Author: Dennis Maes
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Pueblo board violates Open Meetings Law | Dennis Maes
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By Dennis Maes I recently witnessed two serious violations of the Colorado Open Meetings Law by the Pueblo Urban Renewal Authority (PURA) board. Both were brought to the attention of the board in an open meeting and entered on the record. What is astonishing is the intentional violations were initiated by Heather Graham, the mayor…
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Polis potentially commuting Peters’ sentence preposterous | Dennis Maes
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In the midst of all the economic and political turmoil in Colorado, including President Donald Trump’s revengeful acts against the state, Gov. Jared Polis has chosen to waste his time on the preposterous idea of commuting the sentence of convicted felon, Tina Peters. As you will recall, Peters was convicted of interfering with and attempting…
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Trumpian Republicans’ explanations for Epstein child sex abuse appalling | MAES
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During the course of my career as an attorney and judge, spanning five decades, I have witnessed events most individuals would never experience. Without any question the most revolting, repulsive and vile of which are matters involving the sexual assault of children. The recent debate concerning the release of the Epstein files exposed at least…
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Do Pueblo voters have strong-mayor buyer’s remorse? | MAES
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In 2019, Pueblo city voters opted to change its form of government from a city council-city manager form of government to that of a council-mayor form of government. As a result, the city elected its first mayor in more than a century. Nick Gradisar was elected as the mayor and Heather Graham served simultaneously as…
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Walsenburg wrestles with real-world ramifications of Trump’s inhumane immigration approach | MAES
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My hometown of Walsenburg — originally founded circa 1860 as La Plaza de los Leones, population 3,049 — like virtually everywhere in the United States finds itself knee-deep in the discussion concerning the immense amount of divisiveness and vitriol spurred by the policies of the Trump administration, particularly as it relates to immigration. Demonstrations, both…
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Pueblo municipal election to be a good ol’ fashioned slugfest | MAES
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The 2025 Pueblo municipal election promises to be a good old-fashioned slugfest. There has been extraordinary candidate interest and several ballot initiatives have stirred the interest of much of the community, including whether the voters will rid itself of a council-mayor form of government and replace it with a city council-city manager form of government.…