Douglas Bruce
Councilman Scott Hente was telling the truth.
On Wednesday, Douglas Bruce accused Hente of violating the law by sending a political email to city employees are work.
The email, which Hente sent from his private email address, encouraged voters not to vote for Bruce or any other member of the self-proclaimed Reform Team.
“There are some excellent choices for Mayor and for the open positions on Council. Unfortunately, there is a group of Council candidates – a self-proclaimed slate — that if elected, will devastate the City,” Hente wrote.
“This group consists of Douglas Bruce, Ed Bircham, Richard Bruce, Helen Collins, and Gretchen Kasameyer. In the actual words of their organizer, their real intent is to Destroy Colorado Springs.”
Bruce didn’t have any proof that Hente violated the law but challenged the news media to look into the allegations, which Hente denied.
Despite some criticism — one elected official called me “a patsy for Doug Bruce” — The Gazette took up the challenge.
The Gazette asked the public communications departments of the city government, Memorial Health System and Colorado Springs Utilities to search their computer databases for emails that were sent to city employees from Hente’s private email account on March 16.
The review revealed that Hente didn’t send the March 16 email to city employees at work.
“Here’s the exact quote from the IS colleague who coordinated the search: ‘According to our email filter server (Iron Port), we did not receive anything from that address on that date,’” Memorial spokeswoman Cari Davis said.
John Leavitt, a spokesman for the city, and Steve Berry, a spokesman for Utilities, gave similar responses.
Davis, Leavitt and Berry all provided reports to prove that there had been a search.
The slate’s latest blatant smokescreen/publicity stunt. Just nitpicking here: bring a 100-foot tape measure to his next “press conference” at the CAB – He’s got a habit of violating the no-campaign limit. Gazette pictures show him well inside 100-feet, just like Gazette pictures show him trespassing in Costco’s covered entrance, not outside in the parking lot.
Initially, I think the press conference was going to be inside the CAB, but he quickly moved it outside.
Daniel
Why doesn’t the press verify this information before they run to his press conferences and report on something that he invents for his own political gain. He is great at getting press coverage on things that aren’t factual!
lets be civil,
I needed to know what the accusations were before I could try to verify them, so I had to attend the press conference to find out.
I believe I was among only two reporters at the press conference who asked Mr. Bruce to provide proof to his allegations, which he couldn’t.
Since he made such serious allegations against Councilman Hente, I thought it was my responsibility as a reporter to follow up and try to find out whether or not they were true.
Daniel
Good timing to you as well, Daniel. Especially in the middle of the Bach mudfest.
On that day the poling place sign was 2 steps behind him. Although he may have moved his grandstand outside, the 100-ft limit is actually on the other side of the flag poles. next to the crosswalk. That’s why you need a tape measure to correct him with, just like a referee (like Ed Bircham) steps off the distance for soccer free kicks – Bircham , will tell you the wall will always try encroaching.
How can their intent be to destroy Colorado Springs? Colorado Springs has already pretty much destroyed its own self and will continue to do so if the city administrators don’t learn to grow up.