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Politics is always an entertaining subject, and it’s usually doubly-entertaining when you start talking about small town politics. Take this story from The Pikes Peak Courier View, for example:
Victor Mayor Serena E. Bielz arrived at her office at city hall to begin work the morning of April 30 only to find she had been locked out of the building by city clerk Dan Delaney and city employee Sandy Honeycutt.
Get ahead of holiday shopping this year!Gift 12 issues of 5280 magazine for just $16 »Bielz was elected mayor April 24 after former mayor Kathy Justice was voted out of office in a recall. Bielz received the most votes of the three candidates vying to replace Justice. She was sworn in Friday.
Delaney refused to give the new mayor keys to city hall and its offices. Locks had been changed Friday while Bielz attended a post-swearing-in reception.
When Delaney briefly opened the door to the city hall front desk area, he said, “I have no comment. I’ll be writing my own article.” He then let in councilwoman Lonesa Wyatt and locked the door behind her.
By mid-morning, with the help of local police and with councilman Don Daniel observing, Bielz gained admittance to her office, only to find all of the mayor’s files had been removed. Only the furniture remained. In addition, the office of budget and finance, which opens into the mayor’s office, had been emptied even of its furniture.
Delaney continued to refuse Bielz admittance to the city clerk’s office, allegedly saying he would file criminal trespass charges against her. Wyatt said the mayor had met with Delaney, Honeycutt and chief Baker with Daniel present. Wyatt also said Honeycutt has been placed on administration leave.
There’s a lot of funny stuff here, including this classic line from City Clerk Dan Delaney: “I have no comment. I’ll be writing my own article.” Uh, what do you mean you’ll be “writing your own article?” Is The Pikes Peak Courier View going to publish it?
My favorite part of the story, however, is the picture of Mayor Bielz and a Victor City police officer posing in front of the locked door to the city offices. They’re so nonchalant about being locked out of the city offices, as though it’s no big deal. I can only imagine Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper standing outside the city and county building hoping someone will let him inside. Do they not have a locksmith in Victor City? I assume this isn’t the only door to the office, since the article says that all of the furniture was removed from the office of budget and finance. Did nobody think to check the back door?
We don’t get the answers to these questions from the Courier View as the story ends with a curiously out-of-place quote from Mayor Bielz: “The police, water, wastewater, streets and fire departments are all doing a wonderful job and continuing to work with the new administration.” As far as she knows, anyway, since she can’t get into the office.