Letters to the editor

Defendant: City Council tried to intimidate citizens

City Attorney Dave Olsen is quoted (Boulder City Review June 26) as stating, “What did we do to interfere? I don’t get that at all … the voters got their chance to vote, everybody got their right to petition government … they did everything they did without any interference from the city.” This article also stated the Mr. Olsen “… noted that the city filed the lawsuits after the election.”

Perhaps a little background will contribute to his understanding. On March 9, 2010, I provided the city attorney draft language of three initiatives for the Nov. 2 ballot requesting his legal review. On July 13, City Clerk Lorene Krumm certified that there were sufficient signatures. On July 23, I was sued by the city of Boulder City asserting, in pertinent part, that our petitions violated law, requesting that the initiatives be declared void and an injunction or writ issued precluding the clerk of Boulder City from placing the initiatives on ballot.

This attempt to prevent the placement of our initiatives on the ballot was a direct interference with our rights as citizens to petition.

Yes, Boulder City residents did get to vote on these initiatives and I did sign the petitions. But this was despite the City Council’s attempt to block their placement on the ballot and the attempt to intimidate citizens who signed these petitions by suing them personally. The City Council’s actions were a direct interference with our right as citizens to petition the government.

Dan Jensen

Residents have to pay twice for democratic process

Following the (Councilman Cam) Walker ethics violation whitewash, two more expensive disasters emerge.

First, the flawed agreement with Acciona (Solar Power Inc.) where they sat on land for years, yet had an option not tied to any lease-making money. The city received nothing and was powerless to do anything.

Now, there’s the $180,000 judgment the city has to pay six resident for illegally suing them to prevent voting or participating in the democratic process. The city is not the 17,000 residents and taxpayers (who live here), but the City Council, says the city attorney, who says the city did not interfere with petitioners or voting.

The city filed three separate lawsuits against residents to prevent taxpayers from participating in the democratic process, taking taxpayer money to sue taxpayers and institute lawsuits against them.

Who has to pay this judgment? Not the council. The attorney says it is the city.

But it’s the taxpayers who had basically sued themselves. They won the litigation and then had to pay for the judgment.

In March 2011, the judge forced the city to let residents vote. Then the city sued to have the residents’ vote declared void.

The petitioners were the victims of strategic lawsuits against public participation in an attempt to silence them by the city. This is a strong indication that they do not want taxpayers voting and the length they will go to provide it.

The final slap in the face is the city attorney saying “In our minds we were not suing them.” Who did they think they were suing.

Al Wengert

Coach’s actions toward players not acceptable

Are you kidding me? We are so hot right now we are seeing red.

Last night, Wednesday, June 25, at the under-16 summer baseball game at Whelan Field, our grandson Preston Van Diest was screamed at by one of the coaches.

After the game was over, in front of the whole team, the coach called Preston an obscene name, which we can’t print in the paper.

We understand that the coach is a paramedic/fireman with the Boulder City Fire Department. If this is how he feels about Preston, he should not be associated with the team that Preston is on.

We can’t even imagine how stressful his job is, but perhaps coaching kids who are giving up their summers to play baseball isn’t his forte.

Laurie and Ron Van Diest