We demand that Thornton City Council stop the mayor pro’s attempt to steal the seat of Ward One’s elected representative, Dr. Jacque Phillips.
 
Mayor Pro Tem Jessica Sandgren put forward an initiative to remove Dr. Phillips from her seat. She is supported by Mayor Kulmann, councilmembers Acunto, Makowsky, and Unrein. Ward one voters and their elected representatives are vehemently against this attempt to disenfranchise our votes. We ask City Council to end this undemocratic process.
 
This is orchestrated attack to silence ward one voices. Public comment must be solicited before this initiative is voted on. Let us be clear this is not about what ward one voters want. If ward one voters were unhappy with Dr. Phillips’ representation, they would have initiated a recall. On the contrary, ward one could not ask for a better advocate then Dr. Phillips. Not only does she represent our best interests at council, but she also personally supports residents. In the last week, Dr. Phillips has personally ensured residents in need got essentials such as shelter, food, and clothing. Additionally, she has built network of support for several neighbors recovering from illness and surgery.  
 
This is a political move to create a vacancy so it can be filled with someone subservient to Mayor Kulmann and Pro Tem Mayor Sandgren.
 
The persons orchestrating this move have a personal vendetta against Dr. Phillips. Should this initiative move forward, the mayor, mayor pro tem, and Councilmember Makowsky should not be allowed to vote. They cannot be impartial.
·      Mayor Kulmann is pre-disposed to striking out at Dr. Philips. Dr. Phillips was the attorney representing students, when eight civil rights complaints were brought against Stargate Charter School. Ms. Kulmann was governing board president of Stargate when these civil rights violations occurred. Ms. Kulmann cannot let this go, she is too personally involved and biased to be able to vote impartially.
·      Councilmember Matkowsky launched a personal attack on Dr. Phillips, threatening her verbally and in writing. Following his attack, the city implemented sexual harassment training for all councilmembers which he refused to attend. He is not impartial.
·      Mayor Pro Tem Sandgren has continued to go after Dr. Phillips. She brought up a question of Dr. Phillip’s residency previously, there was no substance to that claim. Ms. Sandgren continued to bring up the matter and went as far as to pull Dr. Phillips personal financial records. She has a bias against Dr. Phillips and cannot be impartial.
These three councilmembers should be disqualified from voting on this matter. They cannot be impartial and appear to be anti-Ward One.
 
In the matter of residency there are double standards being applied.
·      Dr. Phillips’ residency is being challenged. She owns a home in Thornton. She owns and runs a business in Thornton. She is registered to vote in Thornton. She is actively engaged in Thornton.
·      The city manager, who is also required to reside in Thornton does not own a home here. He rents an apartment in Thornton and owns a home in North Carolina (NC). His wife lives (year-round) in that house in NC. His family is in NC. He is not engaged in the community – in fact he has actively sought positions in San Antonio and Clearwater. He worked here several years before he became a registered voter here (he was still registered to vote in NC during that time).
 
What is the standard of residency? Before city council votes on Dr. Phillips’ residency, we want to know what standard they are applying. They cannot be impartial if they don’t have a standard to measure against.
 
The city attorney and outside counsel have indicated that the city may be liable and could find themselves in a lawsuit if they continue this process of disenfranchising residents’ votes and vacating Dr. Phillips’ seat. The city cannot afford any more legal fees brought on by the mayor’s attempt at a power grab.
 
Stop this vendetta against Dr. Phillips. You are hurting Thornton residents.