Wise when she was part of his security detail approximately six years ago. The clip, on view below, was prompted by Branch-Wise’s participation in a Denver7 report in which she shared text messages from Hancock, one of which asked if she’d ever taken a pole-dancing course before warning her, “Be careful! I’m curious;)!”

Attorney Jason Flores-Williams provides an update on the federal lawsuit in which thousands of people experiencing homelessness are suing Denver for violating their constitutional rights during sweeps.

Mike Coffman is likely facing his toughest electoral challenge since 2011 redistricting. But if he prevails, he will finally firmly solidify himself in his swingy congressional district.

A complaint alleges that Denver City Council President Albus Brooks used city resources via Twitter to promote a campaign fundraiser. But Brooks argues no one but he controls @AlbusBrooksD9.

At 10:30 a.m. today, February 23, members of several Indivisible groups along the urban corridor will be both outside and inside Senator Cory Gardner’s Denver office, at 721 19th Street, to protest what they see as his tone-deafness when it comes to the need for gun legislation of the sort students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida began calling for in the wake of the February 14 shooting there.

The local March for Our Lives is being organized by Tay Anderson, a nineteen-year-old activist who has emerged in recent months as a prominent voice in the Mile High City.

Tickets go on sale Friday, February 23.

Republicans in the state Senate want to be clear about one thing: they are not anti-civil rights. Even though they clearly voted 3-3 along party lines in the powerful Joint Budget Committee to defund the Colorado Civil Rights Division and its commission, Republicans say not to worry; they intend to revisit the issue. But that’s of course after they have their way with the state agency. Here are the reforms they are calling for in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court case against Lakewood baker Jack Phillips.

Republicans on the powerful joint-budget committee voted on Thursday to withhold funding from the Colorado Civil Rights Division, which is charged with investigating and enforcing anti-discrimination cases across the state. With the agency facing a sunset review this year, Republicans are keen on holding agency funding hostage to restructure the agency. This comes right in the midst of a U.S. Supreme Court lawsuit between a same-sex couple and a Colorado baker who refused to make their wedding cake.

Since November, several sexual harassment claims have surfaced against sitting members of the Colorado General Assembly on both sides of the political aisle. This time, Denver House Democrat Susan Lontine has publicly accused Senate colleague Larry Crowder of pinching her butt and making inappropriate comments.

After years of working with and for the Democratic Party, Saira Rao has had enough with the party establishment, and she’s taking on Colorado’s longest-serving congresswoman to combat civil rights and progressive issues.

Last night, February 8, Denver’s Buell Theater was ground zero for the opposition to President Donald Trump, as a raucous, sold-out house reacted with politically charged enthusiasm during a tour stop by Pod Save America, arguably the hottest podcast in America.