| NEWS BLOG |
| Council Agenda Full For Tuesday Night (Nov. 20, 2012) Lightening Hybrids is coming back before Loveland's Council unable to repay their "jobs incentive" provided by the City of Loveland (another failed jobs incentive). Instead of complying with their agreement Lightening Hybrid wants to retrofit two city buses instead of paying back the cash they received as required under their current agreement. Supplement appropriations are also scheduled for votes on Tuesday night for Fire and Rescue and other departments as is common this time of year. Loveland's Investment policy to be amended upon second reading to drop a requirement that once investments graded AAA fall below that rating they don't need to be sold immediately. CEF's (Capital Expansion Fees) change amendments now proposing increases commercial increases (85% industrial 75% for commerical) while residential multi-family reduced by 30% |
LovelandPolitics
| Loveland's Independent News Source |
| Mayor Struggles For Relevancy After backing losing candidate Paul Mueller in a special election, Mayor Gutierrez is likely to get a new mayor pro tem tomorrow night who will not be his rubber stamp |
| Senior Councilman Daryle Klassen |
Loveland, November 19, 2012
Loveland's City Council is scheduled to vote tomorrow night for the city's mayor pro tem immediately after swearing-in
Dave Clark who won a contentious special election contest against local CPA Paul Mueller earlier this month.
Loveland's Mayor Pro Tem is elected from among the city's eight councilors, two elected from each of the city's four
wards, and the city's mayor who is elected citywide and has one vote on council. Following the resignation of the
city's prior Mayor Pro Tem from her council seat, Cathleen McEwen, the Loveland City Council deadlocked in trying to
select her replacement for the position once the number voting was eight instead of nine with four on each side. (see the
story from July 18).
While largely a ceremonial title, the mayor pro tem serves as the vice-mayor and presides over council meetings in the
mayor's absence. In addition, the mayor pro tem attends community events and ribbon cuttings on the city's behalf
when the mayor is unavailable. It is common practice in some cities for the mayor pro tem to attend meetings between
the city manager and mayor to set the agenda for full council meetings and to be copied on correspondence not
normally sent out to the entire city council.
A primary complaint by former Loveland Mayor Pro Tem Cathleen McEwen was her exclusion from the meetings
between City Manager Bill Cahill and Mayor Gutierrez prior to regular councilor meetings to decide on items for the
agenda. In addition, Mayor Gutierrez is reported to have asked to include Councilwoman Joan Shaffer, not Cathleen
McEwen, on various emails between he and City Manager Bill Cahill that were not copied to the entire council leaving
the impression he was willing to treat his first choice for Mayor Pro Tem as if she were acting in that position.
Tomorrow night the Loveland City Council is likely to elect Councilman Daryle Klassen as Loveland's next Mayor Pro
Tem as he received four votes last July while being tied with Councilman Ralph Trenary, the Mayor's choice for the
position. Mayor Gutierrez backed Paul Mueller in the special election against Dave Clark.
Gutierrez and a number of the Democrats he leads on Loveland's City Council are still bitter about Klassen appearing on
Fox News nationally in October of 2010 to denounce a controversial art exhibit in the Loveland Museum. Mayor
Gutierrez, Joan Shaffer and Ralph Trenary defended the use of city funds to promote and display illustrations of Jesus
Christ in lude and pornographic poses along with degrading caricatures of Catholic clergy in an effort to embarrass
Roman Catholics and Christians in general. Gutierrez, Shaffer and Trenary were defenders of the city's promotion and
endorsement of the exhibit thus trading angry words with Klassen during several public council meetings.
In addition, Shaffer credits Klassen with leaking the illegal secret voting she and others participated in when selecting
the city manager resulting in a lawsuit and $25,000 in attorney fees settlement the city reimbursed the Loveland Daily
Reporter-Herald newspaper. While there has been no confirmation of whether information was leaked from the secret
meetings to the newspaper, the tapes later released reveal Klassen stood alone on council in questioning the legality of
what was happening during the closed session while protesting the voting.
While four existing councilors already voted for Klassen to be Loveland's Mayor Pro Tem last July, LovelandPolitics
asked Dave Clark, now the newest member, who he would support for Mayor Pro Tem if elected to city council when
he was a candidate last September to which he replied,
"I do not know at this point who will be nominated. I do know that Daryle Klassen was nominated before and I
would support him if he was nominated again. Also, Hugh McKean has been (or maybe just mentioned) about
being nominated - I would support him if he were the one nominated. At this point, those are the only two that I
know that I would vote for."
Mayor's Political Relevance
While Loveland Councilor Cathleen McEwen was a political fellow traveller of Mayor Gutierrez on most issues, Daryle
Klassen is not and will likely provide somewhat of a contrast to Gutierrez on controversial issues if elected. Especially
troubling for Gutierrez is the fact city staff may seek out Klassen for consent on issues coming before council as
Klassen will be the highest ranking member of the council's new majority if elected Loveland's Mayor Pro Tem.
City staff pay close attention to alliances on city councils while seeking influence with the decision makers while at the
same time ignoring those of minority opinions who are unlikely to have any say in the final outcome of a council vote.
LovelandPolitics has learned Gutierrez has been re-assuring city staff that he has close and friendly ties with various
councilors counted now in the majority. While maybe he intends to reassure his comments only lend credibility to the
general belief he is now without a mandate of the majority of council and therefore quickly becoming politically
irrelevant.
Because Gutierrez now represents a minority view of a divided council his support of an issue will be of minor
consequence for the majority of those deciding the issue. This situation puts Mayor Gutierrez, the city's titular head, in
an awkward position as special interest groups or city departments hoping for council deference on any particular issue
cannot count on the Mayor to deliver for them no matter how emphatically he supports their cause or issue.
Naturally those seeking influence with council will now seek out anyone they believe can persuade his or her colleagues
in the final vote. Klassen, if elected Mayor Pro Tem, will likely find he is being called upon for advise and consent by
staff looking to place items on the city council meeting agenda or outside interests looking for influence with the
council's new majority.
Tuesday's meeting has a packed agenda and therefore will be an interesting first trial of Gutierrez presiding over a
council whose majority perceives him as their political foe. Past Loveland mayors have steered clear of partisan
politics out of fear of alienating those they need to work with on a local level. In this regard, Gutierrez has been a
pathfinder by pushing new boundaries in trying to manipulate the outcome of council races. Unfortunately for
Gutierrez, his recent foray into playing politics backfired and he will need to live with the consequences.
Loveland's City Council is scheduled to vote tomorrow night for the city's mayor pro tem immediately after swearing-in
Dave Clark who won a contentious special election contest against local CPA Paul Mueller earlier this month.
Loveland's Mayor Pro Tem is elected from among the city's eight councilors, two elected from each of the city's four
wards, and the city's mayor who is elected citywide and has one vote on council. Following the resignation of the
city's prior Mayor Pro Tem from her council seat, Cathleen McEwen, the Loveland City Council deadlocked in trying to
select her replacement for the position once the number voting was eight instead of nine with four on each side. (see the
story from July 18).
While largely a ceremonial title, the mayor pro tem serves as the vice-mayor and presides over council meetings in the
mayor's absence. In addition, the mayor pro tem attends community events and ribbon cuttings on the city's behalf
when the mayor is unavailable. It is common practice in some cities for the mayor pro tem to attend meetings between
the city manager and mayor to set the agenda for full council meetings and to be copied on correspondence not
normally sent out to the entire city council.
A primary complaint by former Loveland Mayor Pro Tem Cathleen McEwen was her exclusion from the meetings
between City Manager Bill Cahill and Mayor Gutierrez prior to regular councilor meetings to decide on items for the
agenda. In addition, Mayor Gutierrez is reported to have asked to include Councilwoman Joan Shaffer, not Cathleen
McEwen, on various emails between he and City Manager Bill Cahill that were not copied to the entire council leaving
the impression he was willing to treat his first choice for Mayor Pro Tem as if she were acting in that position.
Tomorrow night the Loveland City Council is likely to elect Councilman Daryle Klassen as Loveland's next Mayor Pro
Tem as he received four votes last July while being tied with Councilman Ralph Trenary, the Mayor's choice for the
position. Mayor Gutierrez backed Paul Mueller in the special election against Dave Clark.
Gutierrez and a number of the Democrats he leads on Loveland's City Council are still bitter about Klassen appearing on
Fox News nationally in October of 2010 to denounce a controversial art exhibit in the Loveland Museum. Mayor
Gutierrez, Joan Shaffer and Ralph Trenary defended the use of city funds to promote and display illustrations of Jesus
Christ in lude and pornographic poses along with degrading caricatures of Catholic clergy in an effort to embarrass
Roman Catholics and Christians in general. Gutierrez, Shaffer and Trenary were defenders of the city's promotion and
endorsement of the exhibit thus trading angry words with Klassen during several public council meetings.
In addition, Shaffer credits Klassen with leaking the illegal secret voting she and others participated in when selecting
the city manager resulting in a lawsuit and $25,000 in attorney fees settlement the city reimbursed the Loveland Daily
Reporter-Herald newspaper. While there has been no confirmation of whether information was leaked from the secret
meetings to the newspaper, the tapes later released reveal Klassen stood alone on council in questioning the legality of
what was happening during the closed session while protesting the voting.
While four existing councilors already voted for Klassen to be Loveland's Mayor Pro Tem last July, LovelandPolitics
asked Dave Clark, now the newest member, who he would support for Mayor Pro Tem if elected to city council when
he was a candidate last September to which he replied,
"I do not know at this point who will be nominated. I do know that Daryle Klassen was nominated before and I
would support him if he was nominated again. Also, Hugh McKean has been (or maybe just mentioned) about
being nominated - I would support him if he were the one nominated. At this point, those are the only two that I
know that I would vote for."
Mayor's Political Relevance
While Loveland Councilor Cathleen McEwen was a political fellow traveller of Mayor Gutierrez on most issues, Daryle
Klassen is not and will likely provide somewhat of a contrast to Gutierrez on controversial issues if elected. Especially
troubling for Gutierrez is the fact city staff may seek out Klassen for consent on issues coming before council as
Klassen will be the highest ranking member of the council's new majority if elected Loveland's Mayor Pro Tem.
City staff pay close attention to alliances on city councils while seeking influence with the decision makers while at the
same time ignoring those of minority opinions who are unlikely to have any say in the final outcome of a council vote.
LovelandPolitics has learned Gutierrez has been re-assuring city staff that he has close and friendly ties with various
councilors counted now in the majority. While maybe he intends to reassure his comments only lend credibility to the
general belief he is now without a mandate of the majority of council and therefore quickly becoming politically
irrelevant.
Because Gutierrez now represents a minority view of a divided council his support of an issue will be of minor
consequence for the majority of those deciding the issue. This situation puts Mayor Gutierrez, the city's titular head, in
an awkward position as special interest groups or city departments hoping for council deference on any particular issue
cannot count on the Mayor to deliver for them no matter how emphatically he supports their cause or issue.
Naturally those seeking influence with council will now seek out anyone they believe can persuade his or her colleagues
in the final vote. Klassen, if elected Mayor Pro Tem, will likely find he is being called upon for advise and consent by
staff looking to place items on the city council meeting agenda or outside interests looking for influence with the
council's new majority.
Tuesday's meeting has a packed agenda and therefore will be an interesting first trial of Gutierrez presiding over a
council whose majority perceives him as their political foe. Past Loveland mayors have steered clear of partisan
politics out of fear of alienating those they need to work with on a local level. In this regard, Gutierrez has been a
pathfinder by pushing new boundaries in trying to manipulate the outcome of council races. Unfortunately for
Gutierrez, his recent foray into playing politics backfired and he will need to live with the consequences.
| Loveland Mayor Cecil Gutierrez |