August 2023 Letters To The Editor
Hopeful For Denver In
A Post-Hancock World
I’ve had many conversations regarding our outgoing Mayor Michael B. Hancock. In her opinion column last month, Greater Park Hill News Editor Cara DeGette captured the most egregious decisions and outlandish proposals made during his too-long tenure.
I am hopeful that we are embarking on a new path.
Thank you for always shining a light in dark corners.
Veronica D’Annibale, Park Hill
New Mayor, New Ideas
In last month’s Open Book column titled “Advice For A New Mayor,” Anya Nitczynski wrote, “I believe it would be beneficial to create spaces and times designated for younger age groups in public spaces.”
This may work but also may face its own challenges. It is on record that offering free admissions into recreation centers, as opposed to approving overtime pay for cops, did reduce violence in the city.
My concern is with what engages the youth in Ms. Nitczynski’s recommendation — movies versus sports. We are aware of how similar gatherings have turned out in the past even when closely supervised. Recall Jazz in City Park and the Denver Nuggets parade, just to mention two.
Newly-inaugurated Mayor Mike Johnston’s transition team sounds inclusive and he mentioned in one of the debates that he will tap into the ideas of those that had an unsuccessful bid for the mayoral contest. So I’m sure it will all work out like clockwork.
Idy Etuk, Park Hill
In Praise Of Principal Dennis
This is not a dictatorship. That was my first thought when I heard that McAuliffe Principal Kurt Dennis had been fired by DPS for speaking out about safety concerns at his school.
I was born in China and adopted at 10 months old. I became a U.S. citizen under U.S. and international law when my plane touched down in the U.S. Unlike the U.S., China has an authoritarian government meaning that they don’t have free speech and whistleblower laws.
According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, whistleblowing is getting “the right information to the right people to counter wrongdoing.” Did Principal Dennis not do this? Principal Dennis spoke out about a potentially dangerous student at his school to those who should know. Not only did Principal Dennis jeopardize his job, but he also protected students from going to school without knowing about the danger at their school. Principal Dennis spoke out after the March 22 shooting at East High School to inform parents that, like East, they also had students who needed to have pat downs for guns each day before school.
As someone who is a McAuliffe International School alum, I know firsthand that Principal Dennis is a supportive, encouraging principal who only does what’s best for students. He is the only principal that McAuliffe has ever had and under his leadership, McAuliffe International School won the Exemplary High Performing National Blue Ribbon Award in 2020. McAuliffe was only one of three schools in Colorado to receive this award that year. It is questionable that DPS decided that Principal Dennis was suddenly not a fit manager immediately after he blew the whistle on the danger at his school.
Although DPS is trying to keep its people in line (acting like dictators), we’ll keep fighting for what’s right. But, unlike China, we have free elections which can change our leadership. Elections for the DPS Board are in November.
Madeleine Senger, Park Hill
Editor’s note: In a July 7 letter to the McAuliffe community, DPS Superintendent Alex Marrero claimed that Principal Dennis was fired for sharing private student information, not for raising concerns about school security in a March interview with 9News. Dennis’s July 6 firing spurred a public outcry, with parents, students and other supporters rallying in support of the longtime principal. The DPS school board is expected to vote this month on whether to accept or reject the firing.
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