The Loveland Police Department is again without an indoor firing range because City Manager Don Williams is using city resources to settle a personal score. Angered by complaints and eventually a lawsuit against the city for unfair practices when dealing with developers – Williams is determined to financially ruin the complainers (the Klen family) and appears ready to use any city resource to do it.
Last summer Williams ordered the city police out of a private indoor shooting range (see story) they used for state mandated firearms training when he discovered the building owners, Steve and Ed Klen, were taking an active role in managing the range. Now the police must use an outdoor range in the county owned by the city that is plagued by controversy and problems not to mention weather.
The recent public access to the deposition of Williams in a lawsuit regarding another matter appears to confirm our suspicions that Williams is out of control. Williams admits he reversed a council decision to use the range because he wants to deny the owners any economic benefit which raises a legal question as to whether a city can legally impose economic sanctions against a family? Is it legal for a city to attempt to ruin a particular family financially in retaliation for complaints made about the city staff?
It also raises the question of where is the city council in all this and doesn’t such a broad city policy such as economic sanctions against a family require city council approval?
Below is an excerpt from the deposition of Loveland City Manager Don Williams;
4 Did you tell Mr. Cooper at some point that — and
5 I’ll quote what I understand to have been said — that you
6 would be damned if you’d allow your officers to train there
7 while the Klens were involved?
8 A, Words to that effect. I didn’t tell Mr. Cooper.
9 I told Chief Hecker. He may have told Mr. Cooper.
10 Q. And did you also say that there is no way I will
11 contribute to the Klen’s financial gain to mount a campaign
12 against me?
13 A. Yeah, I am not going to provide revenue to
14 somebody that’s using it to sue me, no.
15 Q. So you did say that?
16 A. Yeah. I don’t know any businessman that would*
17 Q. So you weren’t discussing the city, you were
18 discussing you?
19 A. No, I was discussing the city.
20 Q. But both times you referred to me?
21 A. I do that a lot.
22 Q. So at this point though the City of Loveland
23 isn’t permitted to enter into a contract with the Front
24 Range Gun Club?
Interesting. And troubling. I don’t know the full nature of the lawsuit, but it sure seems like the City Manager has handed the Klens more material in their lawsuit if it is based on a violation of equal protection, etc… or alleging discrimination and personal bias; which are very clearly shown in this exchange.
Whatever the City loses in this (and I predict they will loose, substantially) ought to be taken out of Williams’ pay / benefits because this seems to be a case of very PERSONAL vendetta by him personally.
I want to draw your attention to Loveland’s police chief giving three completely different reasons for canceling the live-fire training at the Front Range Gun Club.
Excuse #1 – It closed
The June 1, 2009 Police Citizen’s Advisory Board Meeting minutes state, “The Chief stated he found out this afternoon from one of the firearms instructors that the Front Range Gun Club is boarded up.” It never closed.
Excuse #2 – Can’t get contract
On June 10, 2009 Chief Hecker sent a letter to neighbors of the city’s outdoor range that said the city was unable to contract with Front Range Gun Club “..nor is there an avenue to establish such an agreement. This is due to litigation…” The litigation is unrelated to the gun club or any police contract and the new managers made several offers for a new contract but he refused to meet with them.
Excuse #3 – Budget Concerns
On August 5, 2009 Chief Hecker wrote to the manager of the Front Range Gun Club in an email “the required cut-backs have made it cost prohibitive for the Police Department to renew this contract even at a reduced rate.” He wrote essentially the same excuse when refusing to meet with them on June 30, 2009 as well – budget concerns caused the cancellation.
Loveland Municipal Code
9.04.070 False report.
“It is unlawful for any person to make to, or file with, a police officer any false or misleading statement or report”
How can Don Williams and Chief Hecker enforce this law? Don’t the citizens of Loveland deserve the truth?
In America, the right to petition our government for a redress of grievances is the basis of our liberty. Our founders explicitly recognized this right in the first amendment to our constitution — for they understood that without it, we could not have a servant government whose power is defined and limited by the consent of the people.
Loveland City Manager Don Williams who was never elected has far exceeded the boundaries of his limited authority by punishing the Klens for practicing their constitutional right for redress of grievances. As a Loveland businessman and out of fear of similar economic retaliation from the city management I want to remain anonymous until our constitutional freedoms can be restored in Loveland city government.
We have 3 lawyers now on Loveland city council. Have any of them read the U.S. Constitution?
Whatever Don Williams is doing, I say keep it up. I have lived in Loveland for over 10 years and I think Loveland is the best City in the state of Colorado. He may not make everyone happy, but that is probably a good thing as then nobody would be happy. I say, work to satisfy the majority and let the rest cry and whine. Good job Don…Keep up the good work!!!
Sounds to me like this guy has some mental problems which make him unsuitable for the position he holds. I hope the city has good liability insurance.
Isn’t there a mandatory retirement age for Loveland city employees? Surely there’s some way to pry this relic out of his chair. I think I read on this site a year or two ago that he was considering retiring, but wanted Loveland residents to cover his medical insurance for life (or something like that). Can we take up a collection?
Steve seems to miss a couple of the points of this issue.
It is in the best interest of the majority to have well trained police officers for both their own safety and the safety and protection of the citizens.
Secondly, the un-necessary polluting of the environment at their outdoor range, affecting the watershed, should be a concern of the majority of people who rely on a clean water supply both in Loveland and downstream.
Steve – no offense but you are a fool!!
10 years ago our residential streets were plowed, you could leave your car unlocked at night and Loveland had the best high-tech employers in the state in our town along with high quality neighborhoods.
Now after ten years of rape and pillage we have over $100 million of public debt for McWhinney, higher crime (especially in schools), lousy new developments where a fire truck can’t reach a house on fire if anyone parks in the street, and worst of all a hillbilly crony city manager who ran all the sophisticated employers out of town.
We are on our way to becoming Greeley
Go to the Mcwhinney tab on the LovelandPolitics home page and click it. Go to the bottom of the page and watch that video – it says it all!!!!
Anyone want to know why Dave Clark, Gene Pielin and the rest of those clowns can’t get elected in this town go watch that video. Steve get on the rightside of history!
Jonathon, I assume you will be moving very soon. Please go. If Loveland is so bad, why does Loveland and Fort Collins always seem to be getting ranked as a top place to live in America. You are clearly in the minority here and like I said, work to please the majority and let the minority cry about it.
Why should I? The council is changing for the better and hopefully in a few years we will have a qualified city manager who has an education in public administration.
If one or maybe two of hundreds of publications list Loveland you get very excited and tell all your friends – that is because you apparently don’t read much.
Now some screwballs in Loveland Chamber want to advertise Loveland in Money magazine with the lodging tax money because we were listed as a best place to live. I imagine Don Williams has a listing in Who’s Who he shows his friends and buys the book for Loveland’s library and a copy for himself. Sucker!
Steve, HUNDREDS of magazines publish top ten places to live lists. U.S. News & World Report, National Geographic Magazine, and what about AARP that has 35.3 million readers. Guess what – Loveland isn’t on these lists.
AARP The Magazine’s Top 10 Best Places To Live for 2009:
1. Tucson, Arizona:
2. Greenville, South Carolina:
3. Montpelier, Vermont:
4. Logan, Utah:
5. Ames, Iowa:
6. Northampton, Massachusetts:
7. Lexington/Fayette, Kentucky:
8. Texas Hill Country, Texas:
9. Oxford, Mississippi:
10. Walla Walla, Washington:
Get a clue. The better neighborhoods and high tech employers like HP and Kodak settled in Loveland while Don Williams was still working in a motor pool. It is time to put the professionals back in-charge of the city so we can stop hemorrhaging jobs and fighting lawsuits for juvenile behavior by senior staff.
Well all I want to say is the Police Chief is a wonderful man who has a terrible city manager to report to.
Police should have access to the best training places this city can offer and thats that. Don Williams has no right to tell them not to train because he doesn’t like the owner of the building.
Steve you probably don’t know this but the golf courses and lake loveland were here long before do williams. Loveland is also close to Estes and those are things about this city that make it great but have nothing to do with don williams. Loveland is a great place to live in spite of don williams not because of don williams.