Lunching with Lisa C

UPDATED MOVIES & MADE A STAND-ALONE OF THE RANT

ADDED SOME STUFF ABOUT JAN MARTIN

****

Guys, I had no idea this piece would take me so much time to write, or be so lengthy.   I have not yet done final edits, and will be adding links and touching up stuff...

It's just that I wrote a comment about Lisa C. on the CityDesk; it basically said that things Daniel Chacon was saying about Lisa were false; I checked the other day to see if that comment had posted...and apparently it is still awaiting moderation.  

Well, that was a week ago to the day.

This is dedicated to Lisa Czelatdko, and to me, and to all of my friends on the Gazette comment forum; this is probably the last time a good number of you will ever see me advertise for my blog again...now that the Gazette is forcing comments to post through Facebook.  

So, it's up; I hope you read; I know I wrote it...I wrote it for you...I love you; 

I ask that you bookmark my blog and check back every so often...

There's so much to write about...but here's a head's up/spydra itinerary:

D11 SCHOOL BOARD ENDORSEMENTS

MEMORIAL HOSPITAL (FOR GOD'S SAKE, LET US HOLD ON TO OUR JEWEL!!)

BANNING LEWIS RANCH

USOC, USOC, USOC

* * * * * * * *

We all followed the case of Casey Anthony...the young, beautiful, air-headed slut, whose greatest talent is her ability to lie naturally and play dumb without blinking.  I found the circumstantial evidence in her case quite damning in and of itself..and as I considered the victim, the perp, and the crime, over time, it was her face that made me hate her.  A portrait of affectation, self-preservation and and selfish irresponsibility, I saw her guilt inked across her face like one of her many tattoos.   Casey Anthony *and* her mother *and* her father - they all knew what had happened to Caylee Anthony, all along.  

Her attorneys, cognizant that Anthony's dipshittedness was the only genuine thing about her, knew better than to let her take the stand - there's no way that she could have avoided hanging herself with her fat string of lies; evenso, when that phony baloney ho was acquitted, I found myself speechless.

It was so different with Amanda Knox.

When her case first came to my attention, I looked at the circumstantial evidence and found it stretched pretty thin.  I didn't see on Knox's face what I saw on Anthony's - the two pretty women seemed to me about as different as night and day.  I felt for the family of the murdered victim, but was convinced Knox was innocent.

But for some odd reason, Knox's beauty seemed to work against her; something about her gently dimpled face, steely blue eyes, and stately demeanor simply rubbed a lot of folks the wrong way.  With "Foxy Knoxy" the "Angel Faced Killer!" splashed across every European newspaper and magazine, her doubters and detractors dissected her every smile, frown, furrow of her brow - indeed, her every tear was counted and weighed by the rabid public, salivating for just a glimpse of the drug-sex-and-alcohol-fueled slayer the prosecution swore that she was.

Over the years, when I'd occasionally catch sight of her face on tv or in a magazine, the twin limpid pools of her eyes seemed to speak to me.  I pondered the young stranger in an ancient strange land, trying to explain herself to authorities in broken Italian; I visualized her, the lonely pupil at the center of a tempest's furious eye; I prayed for the truth to set her free, and asked God to deliver her from her brutal experience abroad.

Knox kept her head up - right to the very end; I never once saw even the the slightest droop to her shoulders, heavy as the were with the weight and the worry of her world. Who could be anything but impressed when Knox took the stand and addressed the court speaking *perfect* Italian?  When her conviction was overturned, I stopped everything to give thanks and praise to the Lord.

Two pretty women - the former's beauty only skin deep...the latter's, though, through and through.

* * * * * * * *

All that's required to ruin a reputation and destroy a life are the wrong people speaking the right words at the right time - it's dreadfully simple, actually.  The Bible calls it "Bearing False Witness"...and it's one of the big ten "Thou shalt nots" - yet it happens with shameful regularity in the courts of public opinion, everywhere, everyday.

School-girl meanie Jan Tanner

Shallow, school-aged mean girls probably know this best, practiced as they are at the milling of gossip; with a wink and a giggle and a flip of their hair, they sink acid-laced daggers into the backs of the unwitting, and plant seeds of hemlock into credulous minds..

Q:  What happens to mean girls and bully boys when they grow up?
A:  Most just get meaner.

Jan Tanner might say otherwise, but I was never, ever a mean girl...never, ever picked on someone.  The few times when I was the target, however, it typically came at the behest of two different types of females:  pretty blonde white girls when I was gangly and uneasily half-black...and black-haired black girls who thought I was pretty but spoke "too white."

I guess I also felt a bit unfairly picked upon during my 2-week period of employment with the Colorado Springs Independent...

Anyway, I don't dwell on the negatives of my experience - at all - but an old, latent, unrealized bias recently reared up it's ugly head and made me stop and take notice.  It caused me to cave to the pressure of my peers, and subscribe to untrue groupthink...going so far as to assist in the conveyance of fiction to others about one:  Lisa Czeladtko.

Meanie Daniel Chacon

I think back to the time when Councilwoman Czeladtko was still just a candidate, and the Gazette's Daniel Chacon one of her loudest cheerleaders.  Here we are, six months after the election, and as far as Chacon is concerned, the honeymoon is over - and he's doing a pretty good job of making sure everybody knows it.

Czeladtko's crime?  No, not the Steve Martin tickets.  No, not the Memorial Hospital task force member ouster.  No, not the photos of her that circulated during her campaign.

No.  Danny-boy's nose is out of joint because Lisa saw fit to "unfriend" him on Facebook - going so far as to devote at least one if not two entire blog-posts on the incident.

Perhaps he's miffed because Lisa didn't wait until November 17th to do so; in case you were unaware, that is NUD Day...or "National Unfriend Day."  Because otherwise I'm having trouble fathoming how and why is it that the City Desk boy dares feign shock?  After all, that's just one of the many ways to reward unfriendliness.  No "friend" helps fan the wild fire of false accusation - but that's precisely what Chacon has done to Czeladtko:  feathering a cozy nest for the clique, incubating group-think, and permitting unchecked rumor-mongering on his blog.

Based on things I read on his blog, I booed and hissed with the rest.  I recently had the opportunity to meet and speak one-on-one with Mrs. Czelatdo; talk about eye-opening.

What brought Lisa to Colorado Springs?
Lisa moved from Illinois to Colorado with her snow-boarding enthusiast husband; when he was badly injured in a snow-boarding accident, she put down everything to help with his recovery...and when she decided to run for city council, he was her campaign manager.


What inspired Lisa to run for office?
Neighborhood issues of concern, and their potential to adversely impact any one or all of the four Czeladtko daughters.  Lisa searched for solutions, and along the way came to learn more about how our city's government functions.  When Jerry Heimlicher announced he'd be leaving his post early, Lisa  made the decision to throw her hat into the ring.

Who does Lisa think she is?
Surely, there are far worse things a person can be than a happily married mother of four who cares enough about her community to willingly serve as the people's voice and representative...for a pittance (and don't let anyone fool you into believing that sitting on our city's council is anything less than a full-time job; I already know how much a person sacrifices when they sit on a school board...so I can only imagine what's required for council).

Yeah, she's no Mary Lou Makepeace...the married mother of several when one day, near the end of her reign as our city's mayor, just up and stopped being heterosexual.

Does Lisa really care about her constituents?
For all the attempts to paint Lisa as a ditz, she's actually one of the more involved and inquisitive on council.  Some councilmen actually do that, ya know...ask questions?  It's called "representin'" and it's the habit of some:  Sean Paige, Tom Gallagher, Doug Bruce, and Ted Eastburn come to mind.

Those wishing to see the big picture are routinely thwarted by those wishing to keep it under wraps.  Ask too many questions on this, or express too much curiosity about that, and suddenly you're the troublemaking black sheep, earning you the frosty cold shoulder, one or more sardonic nicknames, and dozens of odious enemies. 

Meanie Dick Tosches, who cannot write a column without 
mentioning the name of his #1 man-crush, Ted Haggard.

Isn't a nickname a term of endearment?
Well, let's take the example of Ted Eastburn: following his 1998 election to city council, his "friend" Rich Tosches dreamed up several nicknames for him, including "Tahiti Ted" and "Dr. Heartburn" - this, despite the fact that Dr. Eastburn had never visited Tahiti, and was probably the most skilled heart surgeon and lifesaver this town has ever known.  So that readers will remember the fruits of his efforts in clever, it is Tosches' habit to repeat his funny nicknames and over and over again, broken-record style.

Well, isn't being sarcastic just something humorists do?
Well, yes.  But Tosches is less "sarcastic" and more "smart-aleck"...less "clever", and more "wiseguy"... less "witty", and more "nitwit"; less "erudite" and more "Erkel."

When Ted Eastburn announced his 2003 bid for mayor, Tosches spent some time visiting with the good doctor and his then-wife/campaign manager Deb Mahan.  He then turned around and penned an article so needlessly mocking and mean-spirited that all I could do was shake my head and wonder, "What kind of 'friend' would do that?"  The answer, of course, is "a lousy one."

He's a lousy writer too, if you ask me...but eh, what do I know?  After all, both the Gazette and the Independent have seen fit to (a) gainfully employ Tosches for long stretches of time, and (b) pay that hack for his flat claptrap - and not just in chewing gum, either.

Do you feel better in general after ranting about Ranger Rick?
Yes I do, and thank you for asking.  I'll feel better about Rich as an over-rated, over-paid writer when he demonstrates the ability to produce an article that does not mention either (1) Ted Haggard, or (2) Doug Bruce.

Tosches denies having coined Czelatdko's "Broadmoor Barbie" moniker, and boy am I glad...because otherwise, I'd likely have had to raise the fact that, while Mr. Czelatdko is a doctor and Mr. Tosches is a knuckle-head, in a friendly real-estate contest between the two, Tosches' Woodmen Valley Ranch home is the higher-valued at nearly $700,000.  


That clown is HELLA overpaid.

Did Lisa try to use influence in an effort to obtain tickets to a Steve Martin contest?

Not exactly.  The brouhaha about Lisa's quest for Steve Martin tickets was taken entirely out of context from messages on her Facebook wall...promptly blown out of proportion...and then spread about like Farmville pollen by Doo-Bee Daniel Chacon.

Do you *hate* Facebook?
Yes.

Do you think you could ever get "good" at Facebooking?
No; I'll likely never be adept, thanks to Facebook's near-constant improvements and changes...for reasons that are never readily apparent.

On occasion, I've unintentionally posted for the general public things meant for a more private audience.  Also, I don't think you can delete something that you've already posted...and that's kinda whack.

The way Facebook mines user information and activities is *so* pushy and annoying.  For instance, on the infrequent occasion that I visit csindy.com, a weird pop-up appears and nearly forces me to link my Facebook account to the Independent - WELL, I DON'T WANNA, and so am forced to click "cancel" again and again until I've finished reading the article that brought me there. For these reasons and more, I generally limit my Facebook use to only the most trivial of communication.

What do you think of the Gazette migrating its reader comment forum to the Facebook arena?
HELLA EPIC FAIL.  The Gazette made a huge blunder with its recent decision to migrate the reader's comments forum to the Facebook arena; typical in these "fix what ain't broke and break what's fixed" times in which we live.

There was only one regular commenter "tysonfricker" who spoke in support of the change - the bulk of the remaining 99.9% swore they were canceling their Gazette subscription and saying "Hasta La Vista."  Like I said at the beginning of this piece, I considered the Gazette's changeover to Facebook at midnight last night to be my deadline for this piece...and posted it, warts and all in hopes that some of my friends from the Gazette forum would come read about Lisa C...since a good many of us were talking some *smack* about her...

Besides, liberal or conservative, I truly loved the Gazette's comment writing circle:

spydra

11:43 PM on October 4, 2011

This forum was likely the closest I'll ever come to realizing my lifelong dream of one day writing for my hometown Gazette; to read through these comments after watching its sad protracted suicide is akin to dragging a harrow right across my naked soul.



A diverse & vibrant people (some adored, others abhorred & not one of them a stranger!), connected individually to this, our community clarion, and interlaced to one another thereby; putting down into words the higher workings of our minds for all to read & understand better - beloved brethren, I do salute you.



We bid our adieus & make up our minds while this window in time quickly dwindles. As it draws to its inexorable close, let us never forget the feeling of this moment...standing tall & free together on this verdant patch of common ground; let us watch the sunset of our world to the very last light's fading & hold fast to the memory of its brilliance, to buoy us in the coming dark.

Read more: http://www.gazette.com/articles/editor-126186-gazette-note.html#ixzz1aKyT51fA

Why does Lisa use Facebook, ya think?
I can't say, though I imagine she's better at it than I.  I get it and all, but I personally cannot imagine using Facebook to communicate with constituents.

Mini-meanie John Weiss

Lisa's been slammed for her use of "social media" tools like Facebook...even though not long ago, Richard Skorman's "Opportunity Springs" campaign documentation (written primarily by his campaign manager, the Independent's John Weiss) insisted "social media" was the wave of the future and the only way to go.

Eenie meanie Dick Skorman

I wish Poor Richard would "friend" poor ol' Miss Spydra...so *I* could see the type of  commie crap that posts to his wall; then I could take snippets of people's conversations, and use them to help me make Skorman look stupid...

Eh - I don't expect to receive a friendship request from Skorman ever...and that's fine, because I'm able make him look stupid without resorting to the use of "social media" - my cave girl tools are still working fine, thanks very much.

What about Lisa's petty disagreement with a member of the Memorial Hospital task force?
Contrary to what Daniel Chacon would have us believe, responsibility for the sudden, unexplained ouster of a doctor with military expertise from the Memorial Hospital task force is Jan Martin's alone, as she chairs the task force.  How convenient and disingenuous for Jan to lay the blame at Lisa's feet, who's not even a member of the task force.


Why does the input of a doctor with military experience even matter?
Good question.  Memorial Hospital is the largest non-military Tricare provider west of the Mississippi; that's a meaningful demographic.  At this point I care less to know the reasons why that doctor stepped down, and care more to know the reason(s) why Jan Martin won't replace him with a similarly qualified candidate?

"No time, no time," Jan explains breathlessly, as though she's the March Hare in "Alice in Wonderland."  Well,  someone please tell me: WHERE THE HELL IS THE EFFING FIRE?  WHAT is the big hurry with this whole Memorial Hospital thing?  Is there a deadline that's about to be missed or something?  If something's looming large and ominous before us, TELL US WHAT IT IS, SO WE CAN MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS COME ELECTION TIME.

Do you have any more to say about Jan Martin?
Jan Martin is a native to Colorado Springs, descended from a wealthy family of social and political prominence; I figure she was just becoming aware of the mean-girlishness blossoming within...just starting to hone and personalize her own quirky brand of meanness when she attended her alma mater and mine, the mighty Palmer High School, way, way, way, way, way back when.

Today sees the continuation of Jan's relationship with Colorado Springs School District 11; indeed, I'm fairly certain they are Jan's biggest client at Martin Business Group.  No *wonder* Jan and her homies were all so hot to have retired D11 school teacher Mike Merrifield sitting where Lisa is now!

Jan claims to be a lifelong Republican...

NYT Blogger Discovers Another 'Lifelong Republican'

By P.J. Gladnick

Created 10/09/2008 - 10:16pm

By P.J. Gladnick | October 09, 2008 | 22:16

Attention all you liberal journalists out there, including Timothy Egan blogging at the New York Times!
You really do need to come up with a better descriptive term than "lifelong Republican" which is the most obvious "tell" of all that the person in question is not quite what they claim they are.
In the case of Egan, trying very hard to project "Republicans" as drifting away from John McCain, he used that overused description in his most recent blog entry:

My friends: it’s not good for Senator McCain.
“As a small business owner, it’s very hard to watch a lifetime of hard work and savings just wither away in the last two weeks,” said Jan Martin, a native of this more-than-mile-high city, and a lifelong Republican. “The debate on Tuesday night has, if anything, bolstered my opinion.”
So Jan Martin, who also serves on the city council, will cross party lines in less than a month and vote Barack Obama for president, she said. She’s not leaving the Republican party – she’s deserting the nominee.

Are you really going to make me have to go through the motions in checking on how legit "lifelong Republican" Jan Martin really is, Timothy? Well, okay. Here goes. A very quick check on "lifelong Republican" Jan Martin reveals that (surprise, surprise) she is a member of the ACLU:

THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION
COLORADO SPRINGS CHAPTER holds its

ANNUAL MEETING
Tuesday, April 15 � 7 PM � Slocum Hall � Colorado College

With
Nominations of new members And itsSPRING FORUM THE COLORADO PARTY CONVENTIONS: PROTECTING FREE SPEECH and PUBLIC SAFETY With
Taylor Pendergrass, ACLU-Colorado Staff Attorney,
Main Speaker
and

• Jan Martin, Colorado Springs City Council
• Bill Sulzman, Peace & Justice activist leader
• Steve Liebowitz, Deputy Chief of Police
• Dennis Apuan, Vice-Chair, El Paso County Democratic Party

 Gee, is that Peace & Justice activist leader also a "lifelong Republican?" How about that Vice-Chair of the El Paso County Democratic Party? Oh, and it seems that "lifelong Republicans" make it a habit to hang out at Colorado's Gay and Lesbian Fund party:

Among those at the festive event were Eve Tilley, whose signature hats will be the subject of an art project at Bemis School of Art in the spring; Bruni Berkowitz; Pat Peterson; Alma Cremonesi, director of the Pikes Peak Lavender Film Festival; Gerald Albrent; Susan Presti; Pam McManus; Lynn Pelz; Chris Garvin; Amy Julye; Jan Martin; Richard Tucey; Beth Kosley; John McIlwee; Wendy Mike; Ken Robinson; Gladys Harris; Steve Sletta; David Carroll; Scott Hente; Cynthia Nimerichter and Ted Worcester; Lynne Telford; Sen. John Morse; Dwight and Sue Brothers; Ruth Roland; and Jesse Trevino.

A look at  the City of Colorado Springs website reveals that "lifelong Republican" is also a member of the Citizens Project, one of whose projects includes this:

Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning people continue to face unfair discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodation. Citizens Project believes the principle that “all men are created equal” as stated in the U.S. Constitution will never be faithfully upheld while it remains legal to discriminate against people because of who they are. Objections to GLBT civil rights come from religious doctrine, and our nation is founded on laws and principles, not on any particular religious faith.

I object! There is no mention here of otherly gendered "lifelong Republicans."  I claim this oversight amounts to discrimination. In any event even though one might easily find "lifelong Republicans" as members of these groups one could count the number of conservative Republicans in the same groups on the fingers of their hand...but only if that hand were missing several fingers.

So my advice to Timothy Egan and other liberals is to come up with a much more original term than "lifelong Republicans." The moment you you use that term, your true agenda is revealed from the get-go. 

Published on NewsBusters.org (http://newsbusters.org)

 Wow, Spydra, this all makes me think about the "Artemis Women" - can you tell me more about them?


What a very excellent question.  Well, it's kinda like this:  there's a reason why we often hear liberals singing the same song and often in unison - a lot of them are in the same choir.

The founders of Artemis Women.
Meanie Lou Makepeace is terrifying!!

"ARTEMIS WOMEN" is such a choir, a decidedly uncool club for mean girls, founded by Mary Lou Makepeace and Mary Ellen McNally.   Starting with their Greek moniker, its odd crescent-moon and woman-face themed logo, and a slew of women who come across as lesbians and/or lesbian sympathizers, it's essentially a grooming guild run by and for women; think of it as the lesbian equivalent of the black man's FUBU brand (For Us, By Us).

Artemis Women logo -
look at it long, and certain
shapes will become clear

Might Lisa Czelatdko have an easier time fitting in if she became an Artemis Woman?
Hrrrrmmm.  Maybe.  Then again, maybe not...and it's a decision that women need to make individually, and for themselves.

You're likely to fit in with this group of happy-go-lucky gals if you:
(1) were born lesbian;
(2) came to realize your lesbianism later in life...like after the kids are grown and your heterosexual marriage to a Christian man has become a bit too *vanilla*;
(3) believe the lesbianism you were born with is latent and lying dorman...waiting to be activated by the right woman;
(4) bi-curious and/or questioning;
(5) empathize with the lesbian plight and struggle for inclusion and equality.

Would you name a few women who've completed the Artemis Women program?
I'm not going to include the group's founding members. Despite crowing about the movers and shakers Artemis Women has mentored and churned out, a list of alumni is available to members only.

Do you have a problem with Mary Lou Makepeace?

Yes...primarily the role she played in the establishment of Confluence Park.  Did you know, for instance, that back in the year 2000 when the likelihood of "America the Beautiful Park" became a certainty...EVERYONE hated the park's name(s), one of which was "A the B Park."  So, Richard Skorman made a suggestion that I believe was voted upon...Skorman wanted to call it "Makepeace Park."

Sorry to digress...but was Councilman Ted Eastburn for or against "A the B Park"?

Excellent question...I don't mind the interruption at all; Eastburn opposed; my next piece will be all about Ted Eastburn.

Okaaaaay....well, then, what can you tell us about the Artemis Women staff?
Artemis Women has only one employee on its payroll:  Linda Elliot...wife of John, the now-retired, long-time Director of Contracts and Purchasing for D11.  Linda also manages the campaigns of my friend Jan Tanner (who helped usher in the Gay-Straight Alliance to Palmer High School), and State Representative Pete Lee (of Restorative Justice and 21st Century Charter School fame).

Speaking of  Jan Tanner, did she ever file any type of disclosure; if so, where can we view it? 
Soon after I revealed the existence of Jan Tanner's contract to provide D11 schools with lunchroom pizza, Jan and D11 CFO Glenn Gustafson claimed that John Elliott - who is not an attorney - reviewed the matter and concluded that no conflict-of-interest existed (what about the appearance of a conflict, which is what Ted Eastburn did...).  Jan and Glenn claim that in 2007 Jan did file a candidate disclosure form...it's just that no one seems to remember where that document was filed.

What's the penalty for violating state campaign finance law?
Colorado campaign finance law has a two-year statute of limitations that Jan managed to fly under...so, there is no penalty, and the million bucks is Jan's...ALL JAN'S!  MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

What was the catalyst for the brief romance and quicker annulment between the GLBT community and Lisa Czelatdko?  

Oh, you didn't know how Czelatdko came to fall out of the glee club's good graces?  

Well, Lisa was invited to attend the Pride Parade, during all of the hoopla about mayoral proclamations and the absence thereof.  And Lisa's not like I am with the whole GLBT issue - no, no, no...she's A LOT more open minded than the spider when it comes to all that.

And so, she went to the parade to show that she's not a "bigot" or "homophobe."

I guess it was the mother in her that was put off by the "Got Lube?" stickers and posters everywhere; perhaps it was the parent in her that considered the tables full of dildo and sex toys to be incompatible family fare.  

And she said so; she said that she could never promote the Pride Parade as a family event for those reasons.

"CRUCIFY THE PRETTY WOMAN!" cried all of the GLBT gender-questioning bigots.

Oh, that's right...silly me...why do I have so much trouble remembering that "gay" is the new family value?

Is it true that Lisa Czelatdko is in the USOC's back pocket?

So interesting you should ask...because when I combined her alleged role in the Memorial Hospital task force ouster with her alleged association with the USOC, my spider fangs came out, drippin' with venom.  So, I was MUCH RELIEVED to learn this allegation, too, was baseless.

Everyone needs to remember that most of the people up on council are new; it's Jan Martin and Scott Hente who are hold-overs - they  are the ones who understand the history of events.   And I was watching a city council meeting the other day, and was really struck at  how weak our new "strong mayor" looks sitting below the rest of the council, and next to Steve Cox.

Meanie Rivera...looking like he's up to No Good.

Come on, we all know it was the *previous* council - and in particular former Mayor Lionel Rivera - who helped foist the USOC burden upon the city of Colorado Springs...and that *he* assisted in slathering us taxpayers with all that Olympic monkeyshine.  

ANYONE WHO IS A NATIVE OF COLORADO SPRINGS AND WAS AT LEAST A TEENAGER IN THE 1980's SHOULD ABSOLUTELY KNOW BEYOND THE SHADOW OF A DOUBT THAT THE USOC IS THE ULTIMATE BOONDOGGLE.  SHOULD YOU DOUBT THE VERACITY OF MY STATEMENT, I URGE YOU TO REVIEW MY BLOG FOR PREVIOUS POSTS ON THE USOC...AND TO KEEP CHECKING MY BLOG FOR NEW POSTS ABOUT THE USOC...BECAUSE THERE ARE AND WILL BE PLENTY.

But wasn't Lisa *for* the rooftop mural?  

Ahhh.  "Olympic" signage: yet another continuously irksome USOC pattern.

When talk about USOC signage was first mentioned, it was meant to coincide with US Open Golf tournament.  Lisa figured "Why not?  We have already paid through the nose to keep the USOC here - when will we begin to aggressively promote and advertise that association and make an asset out of it?"

Traveling eastward on Colorado Avenue, you might catch sight of a couple of signs; then again, you might drive right past them.  Not only were they erected well after the US Open, but you'd have to have the vision of Superman in order to read them from the road...

And thought I'm sketchy on the details, it is my understanding that WE the City of Colorado Springs paid $6,000 for those stupid tiny signs, and somehow, WE DON'T OWN THEM.  NO DOUBT THIS HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE USOC EXCLUSIVE USE OF THE OLYMPIC "BRAND" - MORE ON THAT IN A MOMENT. 

When the $30,000 USOC rooftop mural was initially proposed, council was told it would involve the application of a decal that would cost $7,000.  Lisa figured:  Great!  This will put a former Olympian/local artist to work...earning him some money and renown...and at the same time, advertise that our city is the "Home of the USOC".  

Well, we all know how the rooftop mural turned out - *badly*.  

At first everyone was onboard with the rooftop mural except the sage Angela Dougan...crowing about what a great thing it all was, and making Dougan out to be a spoil-sport.  But when the project turned from sugar to shit, those same cheerleaders split and run...pointing at Lisa like it was all her idea.

Sorry, but I see a pattern here.

It is wrong for the people of Colorado Springs to fault Lisa Czeladtko for having good intentions...for wanting to at least make lemonade out of the previous council's many, many, many leftover lemons...and if you ask me, those lemons are likely the *real* source of the listeria outbreak.

At best, it's unfair...and at worst, it's the purposeful and convenient set up of a scapegoat.  Remember Charles Wingate?

Those who knowingly helped perpetrate these falsehoods are most certainly *not* Lisa's friends...nor are they friends of the good people of Colorado Springs; yet they're the same who loudly simper and sniff with insincere insult each time they feel slighted or inconvenienced - especially by Lisa.

I will say that a goodly portion of my wrong first impression of Lisa is the bitter fruit of Daniel Chacon's planting.  The Gazette is the only newspaper in town (unless you count the Independent...and I already explained why they stopped liking her over there); when the columnist who covers City Hall decides he doesn't like you, and begins to print and/or tolerate untruths about you...how do you go about clearing up the confusion?

I've slashed many with the razor of my pen, but few have been brave enough to respond...and Lisa is the *only* public figure to have ever called me out.  I'm so glad she did.  Having had the opportunity to meet and speak with her in person, I was surprised to discover what a tough, smart and likable lady she actually is.  Chagrinned and discomfited by the error of my presumption, I literally asked her to forgive me...and ya know what?  She did.

She's a real winner...and now that I know this for myself, I can hardly bear to read the spurious accusations about her.  I simply will not sit silently - I cannot; my conscience won't allow it.

I am the Colorado Springs Lorax - I speak for those whose voices have been silenced.  And right now, I am rising to defend Lisa Czeladtko.  I will not allow her to become the white female Charles Wingate.   I will not allow her to become own local version of the pretty-faced innocent Amanda Knox...blamed for crimes she had no part of and did not commit.

I do hereby publicly recognize, accept responsibility, and apologize for my role in helping to perpetuate the many untruths circulating about Lisa Czeladtko.

The people of Colorado Springs should rest assured that when they elected Lisa Czeladtko, they made the right choice, and be proud to have such a positive person keeping her eye on the ball for us.  She's working hard and standing tall - even under the weight of Jan Martin's withering glances - and hardly anyone seems to care or even notice.  INDEED FOLKS, I ASK YOU ALL TO BEGIN ATTENDING THE CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS FOR YOURSELVES...AT LEAST WATCH THEM ONLINE. YOU'LL QUICKLY DISCOVER THAT EVERYTHING I'M SAYING IS TRUE.

If Lisa does something with which I disagree, I will write about it, and honestly; but I'll definitely fact-check every story I hear about her first...especially if it's coming from the Gazette or the Independent.  How crappy, that the only daily newspaper in town, and the newsweekly with the highest circulation both have taken a dislike to Czeladtko.  No matter - I dug her, and (unlike the Gazette) gain more readers by the day.

I already know Lisa will never be a part of the in-clique - she's way too pretty and family-oriented for them to ever allow that; no, they'll take every opportunity to hurl rotten tomatoes at her.

Meanie Martin and her ankle-biting mutt

WANT SOME REALLY ROTTEN TOMATOES?  SEE JAN MARTIN AND HER LITTLE GAZETTE PET CHACON.

Matronly Martin

I didn't ask Lisa if she dyes her hair...though I will admit to dying the gray out of mine whenever I have an extra $5 in my pocket.  Is that vanity?  I wonder what color Jan Martin's hair used to be before it turned "witch-white"?  Wonder how she'd look in a nice ash blond.

But then the crowd of other Colorado Springs Business Journal's "Women of Influence" hotties might look at her askance, and wonder what she was up to - I know *I*  did when I saw her wearing this lovely denim frock!  I can honestly say that this is the only time I have EVER seen Jan in something other than pants - how very ladylike! You know what they say:  when in Rome...

They say beauty's in the eye of the beholder.  Well, Lisa Czeladtko is beautiful - inside and out.  The people raking her over the coals are the ones beholden to something ugly...and they come face to face with it every time they look in the mirror.