Seems hizzoner has gone missing but, then, that's really not surprising. What I've noticed about our mayor is that he wishes to be all things to all people. And, if that's not possible; if he can't stand center stage and please everybody, then he ends-up missing in action. That's pretty much what happened with the $1.3Million payoff to the family of Paul Childs for what, most Denver police officers believe, was a justified shooting which followed policy/procedure to the letter -- tragic though it was. Seems as though hizzoner hid-out on that one, too, letting his City Attorney, Cole Finegan and others, take center stage.
Hizzoner ran for mayor on a platform that centered on a convenient issue which captured the hearts of an enormous block of Denver's citizens: parking management and the bureaucracy that lorded over it. Yessir, a reformation of the bureaucracy was in order and John Hickenlooper -- private sector entrepreneur that he was -- was just the guy to do it. Little did he realize that being mayor of a major American city really doesn't dovetail nicely with a failed career as a geologist and operating seven? or eight? or nine? eateries and a mini-brewery. Being a millionaire doesn't help much either.
It is axiomatic that there are essential differences between the running of governments and the operation of a business in the private sector. One of those difference is that if you're the CEO of a private sector business you can pretty much hide out whenever you want to. When you're the mayor of a major city, hiding out on major issues is just plain dereliction of duty. It may even be evidence of a wee bit of pusillanimity -- (some cops have come to refer to hizzoner as chickenlooper). What's more likely is that Hickenlooper's team has become quick studies in the artful dodger style of politics: coat the boss in Teflon, keep him out of harm's way when the heat's on and, by all means, don't do anything without a committee or commission to blame if a decision happens to backfire.
"All politics is applesauce!" said Will Rogers in 1924. The word applesauce in 1924 was slang for "attractive nonsense."
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