DENVER WEEKLY NEWSDENVER WEEKLY NEWSVolume 39 Number 36 October 21 - 27, 2010

This year's election day falls on Nov.

2 but early voting began locally on

Monday at 13 service centers in the

Metro area, three of which lie in north-

east Denver: the Blair Caldwell

African American Research Library,

2401 Welton St.; Hiawatha Davis Rec

Center, 3334 Holly St. and the Mont-

bello Rec Center, 15555 E. 53rd Ave.

Voters will decide on a number of pro-

posed amendments, propositions and

ordinances in addition to choosing

amongst candidates running for sev-

eral state offices.

The most high profile race is that for

the governor's seat, sought after by the

top three contenders: Denver Mayor

John Hickenlooper (Democrat), Tom

Tancredo (American Constitution

Party) and Dan Maes (Republican).

Other races of note include: the U.S.

Senate seat with candidates Michael

Bennet (D) and Ken Buck (R). Con-

gressional District 1: Diana Degette

(D) vs. Mike Fallon (R); Dist 6: Mike

Coffman (R) vs. John Flerlage (D)

and Dist. 7: Ryan Frazier (R) vs. Ed

Perlmutter.

In state races, Senate seat Dist. 33

has two Democrats, Mike Johnston

and write-in candidate Renee Blan-

chard running against Republican

Lisa Rangle. Dist. 34: Lucia Guzman

(D) vs. Derec Shules (R). House of

Representatives Dist. 7: Angela

Williams (D) vs. Pauline Olvera (R);

Dist. 8: Beth McCann (D) vs.

Therese-Marie O'Sullivan (R); Au-

rora's Dist. 42: Rhonda Fields (D) vs.

Sally Mounier R) and running in the

RTD Dist. B Director's race: Barbara

Deadwyler, Miller Hudson and

Melvin Bush.

Ten measures also appear on this

year's ballot, each summarized in the

2010 State Ballot Information Book

(SBIB). NOTE: Voters are encour-

aged to read the SBIB booklet for

themselves and consider the pros and

cons of each measure prior to casting

their vote.

Amendment P: Regulation of

Games of Chance: If passed would

amend the state Constitution to allow

legislators to choose the Department

of Revenue to handle administration

of bingo games and raffles conducted

by non-profit organizations. The Rev-

enue Dept. currently oversees casino

gambling and licensing and operates

the state lottery.

Amendment Q: Temporary loca-

tion for State Seat of Government

– will allow temporary relocation of

government headquarters in cases of

extreme emergency.

Amendment R: Exempt Posses-

sory Interest in Real Property – will

eliminate property taxes for people or

businesses which use government

property for private benefit which

amounts to $6,000 or less. Property

taxes fund local services related to ed-

ucation, public safety, maintenance of

streets, highways and bridges, recre-

ation centers, parks, hospitals and li-

braries. Government owned

properties are exempt from taxation

but any income (referred to as Pos-

sessory Interest [PI]), a person or busi-

ness receives from the property is

subject to tax. If passed, starting in

2012, this amendment will make PI

tax exempt if the amount does not ex-

ceed the above stated limit.

Amendment 60: Property Taxes –

Changes or reduces property tax pay-

ments to school districts, counties,

special districts, cities and towns. Cur-

rently, state school districts and coun-

ties receive 77% of the total amount

of property taxes collected. Per SBIB,

some school districts have a property

tax “for operating schools and a sepa-

rate property tax to repay loans.” This

amendment would require that all dis-

tricts “cut their 2011 property tax rate

for operating schools in half by 2020.”

The loss of financial assistance from

the tax will be replaced each year with

funding from the state.(Voting "yes"

indicates your approval of these prop-

erty tax reductions.)

Amendment 61: Limits on State

and Local Government Borrowing

– Starting in 2011, the state govern-

ment no longer can take out loans “in

any form” and local governments

may only do so with voter approval.

Currently, such approval from resi-

dents is not required. The law would

also require a reduction in taxes after

the full repayment of current loans and

at today's rates, this would result in a

$200 million reduction statewide and

$940 million in local areas. Per SBIB,

the state averages $2.9 billion in loans

yearly and spends $2 billion to repay.

Local governments average $4.9 bil-

lion in borrowing and spend $4.3 bil-

lion to repay. Additionally, the

measure requires that repayment of

new loans take place within 10 years,

whereas the term limits on existing

loans fall between 20 and 30 years.

(Voting "yes" indicates your approval

that there should be limits or a restric-

tion on future loans taken out by state

and local governments.)

Amendment 62: Application of

the term Person – Controversial due

to its possible impact on abortion

rights, this measure would make it law

to acknowledge “that a new human

life is created at the beginning of bio-

logical development” and the law

Continued on page 3

Election Day 2010What's on your ballot?

By Adeeba Folami

Obama to

Black Press:

"I still needyour help."

By J. Coyden Palmer

NNPA - Chicago Crusader -After

nearly two years in office and his sup-

port within the Black community still

high but dropping, President Barack

Obama held his first press conference

via telephone with Black newspapers.

The 25-minute teleconference on Oc-

tober 18 gave the nation’s first African

American president the opportunity to

speak to the demographic that sup-

ported him the most during his 2008

victory. Obama used the time to cam-

paign for support in the upcoming mid-

term elections, tout the

accomplishments that have been made

thus far by his administration and listen

to a few of the concerns the Black

community has raised about his ad-

ministration.

Obama began by speaking to the phi-

losophy of his campaign, “Change,”

saying it is important for the same en-

ergy that swept the community during

Continued on page 7

Montbello, NE

neighborhoods

put fight back

in motion over

“Disastrous”DPS school

‘Turnaround’

PlansSpecial to the

Denver Weekly News

By Roger K. Clendening

Residents representing neighbor-

hoods in Northeast and far North-

east Denver last night called on

Denver Public Schools (DPS) to

put the brakes on “disastrous turn-

around” plans for Montbello High

School and northeast feeder

schools or face a rebellion from

citizen-taxpayers that could in-

clude a boycott of DPS schools.

Black, Hispanic and Anglo resi-

dents, from Montbello, Green Val-

ley Ranch, and neighborhoods in

northeast, southeast and southwest

Denver, met for hours Wednesday

night at the Denver Broncos Boys

& Girls Club to craft strategy and

tactics in the war to stave off what

many of them maintain is more

than an educational plan they see

as “disastrous” for current and fu-

ture residents.

Using millions in taxpayer-fi-

nanced but Obama administration

“turnaround” dollars, DPS says it

will shut down Montbello High

School’s comprehensive configu-

ration, replacing it with a 9-12

grade collegiate prep academy for

150 to 200 students per grade that

will grow one grade per year; co-

locate a new Denver Center for

International Studies 6-12 grade

magnet school within the build-

ing; and add a “high tech” early

college.

Shut Montbello down “disas-

trously,” just like what DPS did at

Manual High School, one neigh-

borhood leader remarked, adding

that fellow taxpayers committed

to progressive rather than “disrup-

Continued on page 4

Betty Funderburke, an Aurora

businesswoman, has been

awarded Toastmaster Inter-

national’s highest achievement, Dis-

tinguished Toastmaster (DTM). The

award is the culmination of her four

years of participation as a member of

a number of Aurora local toastmas-

ters clubs. To earn the DTM (the

highest designation awarded by

Toastmasters International), Betty had

to give 40+ speeches and executed a

number of leadership projects. Two

of her favorite speeches were “An-

gels” and “Creation.” While serving

as District Secretary in 2009-2010,

she and her sister, Elinora Reynolds

co-sponsored a new toastmasters club

in Aurora – Absolutely Articulate

Toastmasters Club # 1272692.

Proudly joining her younger sister,

Elinora Reynolds who earned her

DTM in 2009, these sassy sisters con-

tinue to stand out in the Aurora com-

munity as role models and leaders.

“I credit God, my parents, and our

good family rearing in Kansas City,

Missouri where I was encouraged to

speak up and help others as key fac-

tors that have made an impact on my

life,” says Funderburke who works

as a Host Home provider for devel-

opmentally and mentally challenged

adults.

The sassy sisters are members of 5

local clubs including the Absolutely

Articulate Club, Aurorators Club, Or-

biting Toasters Club, Simply Speak-

ing Club and Toast-a-Matics Club.

After joining Toastmasters Interna-

tional in 2003, Elinora encouraged

her sister, Betty to join 3 years later.

In 2009, Elinora (a local event planner

and grant writer) was named Area

Governor of the Year and in 2010,

Betty was named Toastmaster of the

Year in her home club.

Toastmasters International is a non-

profit educational organization that

teaches communication and leader-

ship skills through a worldwide net-

work of clubs. Absolutely Articulate

Toastmasters Club meets on the 2nd

and 4th Saturday of every month at

8:45 am at the Life Care Center of

Aurora

Denver Weekly News Thursday, October 21, 2010 Page 4

Don’t keep your business a secret ... advertise it!

Call DWN at 303-292-5158

Betty

Funderburke

is

Absolutely

Articulate

State | Local News

“Disastrous”DPS school

‘Turnaround’

PlansContinued from page 1

tive” DPS school changes need

to remember the history of Black

and Brown citizens around the

country who often had to resort to

boycotts as an effective way to get

what they deemed was the most

equitable public education serv-

ices for their children and grand-

children.

Moreover, “This is not just about

education,” insisted Ron Bush, a

long-time DPS employee who

also owns real estate in Montbello

and Green Valley Ranch. “It’s

about gentrification and capital-

ization,” he explained.

Pay attention to shifting and

often declining values of homes in

Montbello and Green Valley

Ranch, and how folks will “still”

be getting offers for thousands

more than their homes are ap-

praised, Bush warned. Already, he

noted, there are examples of

homes getting sales offers of

$150,000 more than their ap-

praised value.

Remember, he said, who owns

Green Valley Ranch. “Oakwood

Homes,” his neighbors chimed in.

Why do you suppose Oakwood

Homes “adopted” Montbello High

School years ago, one neighbor

was heard to ask rhetorically.

In an interview with DWN after

the meeting, a DPS employee who

requested anonymity out of fear of

retribution by DPS, spoke, too, of

the real estate issues related to

DPS plans, and said she would an-

swer that question this way:

“Because these disastrous DPS

changes – part of larger plans to

privatize public education by busi-

nesses who will recapitalize with

our school tax dollars – will better

enable DPS and business to

cleanse those schools, and these

neighborhoods, of Blacks and

Browns steered years ago to

Montbello and Green Valley

Ranch from Five Points and Park

Hill to help gentrify those neigh-

borhoods.”

Students, teachers, parents, and

other residents committed to pro-

gressive, transformative changes

in DPS schools, rather than the so-

called “turnaround” plans for

Montbello and its feeder schools,

were urged to speak out at up-

coming DPS meetings:

➢ DPS’s “final report” to the

community on these proposals is

set for 6:00pm on Oct. 26 at

Rachel B. Noel Middle School,

5290

Kittredge St. in Denver.

➢ DPS Board, 900 Grant St. -

November 8 - Special Public

Comment on Turnaround Recom-

mendations (Note: No time listed

on

the DPS website. Call 720-

423-3210 to get the time of this

“Public Comment on Turnaround

Recommendations”) meeting

➢ DPS Board - November 15 -

Work Session 4:30 - 8:30pm

➢ DPS - November 18 - Regular

Meeting 5:00 - 6:30pm Public

Hearing 6:30 - 7:30p

(This is the meeting during

which Board is scheduled to vote

the Turnaround Recommenda-

tions for Montbello and others

schools “Up” or “Down.” To get

your name on the roster to speak

at this meeting “for” or “against”

the recommendations, you need to

call the DPS office at 720-423-

3210 no later than 5:00pm on Fri-

day, November 12)

DENVER - Gov. Bill Ritter on

Wednesday announced a new

$1.28 million federal grant that

will help four Colorado commu-

nities revitalize their downtown

business districts through the Sus-

tainable Main Streets Initiative.

The funds will help renovate his-

toric buildings and improve

downtown walkways in the Five

Points neighborhood of Denver,

the City of Rifle on the West

Slope, the City of Monte Vista in

the San Luis Valley and the Town

of Fowler in the southeast.

“Vibrant downtown business dis-

tricts are the mark of successful

communities,” Gov. Ritter said.

“These funds will help Colorado

communities improve their central

business districts and create a

brighter and more sustainable fu-

ture. Thank you to the federal

government for supporting Col-

orado communities.”

Gov. Ritter launched the Sus-

tainable Main Streets Initiative in

April, signing an executive order

directing state agencies to pool re-

sources to help Five Points, Rifle,

Monte Vista and Fowler address

needs in their downtown corri-

dors. The initiative focuses on

finding solutions that meet the

unique needs of these communi-

ties and incorporate sustainability

and energy efficiency. The effort

has been led by Lt. Gov. Barbara

O’Brien and Susan Kirkpatrick,

executive director of the Colorado

Department of Local Affairs.

The grant funding is from the

U.S. Department of Housing and

Urban Development and the De-

partment of Transportation. The

announcement was made during a

news conference at the Blair-

Caldwell Library in Five Points.

Five Points Business District

president Will Alston said his of-

fice will announce -next week-

how funds will be allocated and

used in the Five Points area.

Five Points Sustainable Main

Streets Initiative Funds Received