Denver’s layoffs hurt 171 families, not just the Gilmore’s (Editorial)

Scott Gilmore was among city of Denver employees laid off this week We know this is a intricate time for those individuals and their families as they face the loss of income and unsettling uncertainty in a job industry that is tightening amid federal layoffs and reductions in funding We are sympathetic to Gilmore s valid concerns Was he targeted for a layoff because of his wife s role on City Council Why lay off someone who is years from retirement rather than offer a buyout And will the city s stellar work with the indigenous society grind to a halt without his advocacy However we are concerned about the behavior of City Council Member Stacie Gilmore Scott s wife who was elected to council several years after Scott first started working for Denver Parks and Recreation Stacie Gilmore expressed her dismay that her husband lost his job during a modern City Council meeting and inferred that perhaps Gilmore was targeted by Mayor Mike Johnston because of her vocal opposition to various of the mayor s decisions We are not privy to the private disputes that may have existed between the mayor and Stacie and Scott Gilmore so we ll merely say that if she has that concern she should absolutely bring forward evidence We are certain other employees in the Parks Department would aid her claim if it is true But we think Gilmore crossed a line when she began sending out mass emails from her City Council email address advocating for her husband s job and encouraging others in the district to do the same This is a use of her official position that she didn t exert on behalf of a single other person who was part of the layoffs this week We know for certain that other valuable members of city regime were let go during this layoff cycle and yet a member of City Council used her position to only assist one of those individuals her husband History repeats itself unless the oppressed raise their voices Gilmore wrote noting the good work her husband has done in the Parks Department to advocate for projects with a large number of indigenous communities As the elected representative for District it is my duty to be transparent and accountable to the people I serve and I serve the American Indian Area of Denver my residents in District and anyone else who implores my assistance to confront the bureaucracy of regime I ask that every individual on this email share their thoughts with the media because this story deserves to be reported and we have worked so hard to heal ourselves and come together for the population that we will not give up getting what is right and just Numerous members of the locality did share their thoughts with The Denver Post and others who were included on the e-mail Their concerns were valid Without Scott Gilmore would the city continue core projects that are crucial to their communities There is a big difference between raising concerns that your husband was politically targeted for a layoff and making the population argument that your husband is so indispensable to the city he should be right now rehired Worse she used her position to pressure members of the society to also advocate for her husband s job The good news is that the City of Denver is committed to the projects that Stacie Gilmore feared could get cut Denver Parks and Recreation Executive Director Jolon Clark who is also a former Denver City Council member commented that the parks department is committed to projects like the Buffalo Return Home Effort that uses Denver s mountain herds to provide bison for free to tribes looking to establish or grow their own herds They are priorities for us as a department They are priorities for us as a city and they are not tied to any one person Clark stated noting that while Scott Gilmore was a deputy in charge of special projects the projects on the list were not directly under his chain of command We are glad to hear that commitment to these projects will continue Hopefully the decision to layoff Gilmore will not strain relations between the city and the indiginous area Fortunately Stacie Gilmore is still in a prominent position to help assure the region that commitment remains strong to rebuilding trust Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns editorials and more To send a letter to the editor about this article submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail