Free Broomfield from Todd and Heidi

06/16/2023

Councilmembers Cohen and Henkel Made False and Misleading Statements in Sworn Affidavits to the Protest Hearing in an Effort to Subvert the Will of the People

The following is in response to baseless criminal allegations that both Councilmembers Cohen and Henkel have made.

In their sworn affidavits to the protest hearing, they made false and misleading statements. Specifically, and including but not limited to, they stated, "[t]he recall petitioners stated in their recall petition...that Council member Todd Cohen "Supported the creation of a homeless camp in open space ~2,000 feet from a high school."' Todd and Heidi's full protests can be found @ https://www.broomfield.org/153/Elections

Todd's recall petition that signers read, as required per the petition's bold legal warning, contains at least 5 grounds for recall and states in part, "[i]n 2021, Cohen pushed the creation of tax-payer funded homeless encampments similar to those that he supported in his prior private-sector capacity. One of the sites identified by staff, at Council's request, was on 144th Avenue in open space ~2,000 feet from a high school and at a 6-month startup cost of ~$500,000, despite homeless camps being known for heavy drug use." The full grounds for Todd's recall can be found at https://recalltoddandheidi.org

Additionally, in the same sworn affidavits, they made false and misleading statements, "...recall petitioners acknowledged 10 times that the [declinetosign website's] statements correcting the recall petitioners' claims were in fact true. This further demonstrates petitioners repeatedly acted recklessly and presented to electors a false set of claims to induce signatures for the recall." However, the declinetosign site does not refute the grounds for recall but rather primarily makes excuses as to why the grounds for recall are justified. Therefore, acknowledging statements regarding the aforementioned website does not somehow make the grounds for recall false.

The statements in the affidavits were made under oath.

Their efforts obviously failed as the hearing officer ruled, "[n]o sufficient evidence or testimony of failure on the part of the petition representatives, the circulator affidavit, the petition circulators or any other subject was presented during this administrative hearing."

Todd's recall election will now on the November ballot.

Recall Broomfield Councilmembers Todd Cohen and Heidi Henkel

04/11/2023

Broomfield Enterprise
By SPECIAL TO THE ENTERPRISE January 14, 2023

Behavior was inexcusable

We were in attendance during the Jan. 10 City Council meeting. We were taken back by the behavior of several City Councilmembers. Here is what we saw:
• Residence who had signed up to speak in line and were not called in the same order. They were also only allowed to speak 2 minutes despite the fact that they signed up towards the top of the list.
• We witnessed lots of favoritism towards a special interest group that has an anti-firearm agenda. During the breaks, City Councilmembers seemed to gravitate to these groups on a social basis.
• We do not appreciate being called a fascist by a spouse of a Ward 5 City Councilmember just because we were opposed to the ordinances. I find that behavior offensive and unacceptable in any public forum. Somehow, he ended up third in line to make public comments even though he was not on the list.

• Several citizens have made attempts to contact City Councilmembers to address their concerns and they have not made any attempts to take the time to discuss their concerns regarding these ordinances.
• Councilmember Henkel should not be allowed to bully other councilmembers into changing their vote. This behavior should not be permitted.
• Broomfield City Council and mayor should not be permitted to post photos supporting special interest groups that influence policy. I would also like to know what other participation they have had with these groups. Seems to me they have special favor when it comes to study sessions and participation in crafting these ordinances and it is improper and creates an inherent bias on these issues.
The mayor and City Council should and could do better, especially when it comes to creating and passing ordinances that limit its citizens constitutional rights. We expect and deserve better things from our elected officials.

Jonathan and Rebecca Norris

Letters to the editor for the week of Jan. 15, 2023.

03/30/2023

BEWARE of those who oppose the recall of Councilmembers Henkel and Cohen. The vulgarity of those whose oppose "We the People's" constitutional right to initiate a recall is beyond the pale. The following was received yesterday via a contact submission on RecallToddAndHeidi.org. The image speaks for itself. The petitions to recall both are being signed by Republicans, Unaffiliatedes, and Democrats.

03/26/2023

Broomfied Enterprise Letter to the Editor - March 25, 2023 - John Ewalt

Recall Ward 5 council members

When an elected official is serving themselves instead of the constituents they were elected to serve, a recall is the legal and logical action that must be taken. That is the current state of affairs for some of the Broomfield City Council members, in particular, my Ward 5 representatives Heidi Henkel and Todd Cohen.

Their failure to represent their constituents and serve themselves could not be more evident than during the fall and winter of 2022-23 when gun-restricting ordinances were being considered. The fact that Cohen and Henkel were some of the strongest supporters of the gun ordinances is not a reason for the recall, but their contemptuous behavior toward constituents and other council members, and their rejection of reality and lack of focus on Broomfield they showed in supporting the gun ordinances are grounds for a recall.

During the public comment periods on the gun ordinances, when any resident spoke in opposition, Henkel and Cohen were clearly not paying attention or were openly making faces of disgust. Henkel and Cohen certainly do not have to agree with every resident, but they volunteered to represent the residents in Ward 5, and they should treat residents respectfully. In general, Henkel and Cohen behave like rulers giving edicts without factual support that their subjects must follow, instead of behaving as representatives serving at the will of the people. I am ashamed that their behavior represents and reflects on my ward.

In January, data on gun-related deaths in Broomfield were published for 2017-2021. The data clearly shows that 89% (24 of 27) of all gun-related deaths were su***des, which matches historical trends in Broomfield. Regardless of your opinion on the need for more gun laws, su***de is the overwhelming issue in Broomfield and council should be focusing on that. Many other council members acknowledged this, but Henkel and Cohen refused to even acknowledge the existence of the data, and instead stated that “gun violence” is a national problem and completely disregarded the fact that the “gun violence” they are focusing on has not happened in Broomfield. More to the point, the ordinances they championed and helped pass would not have prevented a single gun death in Broomfield as reported in the data released in January. Why they ignore gun deaths in Broomfield and care more about gun deaths in other parts of the country, only they can answer but they have refused to do so. Their actions will clearly not make Broomfield safer, but directly cost Broomfield taxpayers money to defend the ordinances in court. Cohen and Henkel were aware of court challenges and they knew how much it would cost taxpayers to defend these ordinances in court before voting “yes.”
Please don’t take my word as proof of their failures. Every council meeting is available to rewatch online at broomfield.org, and I would suggest starting with the Jan. 10 council meeting. For more information about the recall effort and to help, see recalltoddandheidi.org.

John Ewalt
Ward 5, Broomfield

https://www.broomfieldenterprise.com/2023/03/25/letters-to-the-editor-60/

Letters to the editor for the week of March 20.

03/25/2023

Should Broomfield spend tax payer money on the creation of homeless tent camps? Ward 5 Councilmembers Heidi Henkel and Todd Cohen would say yes. In Jun 2021, Heidi wrote in support of managed homeless tent camps, "[t]he more we learn about our unhoused neighbors, who also have likely paid taxes and, as our faith-based leader in this area (Marrty Dormish) said, often have ties here to Broomfield, the better. We can always learn about what other places are doing in the area. If you haven’t heard of the Safe Outdoor spaces, I went on a tour at Regis University a few weeks ago to learn about the program, and I wanted to show you a bit about them and provide information. Homelessness is a multi-faceted issue and this is just one way other areas are stepping up." A month later, Henkel wrote, "[t]he model being proposed in that portion of the memo was akin to Safe Outdoor Spaces non-pilot program being implemented right now at Regis Univerity & Park Hill..." Todd, who is employed at Regis University, has voiced his support for managed homeless tent camps in Broomfield.

Denver has been implementing similar programs since 2020, and in 2022 Denver's homeless problem hit a 14-year record high. https://kdvr.com/news/data/denver-homeless-population-point-in-time-count-2022/ The cost to operate a single site for 6 months is $400,000 to $500,000. See 2021 Broomfield camp site options discussed in Jul 19, 2021 Council Study Session, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Jovt4BSfRe_d2z24Oys1h69LblE-xntc/view

What does Marrty Dormish believe the future of Broomfield homeless programs should be? In his Jul 2021 open letter to the City in which under his "LOOK TO THE FUTURE" section, he wrote, "Idea: Pattern this program after HUD’s Section 8 housing voucher program, but restrict it to Broomfield residents living in Broomfield County. Annual Budget: $60 million — $15 million from usable federal, state or private foundation grants; $15 million from local banks; $15 million from local businesses, non-profits and faith communities; and $15 million from the city/county budget (or what would amount to 3.4% of the current $448 million budget)"

RecallToddAndHeidi.org

03/24/2023

Ross Kaminsky from KOA News radio interviews Ben Faber on the 'Recall of Broomfield Council Members Todd Cohen and Heidi Henkel'.

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