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Adam Gardner · Joined: 07 Nov 2007 Posts: 35

Dear Neighbors,

Some of you may have received a campaign flyer on your door from City Council Candidate John McCloskey.

Many of you may be wondering about the accusation he leveled against the members of City Council.

Unfortunately, the sort of defamation of character Mr. McCloskey has caused cannot easily be undone. Printing a response flyer and delivering it around the city is both cost and time prohibitive. Further, such protestations would likely only further the unfortunate downturn this campaign season has taken. I appeal to all, both those who have been defamed, and those who have previous negative experiences with Mr. McCloskey to take a calm and reasoned approach. I have great faith in the voters of this community that they can see through these false accusations.

No member of Council has been illegally influenced by gifts from our current City Attorney. The current City Attorney is honest to a fault, and would never seek to exert undue influence.

The event to which Mr. McCloskey refers was a team-building experience, where members of Council, the Mayor, the City Manager, and all Department Heads, and guests of the same (spouses, etc.) were invited to attend a Rockies game in a luxury box at Coors Field. This is explicitly allowed by Edgewater's code of ethics which is embodied in the City Charter and Article 8 of Chapter 2 of the Edgewater Municipal Code (http://www.colocode.com/edgewater.html), which reads in part as follows:
2-8-30(b) Officials, employees and members of their immediate family may accept the following even if the official or employee is in a position to take official action with regard to the donor or if the official or employee has an existing, ongoing or pending contract, business or regulatory relationship with the donor:
...
(8)Items of perishable or nonpermanent value, including but not limited to meals, lodging or tickets to sporting, recreational educational or cultural events;

Though I personally would not have been influenced by attending the Rockies game, and though I clearly understood that I could legally accept the tickets and attend the game, I chose instead to pay the full cost for my two tickets. I did this to honor my longstanding tradition of not accepting any gifts from those with whom I have a business relationship. This tradition applies to both my personal/private employment, and my capacity as an elected official.

I encourage all members of the community to consider whether they want the kind of person that would libel another just to get elected to represent them and their community.

Sincerely,
Adam Gardner

Posted below for your convenience is both the text of Mr. McCloskey's flyer and a link to a scanned copy, and the message I sent to him along with evidence to support my position.

Adam Gardner · Joined: 07 Nov 2007 Posts: 35

John McCloskey
For City Council

I am always available to listen to your concerns and work for the benefits of all Edgewater citizens and businesses
Contact me at any of these sources: 2278 Ingalls St
Home: 303-351-4749 Cell: 303-995-2989
email: JAM853@msn.com

SIGNS - SIGNS - everywhere as sign. Do we really know a lot about them all. You should know something about the current city council members that maybe you don't.
Please read my concerns below & some words about who I am.
IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE! LET US MOVE FORWARD WITH NEW IDEAS FRESH MINDS AND NEW ENERGY!

CONCERNS
That members of the current city council have abused the open meetings law and that they have abused the executive session and closed out the citizens of Edgewater. That they have stopped allowing citizens input at council meetings on certain agenda items. That they have excepted gifts from the city attorney and then held a closed door meeting to talk about emails they used to discuss it. This could have been taken by some to be a bribe!! As a citizen of Edgewater, you and I need to stand up and say NO. We don't want any council member to except gifts from anyone let alone the city attorney. The council makes that appointment and decides the pay for the attorney. Promises Made, Promises Broken. It is time for a change. 20th & Depew still stands vacant after 8 years and the city spending 10's of thousands of dollars to only change a plan that the citizens of Edgewater had decided on. The old Masons building on 25th Ave still stands empty. We need leaders in this community that can make a decision and move forward. We as citizens can do this by not putting them back in office.
VOTE NO for Adam Gardner
VOTE NO for Laura Keegan
VOTE YES FOR THE REST

PEKSONAL INFORATION
My wife Rhea & I moved to Edgewater 18 years ago. We raised our daughter Jessica here where I got involved with the schools. I joined the Jefferson County Area Accountability Committee and worked to bring more resources to Lumberg & Edgewater Elementary. We also worked to bring much needed resources to Jefferson High School which continues to show improvement each year. I was a member of DRCOG (Denver Regional Council of Governments) where I networked with many individuals that helped Edgewater with several projecs. I proudly served in in US Army for 10 years, 6 of which were overseas. I'm a Life time member of the DAV. I serviced on the Edgewater City Council years back when we developed the Manhattan Beach Community. We negotiated with the developer to bring Target to Edgewater and move King Soopers to its current location, all to help insure the continued financial health of Edgewater. I have and always will seek the input of Edgewater Citizens before acting on any change in this city. I live here and have made many many friendships here. I have always supported the Historic preservation of this city responsible growth. This is our city. Let me help keep it that way.
Thank you again for your support.

PRIORITIES
Work on solutions for the development of 20th and Depew. Finding a home for the police department. The rent has doubled in the last four years and the building is falling apart.
Work with ERA to promote community development.
Work with & support the city manager to ensure that Edgewater has all the resources available to move Edgewater forward.
Having a fiscally strong budget process that includes citizen input. Our current city finances are a mess.
To bring back communication to the residents so they know what is going on.
Work on enhancing the Code of Ethics for Council so they can't be abused.
I am ready to work with the new council members to move Edgewater forward and back to an open government where the citizens know what is going on. I want to bring City Government to the people! I humbly ask for your vote and promise to serve you the citizens and its businesses for the betterment of Edgewater. This is an exciting time for Edgewater. We have our first City Manager and he needs a council that will work with him to get Edgewater moving forward again We have to many buildings sitting empty and not being used. My past experience with the negotiations with the developer to bring Target to Edgewater along with the moving of King Soopers to their current location give me vast insight into what it takes to bring business to our community.
http://cid-9587be73eba72701.skydr...aspx/Public/McCloskey%20Flyer.pdf

Adam Gardner · Joined: 07 Nov 2007 Posts: 35

Mr. McCloskey,

You sir have libeled me. Your flyers which were delivered door to door today are the kind of thing that makes it very tough for honorable people to serve their community. If you had simply asked, I would have been more than happy to provide you a copy of the attached cancelled check which fully covered the cost of the supposed “gift” you claimed I accepted. Note the date on the check was prior to the event in question.

This information was also common knowledge among all the members of council and any citizens who asked for the e-mails which you also incorrectly claimed Council kept secret.

You should knock on the door of every member of this community and let them know that you lied to them.

Please immediately cease and desist in delivering your libelous flyer.

Sincerely,
Councilman Gardner

cc. Beth Hedberg, City Clerk (Please make this message and the attachment a public record. I will pay the cost of any copy anyone requests.)
cc. Other interested parties

Attachment: http://cid-9587be73eba72701.skydr...com/self.aspx/Public/check895.pdf

Not voting for McCloskey · Guest

What a coward! He can't even face the public he wants to elect him. He hires someone to take his smear flyers around. The other candidates take the time to walk around the city and talk to people. Why doesn't he? He's afraid he'll be confronted with the truth and he doesn't know how to deal with that.
He is a mean, nasty and vindictive man. He is angry at council because they did not appoint him to the CRCC. The only person in the room that wanted him on that commission was Joan Martin and the mayor, Bonnie McNulty. And him of course.
I seriously doubt that anyone really wants to work with him on council either. He was a bully when he was on before and he is still a bully. Call the number on his flyer and ask him why he wants to be on council. See if you get a warm and fuzzy feeling from him.
This guy stands in judgement of everyone around him. What he needs to do is take a look at himself. He is the ultimate sleaze bag. This guy makes Bernie Madoff look like a saint.
Find out the truth before you vote. Don't let his smear campaign influence your decision. It is lies and hatred. We don't need that type of man on our city council.

Be informed · Guest

Isn't it ironic that McCloskey claims to be interested in hearing from the citizens of Edgewater and finding a new home for the police department. He actually was on the council who sold the police department building out from under the city. And now he acts as if he had nothing to do with that? This man has been one of the most condescending personaities ever on council. He was the council member who quit in a tirade of verbage - against the community he now is saying he wants to move forward. He was the councilman who brought a book of code revisions before council, packing several standing room only council meetings, because he wanted Edgewater to become a gated type community with a law for everything both in and outside of our houses. Luckily he was outnumbered. The citizens spoke - loudly.

He was also one of the council who was trying to get all the mass housing in at 20th and Depew. Again stopped by a crowd of citizens not wanting apartments to go in and become future low income housing units. I remember all of this and much more.
I remember well all of the condemning looks he cast about the room, the dismissal of anyone's ideas when they spoke before council with ideas and comments. If you think he will try to elevate this community, you are wrong.

Be informed. Call the various candidates and talk with them. Don't be fooled by this man who would not even participate in the meet the candidate coffees. They had a table for him, were expecting him but he was a no show, apparently without even bothering to let anyone know he wasn't interested in meeting the public. Nor did he post signs with the rest, and make this run a community endeavor so we get the best of the best. Instead he comes in at the last minute, after the ballots go out and spreads lies. Don't believe them and don't let your friends and neighbors fall for them. Be informed, make a decision based on research not on a candidate's last minute hate mail.

I'm sure he's loving this. Attention as you know, whether good or bad makes no difference to someone like him. Just a need to be noticed. I hate to do that- give him attention. Normally I wouldn't say anything, but our city is moving in a good direction, and I know him to be a hindrance to the forward motion. Know what you are getting into if you believe him. He is a bitter man with his own agenda. The city would most likely have been a lot farther along right now if we hadn't had him on council in the past.

To the poster, Not Voting for McCloskey---- nor am I nor are any of my informed friends and neighbors.

Guest · Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 7:53 pm Post subject:

I was confused by the fact that he was so against Adam and Laura, but perfectly fine with Joan. Does anyone know if she attended the baseball game also?

Aside from that, I thought his flyer was one of the worst pieces of campaign literature I have seen (bad grammer, spelling, incorrect word choices, confusing sentences, etc.) I don't want someone like that representing me, that's for sure!

ERA Rec SOS · Guest

I have it on good authority that Joan did attend the game. I heard from someone on my street that McCloskey was telling people when he was getting signatures on his ballot petition that he had considered running for Mayor but instead decided to run for Council. I know that the Mayor also went to the ballgame, but McCloskey didn't seem to have a problem with her either. It seems as though this isn't so much about the ballgame as something else.

The strange part is that Laura wasn't a part of ANY of the other stuff McCloskey put in his "concerns" section because she wasn't yet on Council. It is a mystery as to why he singled out Adam and Laura.

Considering he basically said that the entire Council had accepted bribes, and at least four of those same people (Kent, Joan, Adam, Jamie, Laura, Bonnie) will be sitting next to him every week, it makes you wonder how effective he could even be. He could definitely have raised this issue in a more tactful manner. From what I saw all those years ago, this tactless assault on the sensibilities of everyone around him is his general modus operandi...

50 points to anyone who can solve the mystery. Bonus points to anyone who can solve the anagram!

EW History Buff · Guest

Adam and Laura are the only incumbents in this year's City Council election and Laura is running for the first time, as she was appointed this spring to fill a vacancy
Could it be that Mr.Closkey named them on his flyer because they, as well as everyone else on Council, except Joan, voted against Mr. Closkey's application for the Charter Review and Compliance Commission? I wonder if the rest of Council had been running if he would have included all of them on his flyer as people not to vote for?
My thanks to Council for NOT allowing this person on the CRCC.
Vindictive doesn't even begin to describe this sort of selfish, childish tantrum. How could his man ever hope to work with any of these people after saying what he said? He just insulted all of Council, the entire City Staff and our new City Manager, now he wants us to elect him to Council?

Recs Arose · Guest

Just a tiny minor correction...

Not on our watch · Guest

It's a shame to have McCloskey behave like this. Again. We don't need a spiteful, malicious man like him representing us. We have a selection of 6 other decent candidates. Forget him and choose candidates who are interested in us.

I think you're onto something if Adam and Laura voted against him for crcc and Joan didn't. Makes sense. He's a vindictive man if you've ever heard him speak. I can't believe he thinks we would forget his past run here. No thanks. Not again.

Spread the word. We can't afford to have him bringing down all the good that has finally begun. I shudder to think how he would treat our honorable city manager, attorney and council. We've seen him throw all his insults before, we can't let it happen again.