From The Pueblo Chieftain: A review of official government emails by The Pueblo Chieftain has revealed that a county official has been coaching three City Council members on how to handle the most controversial issues facing the city this year.
Those emails show that Greg Severance, whose title is Pueblo County transportation director, has taken a murky but leading role in setting the agenda on three major topics.
They are: The future of the half-cent sales tax for job creation; the expansion of the Pueblo Convention Center; and, most recently, the push for mandatory trash collection.
The emails, going back to May 1 of this year, were obtained through a formal request under the Colorado Open Records Act. They show that three council members — Chris Kaufman, Ami Nawrocki and Sandy Daff — illegally discussed and reached conclusions about city issues in email conversations with Severance, rather than in public meetings.
They also show the three, with Severance’s aggressive coaching and advice, pushing an agenda to redirect half-cent money to city improvements, change the way Pueblo Economic Development Corp. works, refuse a $14.5 million loan to the Pueblo Urban Renewal Authority and forge ahead on a new mandatory trash collection.
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