"Councilman's Actions 'Troubling'"

by Bill Simpson

(Guest Editorial, The Golden Transcript 11/20/98)

Webb Aldrich's arrest for drunken driving, disobeying a police order, failure to provide proof of insurance, and possession of drug paraphernalia is a display of bad form rarely equaled in Golden politics. Nevertheless, Aldrich's punishment for his alleged actions should not be meted out by the Golden City Council. Rather, the matter should be settled in criminal court and by Aldrich's constituents who are fully justified in mounting a recall petition based on his performance on city council.

What is more troubling is: (a) Aldrich's and city manager Mike Bestor's decision not to inform our city council of the councilman's scrape with the law and (b) an apparent double standard on the part of a majority on city council with respect to investigations of possible violations of the city's Ethics Code.

First, the facts of Mr. Aldrich's arrest were undoubtedly embarrassing to the councilman. But in keeping these facts under wraps Aldrich and Bestor created conditions under which Aldrich's vote on the Golden City Council could potentially have been compromised. Suppose, for instance, that an unscrupulous person with business pending before council had come to know Aldrich's secret. The secrecy itself might well create the circumstances for wrongdoing. Deliberately creating such a climate shows bad judgment.

Second, during Aldrich's arrest, a Golden city employee attempted to influence Colorado State Patrol officers by stating that Aldrich was a Golden politician and by attempting to contact Golden Police Chief Russ Cook. However, section 2.32.110 of the City of Golden's Ethics Code reads: "No official shall grant any special consideration, treatment, or advantage to any person other than that which is available to every other person." Once again, we see people associated with Mr. Aldrich acting, albeit unsuccessfully, to create circumstances for improper behavior.

Conspicuously absent in the Transcript's story on Aldrich's arrest are assurances from City Manager Mike Bestor, Mayor Jan Schenck, or City Attorney Jim Windholz that they had confirmed that Mr. Aldrich had not sought or engaged in any special pleading on his own behalf. It would seem that they accepted Aldrich's account of the incident at face value.

Yet back in May of this year six members of council were prepared to hire a special council to investigate councilman Brian Starling because Starling had (legally) spoken to the city prosecuting attorney about his concern that a politically active constituent would not receive a fair hearing in Golden's municipal court. The attempt to overturn the will of the voters fizzled, and Councilman Starling graciously chose not to sue the city for malicious prosecution. Yet six months ago, less than three months before his arrest, Webb Aldrich was among Councilman Starling's most vehement inquisitors. Hence, the appearance of a double standard.

During his tenure Webb Aldrich has dutifully supported the developer and corporate welfare interests favored by the majority on the Golden City Council. One wonders how Mr. Aldrich would have fared had he been less wired into Golden's good old boy network.

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