Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Kevin Bennett and Anthony Lettunich in Steamboat


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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin Bennett the city council president was a convicted felon<br />
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The Steamboat Springs City Council President, Kevin Bennett, was a convicted felon when he was president of the Steamboat Springs city council &nbsp;from 1998 to 2002 and the police reported to him.<br />
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Bennett was not asked about his felony record until 2009<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">The city attorney knew Bennett was a convicted felon</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lettunich works simultaneously as city attorney and a real estate lawyer</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lettunich openly advertises his zoning practice while he is city attorney</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct require written notification and &nbsp;permission from city council for Lettunich when there is a conflict of interest<br /><br />Lettunich and Bennett kicked me out of Steamboat so that I wouldn't make comments like these, which I just found on the Steamboat Pilot website:</span></td></tr>
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One way to clean house would be to get a new city attorney and assistant city attorney. The last time I looked the local laws said that the "assistant city attorney" is responsible for making sure that Steamboat complies with its own laws and the constitutions of the U.S. and CO. I think that should be changed to "city attorney", which is what it probably said. I read that just a few days ago the attorney general of the State of New York sent some 200 lawyers who work for governments there letters telling them they cannot have a simultaneous private practice. In the Colorado Rules of Professional Practice, a lawyer is required to get permission from a government If he engages in private and government related work. If you look at what the city spends on Lettunich &amp; Vanderbloemen, plus in house legal staff (which is sometimes more than one full time position), you have a pretty big budget. If you advertised a full time city attorney position, I think you would some really great applications. You could hire someone from outside the local area who isn't beholden to anyone.</div>
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Years ago I was offered a job at HUD to develop technical capacity in local governments. There is probably someone doing this sort of service now and books on the subject.</div>
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July 16, 2008 at 11:56 a.m. ( <a href="http://www.steamboattoday.com/news/2008/jul/16/lanning_council_part_ways/#c45984"><span class="s1">permalink</span></a> | <span class="s1">suggest removal</span> )</div>
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yes, it sounds to me like Lanning is a professional. It must be difficult to be a professional working for the City of Steamboat. Years ago my neighbors were setting off city sized aerial fireworks 75 feet downhill from my property. Bennett invited the City Council to these parties. The assistant fire chief said that his department was told that if they protested their budget would be cut. After the Internet became available I found out that according to international standards we weren't even supposed to be allowed to be home when the fireworks were set off, the statistical danger was so high. In fact, between us and the fireworks there was a south-west facing hill of brush without vehicular access.</div>
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Another conflict I think the city council needs to face concerns the role of Anthony Lettunich. Steamboat has a full time attorney. Why does it also need a part time attorney who does business with people who also have applications before the city? The Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct supposedly prohibit an attorney employed by government from doing business with related parties without getting permission every time. You gotta wonder why council members come and go, city managers come and go, but Tony Lettunich remains?</div>
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July 13, 2008 at 6:36 p.m. ( <a href="http://www.steamboattoday.com/news/2008/jul/13/laura_case_we_need_lanning/#c45623"><span class="s1">permalink</span></a> | <span class="s1">suggest removal</span> )</div>
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<a href="http://www.steamboattoday.com/news/2008/jul/08/lannings_future_air/#c45570"><b>Lanning's future up in the air</b></a></div>
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Harvey Rose was supposedly a good city manager but he was fired. I think the Steamboat City council only wants yes men like Paul Hughes. He retired when he left. If they get rid of Lanning they will hire another yes man.</div>
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July 13, 2008 at 1:42 p.m. ( <a href="http://www.steamboattoday.com/news/2008/jul/08/lannings_future_air/#c45570"><span class="s1">permalink</span></a> | <span class="s1">suggest removal</span> )</div>
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I sued Kevin Bennett and the City of Steamboat Springs.  I'll have to expand more on a different blog or this one will get too long.

Lettunich billed the city for a long distance ex parte conference call with the magistrate