Thornton Civic Observatory

Tag: commentary

  • Council Candidate Forum Commentary: Political Violence & Political Dialogue

    The League of Women Voters of Adams County hosted a city council candidate dialogue on 9/24.

    The first question had all the candidates condemning “political violence” in response to the statement that Mayor Kulmann feels unsafe at city events.

    The unspoken context of the question is that Kulmann made the claim about safety in regard to her long-running beef with a local protester.

    The question did not ask what should happen when an elected official intentionally creates a violation of her own protection order, using city police to arrest a political opponent only for the district attorney’s office to choose not to prosecute a case that wouldn’t hold up in court.

    The question also did not ask how transphobic and other anti-LGBTQIA sentiments expressed by council members increase the risk of violence against community members.

    If candidates and incumbents want to have an actual dialogue on political violence, by all means. It is clear some do not.

    Incumbent and unopposed Ward 1 candidate Cherish Salazar did suggest that more dialogue between council members and residents would help lower the temperature.

    Why is a more honest dialogue important?

    For one, Salazar is right. Kulmann and her conservative allies consistently dodge engaging their critics in any sort of public, on-the-record dialogue.

    A commitment to dialogue would also stand up to the broader anti-democratic currents in our society, such as Stephen Miller declaring free speech by political enemies of the state as unlawful.

    As Miller demonstrates, the accusation of political violence can itself become a weapon, rationalizing unconstitutional action against political enemies.

    Authoritarianism redefines nonviolent dissent as incitement to violence while justifying its own violence against dissidents as lawful, moral, and necessary.

    When candidates condemn “political violence,” what exactly are they condemning?

    Which candidates believe, along with Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon, that the state should suppress political speech in the name of stopping political violence?

    How do candidates envision democracy and dissent working, and more importantly, where have they demonstrated a public record of engaging productively in dialogue and deliberation across political difference?

  • Commentary: Questions for State House Representative Jacque Phillips

    HD-31 State House Representative Jacque Phillips (D) spoke at the 6/10 Thornton City Council meeting’s audience participation.

    She urged constituents to give her input before proposed legislation gets to her committees (Education and Transportation, Housing & Local Government):

    It’s important, if you’re watching legislation or you have concerns when we get back in session in January, if you can come to me before committee. That’s super helpful because then we can do amendments in committee (49:00).

    Why is she making this request?

    Beyond the stated rationale of offering amendments, this request may be in response to the defeat of HB25-1142, which died after negative committee testimony that apparently surprised Phillips.

    Whatever the reasoning, the request raises several questions:

    • Where will Phillips be publishing all versions of all legislation that may come before her committees with deadlines for when input is most helpful?
      • As bills are already being drafted by lobbyists, when is the earliest constituents can have access to the draft language?
    • How else will Phillips be supporting constituents in learning about proposed legislation on the timeline she proposes?
    • How can constituents do this review work in ways respectful of their time given that they lack access to paid lobbyists?
      • What advocacy groups can the representative recommend constituents work with, including groups who might oppose her positions on any given bill?
    • If voters do not become aware of a bill until just before a committee hearing, what options do they have for input?
    • What is the role of hearing testimony? And how does testimony differ from input constituents should provide before a bill reaches a committee?

  • Thornton Decides 2025 – Commentary for April

    Yesterday’s post reviewed information about city council candidates.

    Today’s post provides some commentary.

    Having multiple Democratic Party-aligned candidates within one ward race could split the vote so that a Republican-aligned candidate wins.

    Municipal races are non-partisan, so there will be no primaries. Candidates will not be identified by party on the ballot, but a review of campaign finance records helps clarify their affiliations.

    With the special election of Cherish Salazar in Ward 1 last month, Mayor Kulmann’s conservative alliance lost its majority, so there may be pushback from that quarter in the election.

    As the election gets closer, we can expect independent expenditure committees (IECs) to flood the city with ads.

    Candidates with the most financial backing from IECs may not be the best candidates for their ward as a whole.

    In recent years, the Thornton city government has favored business interests that have not produced quality employment or affordable housing for city residents. That may be changing.

    The council’s strategic planning session at the start of the year indicated a commitment to more mixed-use development, which would include more affordable housing and more jobs.

    However, that commitment resulted from voter pressure that has shrunk the conservative majority on the council in recent elections. The council’s support in this area will gain strength as the city elects candidates who are strongly aligned with that strategic goal.

    Salazar faced a flood of IEC mailers, yet she managed to win due in no small part to her engagement with the community.

    In those ward races with multiple candidates whose policies overlap, candidates should consider consolidating behind one candidate ahead of the onslaught of propaganda from wealthy interests.