CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

GLENN SPAGNUOLO ANSWERS THE CALL

by Kate Tarasenko

[Originally published in the Rocky Mountain Bullhorn (Fort Collins, Colo.),

Sept. 8-14, 2005, pg. 11]

Local politics seldom extend beyond city limits, but that‟s not so true for Longmont, whose drama keeps seeping beyond its borders. Glenn Spagnuolo, who
was suspended for using his city-issued cell phone for a KHOW radio interview in which he supported his friend Ward Churchill, is suing the city of Longmont
in federal court for violating his First Amendment rights.

And he‟s asking its citizens to elect him their mayor in November.

Denver District Court denied the city‟s motion to dismiss, a perfunctory legal maneuver that nevertheless hands Spagnuolo a pre-trial victory that boosts his
profile among the four contenders, one of whom is the term-limited incumbent, Julia Pirnack.

“I was hesitant about running,” says the 35-year-old Spagnuolo, who has won awards from the city for his work on after-school and at-risk youth
programs as the recreation programs supervisor.

“But people were paying attention to my suspension,” not that the city apparently minded. When two conservative KHOW radio hosts phoned Spagnuolo to
interview him about Churchill—the CU-Boulder professor under fire for an essay he penned about 9/11—Spagnuolo took the call on his cell phone. When
the city learned about the call, four employees escorted him out of his office and past his staff at the Roosevelt Rec Center in the middle of the workday, in a
public display resembling a perp walk.

Spagnuolo, who was arrested—and later acquitted—in Denver last October along with Churchill and more than 200 other activists for blocking the
Columbus Day Parade route, contends that he planned to reimburse the city for the call, as he does monthly with all personal calls.

His suspension for the alleged cell-phone violation in April lasted one day, but the subsequent investigation into his alleged on-the-job activism ran up a
taxpayer-funded tab of nearly $45,000.

“The whole thing outraged a lot of people,” says Spagnuolo, “and some of them approached me to run.”

He rejects any notion that either his bid for office or his civil suit is a political or personal vendetta.

“The city violated not just my First Amendment rights, but also my 14th Amendment rights for equal treatment, regardless of political background,” he says.
He cites Community Services Director Karen Roney‟s testimony in the pre-trial hearing that the investigation was, indeed, politically motivated.

As he prepares for his February court date, seeking reimbursement for legal fees as well as damages for emotional distress, Spagnuolo says his suspension is
merely a symptom of a greater problem that gives him motive to run: Longmont is trying to stifle the voice of dissent.

Strong public opposition forced the City Council to table a proposal that would have required permits for parades and protests that do not otherwise
obstruct traffic. Public commentary at council meetings has been cut from five to three minutes, but rather than accept this as a time-saving measure,
Spagnuolo charges, “Corporate interests can speak all night if they want to.”

That last point is where current Mayor Pro Tem Tom McCoy and his mayoral opponent find some common ground.

“One of my biggest concerns is that the mayor is pro-growth and in favor of any „big box‟ that wants to come along,” says the retired teacher and
term-limited 23-year City Council veteran. Despite a volunteer citizen board‟s recommendation to reject Wal-Mart‟s planning and zoning requests to build
a Super Center there, the Council overruled it.

To make matters worse, says Spagnuolo, “The current construction is in violation of 11 design codes, without any kind of repercussions to Wal-Mart.”

One of those board volunteers, Bill Van Dusen, is running for one of three Council seats up for grabs.

When some citizens sought to form an historic preservation society, objecting to the Longmont Times-Call‟s purchase of four buildings specifically to
raze them to expand their parking, the City declared a moratorium on historic preservation applications. So far, one of the turn-of-the-century buildings
has been demolished.

Both Spagnuolo and McCoy say that corporate interests are creeping into local government, which makes them fear for the culture and character of the
Longmont, and that the City is being exasperatingly unresponsive.

But whereas McCoy wants to extend the city‟s bonding capacity to purchase more open space, Spagnuolo wants to declare Longmont a “Constitutional Safe
Zone.”

“The Longmont Police Department regularly assists the Joint Terrorism Task Force,” he asserts. “The JTTF is one of the agencies behind the 'Denver spy
files.' It‟s operated locally using money from the city‟s general fund, and we need to divest from that.”

Both candidates are going out-of-pocket for expenses and door-to-door with volunteers to get their messages out to the public. Neither is accepting
outside financial contributions.

Spagnuolo receives a grassroots boost from the Longmont Citizens for Justice and Democracy, an organization he helped co-found. Along with the
Constitutional Cities Coalition, they are planning Deiz y Seis, a festival on Sept. 16 featuring mariachi bands, food, and a voter-registration table to
drive up the meager 30 percent turnout at the city‟s last election. Spagnuolo believes the local Latino community is under-represented politically and
economically, though they comprise a third of the population.
“The city needs outspoken and trustworthy leadership. Even if we don‟t win, at least the issues will be discussed,” he says.

Spagnuolo is running as an independent, saying, “I want to stand for the voice of the community, not the dogma of a political party. The power lies
with the people, not the politicians.”

###