My friends, thank you for the support you've given me recently when questions about me were raised in the press. I truly appreciate it. Every citizen has a right to inquire into my actions and those of all elected officials. And, in turn, every elected official has a duty to explain his or her actions when called upon. You are entitled to answers to the honest questions the press recently raised about me.So here it is. I have done nothing improper, illegal or immoral while serving in office as a County Commissioner, State Senator or State Representative and I deny all allegations to the contrary. Frankly, I don't know how to convince you that I am telling the truth, so instead I will share some facts that were conveniently left out. There are three main issues that have been written about in the Denver Post and I will address each with more details.
First, there's the idea that I tried to bribe someone to hire my son-in-law for a county position by overpaying for a paving job at my home. That's ridiculous - the paving job at my house came after my son-in-law was hired, not before, and there was no overpayment for the work that was done. What is described as a little overlay for which I supposedly paid three times the going rate, was much more involved. The extent of the job included tearing up the old asphalt, loading it up and trucking it way. Then the old concrete under part of the area had to be jack-hammered, dug up, broken into small pieces, loaded on trucks and hauled away. Next, an area was dug out and compacted and a concrete apron was formed and poured. Then drainage ways were dug and stabilized. Only then could the actual overlay be done. I don't think we overpaid at all for the work. Sure, that's not what the "expert" said who was quoted in the article, but considering he wasn't told about everything that was done, how could he determine what was fair?
Next, let's talk about the county taking my mother's house. While I had been elected before the case ended, I had not yet been sworn in as commissioner so I had no vote on the matter, nor was I on any of the board's discussions on the case. Since this issue came up, I’ve talked with two attorneys about it and both said the whole thing was handled routinely. The county’s initial offer was $240,000, and the appraiser my husband hired valued the property at $450,000. In the end, the county settled on and paid $390,000 for the property. By the way, my mother didn't ask the county to buy the property. She didn't even want to sell it. The county took it by eminent domain. Also, it wasn't just the house and land that were taken. A domestic well and an agricultural well were on the property.
My cousin, Elaine Valente was on the board of commissioners that approved the purchase, but the vote was unanimous among her, Democrat Larry Pace, and Republican Ted Strickland. I'm a life-long Democrat but, like many Adams County citizens, I have great respect for Mr. Strickland. He has always been a fiscal conservative and a champion of responsible government spending, yet even he found no fault with the price. It's also been said that the check for the property was delivered a day early, before the board signed the proper documents. I don't know if that's true, but the board had already approved the deal and the documents were eventually signed. Should the documents have been signed before the check was delivered? Sure. Were they? I don't know. However, the question seems to be whether I should have checked to see if they were signed before my husband accepted the check. Even though I wasn't a commissioner at the time and the check wasn't made out to me, do you think I should have checked? Would you have thought to do that?
Finally, I supposedly appointed my friends and relatives to county positions. As I understand it, this issue is about my husband Ron, and my cousins Dino Valente and Christopher Frank, who are all on the Board of Adjustment. I did not appoint any of these people. I don't have the power to do that. I am one of three commissioners and these positions are filled by majority vote.
This board meets 24 times a year for six or seven hours each meeting. Members of this Board are each paid a flat rate of $65 per meeting (no matter how long it runs), which is about $1,560 a year. They buy their own gas to and from the meetings. At those rates, it's a real problem to fill the seats. The people named above are all people I know will make an effort to do a good job for you. Isn't that who you would choose? Or would you turn to people you didn't know because your political party recommended them? Or to some stranger who may impress you in a 15-minute interview? Well, I voted for people I knew I could trust to do the job well.
In conclusion, I’ll say it again - I am not guilty of any wrong doing. In all of the years I've held political office, I've always been honest with you. I've never made any bones about my position and I don't intend to start ducking now. I welcome your comments and questions about these or any other county issues. Talk to me honestly and directly and I'll give you the same courtesy.
Commissioner Alice J. Nichol
