Thirty Years Ago This Week: The Lincoln Club of Colorado might be a strange place for a Democratic mayor of Denver to visit, but Wellington Webb found himself stepping up to the podium in front of the dyed-in-the-wool Republican club, following in the footsteps of Federico Peña and Colorado Democratic Party Chairman Howard Gelt.
Webb largely spoke on fiscal matters, saying he was pleased with the budget cuts Denver had achieved while also creating a “sound financial footing” for Denver International Airport.
“We should be proud of what we’ve done at DIA,” Webb said. “The airport is destined to make Denver the financial and cultural center of the area.”
Webb also addressed the concealed-carry weapons legislation pending before the Colorado General Assembly, arguing that, “more guns won’t solve the problem.”
Webb also advocated for banning assault weapons.
“I know of no decent hunter who would go deer hunting with a semi-automatic weapon,” Webb said.
Ten Years Ago: House District 24 candidate and former Edgewater City Councilman Kristian Teegardin told The Colorado Statesman that he was not concerned that a conviction for passing a bad check would hurt him in the primary.
In 2002, Teegardin was arrested after attempting to pass a check at an urgent care medical facility where he lived in Bloomington. Teegardin failed to make his first court hearing in 2003 and a warrant was issued for his arrest. At a routine traffic stop, Teegardin was booked and jailed for 2.5 hours, and was released on a $250 cash bond. Teegardin eventually paid the money he owed, did not have any further issues with law enforcement and received a pre-trial dismissal.
Teegardin said he was embarrassed by the whole incident but that it was an overwhelming situation at the time.
“I didn’t have insurance and my employer was going to fire me because I missed a half day of work and I didn’t call in, so I had a friend take me to urgent care … later I found out that I was going to be charged with check deception because I couldn’t pay my medical bill,” Teegardin said.
As to the missed court appearance, Teegardin said he had moved three times in four moths and did not get the notice. The experience, as harrowing as it was, shaped Teegardin’s professional life as he had dedicated himself to lowering the recidivism rate and rehabilitating criminals.
“People always make mistakes throughout life,” Teegardin said. “What bothers me is when some of these mistakes are almost branded on some folks throughout their life.”
At the time Teegardin worked for the Jefferson Center for Mental Health at Summit Center in Wheat Ridge, helping Coloradans with mental illnesses learn job skills and how to integrate into the community. He was also a member of the 1st Judicial District Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee.
His work had not gone unnoticed, earning him several key endorsements, including from Rep. Sue Schafer, D-Wheat Ridge, who was vacating the HD 24 seat to focus more on her family. Schafer told The Statesman that Teegardin had disclosed his conviction when he sought out her endorsement.
“He was young and foolish like other young people have been when they have an emergency and they go to the ER and they write a bad check,” Schafer said. “All of us have made mistakes as young people, so I think his being honest about that makes me very comfortable.”
Jessie Danielson, a policy strategist, and Teegardin’s Democratic rival said she was focused on her campaign and rallying the necessary delegate votes needed to make the ballot and would not comment on Teegardin’s history.
Rachael Wright is the author of the Captain Savva Mystery series, with degrees in Political Science and History from Colorado Mesa University, and is a contributing writer to Colorado Politics and The Gazette.
