Mayor McNichols and the Blizzard of ‘82 Last minute Christmas shoppers in 1982 had a jot in common with Denver's Mayor. Both were red faced on Christmas morning having waited too long to take care of their tasks. A blizzard closed stores early and procrastinating shoppers were out of luck. The mayor took too long to react to the blizzard that cemented the city in deep snow. He brought no Christmas cheer to Denver residents. Denver was unprepared for the surprise blizzard that immobilized cars and planes alike. tt snowed for twenty-four hours, leaving twenty-four inches of snow in Denver and even more piled in surrounding suburbs. Weather forecasters expected a few inches of snow that would give Denver a white Christmas. instead a blizzard raged that stranded residents throughout the city and metro area. The response to the snow emergency from Denver government agencies was very poor and lead to Mayor Bill McNichols losing the election the following spring. Denver residents were at first inconvenienced, then stranded, and finally outraged by impassable streets and delayed city services. The Christmas Blizzard of 1982 ended the second longest reign of @ Denver mayor. Mayor William H. MeNichols was ousted from the office he held for fourteen years because he did not ‘react fast enough to the miserable conditions the storm caused the city and Stapleton international Airport. Denver's city government had the responsibility to react to the snow ‘emergency quickly and in the interest of the citizens. Mayor McNichols did not take the lead to combat the snow emergency in a timely way, his response to the emergency was ineffective, and consequently he was voted out of office. ‘Aging Mayor MeNichols was in office through a growth period that saw the reorganization of Public transit, the building of a performing arts center, a new police and fire headquarters, anupdated city jail, and a large sports arena.’ McNichols had a committed political machine to Fun Denver but it began to fail in the early 1980s. While McNichols was stili trying to find ‘additional plows to clean up the snow, the press started to criticize how he handled the snow clean-up and other city issues. Because McNichols failed to lead the clean up effectively, ewspapers reporters scrutinized his overall performance as mayor. The reporters investigated emergency preparedness, loyalties to businesses, and thefts that clouded the performance of MeNichols and his administration. Denver was certainly not the first city that dealt with a crisis from natural disaster. Many other cities have faced difficulties dealing with unexpected disasters. A snow storm in Denver was tame compared to fires, disease, or earthquakes that other ‘cities experienced. Chicago's great Fire of 1871, New Orleans and the yellow fever outbreak in 1853, and Los Angeles with its numerous natural disasters, were all cities that had to deal with disasters and the crisis's they created. in these cities, lack of preparation for an unexpected crisis put focal government officials in recovery efforts that they were unqualified or unprepared to perform. After more than three square miles of Chicago was destroyed by fire, including the city gas works and municipal water works, donations flooded the newly formed ‘Chicago Relief and Aid Society. The “world’s charity” became the “people’s money” and someone would need to decide who received which portion of the relief funds. In her book Smoldering City, Karen Sawislak recounts how determining the qualification for the relief funds was a task as large as governing the city during the disaster. Some how, someone had to determine how much a victim of the fire was entitled to from the donated funds. If there was a citizen that had a large loss, were they due more than those now destitute and who hadnothing? It was difficult to decide if those with uninsured losses were entitled to what they once owned. Both during and after the disaster local government officials had to lead the citizens of Chicago through the crisis, and make financial decisions for which they were not expecting when elected.” City officials in New Orleans had to cope with disease, caused by a then unknown source. in 1853 a yellow fever epidemic hit the city’s dock district. To keep from scaring away commerce, doctors and journalists remained quiet about the outbreak. Ari Kelman’s A River and its City writes how the city council and mayor covered up a natural disaster in favor of business, invoking “an official silence.”> This made the city government a puppet for business interests. Wanting the city to continue doing business, but not wanting to get sick, those who could afford to, got out of the city. Businessmen and City Council members alike fled the city to avoid illness. The city was left without proper leadership. It was unknown at the time why the cooler autumn weather would decrease the fever, (fewer mosquitoes), but that is when the financially well off would return to the city. It was discovered, years later, that mosquitoes carried the fever, The mayor and City Council acted irresponsibly and in favor of business interests, not wanting business to abandon the wharfs, they did not warn the citizens of New Orleans of the severity of the fever infection and the number of deaths it brought. Natural disasters in Los Angeles, such as earthquakes, fires, and mudslides have always given ocal governments reason to prepare for the worst. in Mike Davis’, Ecology of Fear, disasters, natural or manmade, showed how poorly Los Angeles handled emergency preparedness. Little prior preparedness was taken by local governments to combat the unexpected. Emergency preparedness was a responsibility of city government, it was attempted half-heartily bymunicipalities. Local elected government officials were expected to lead and make critical decisions to insure the safety and health of the citizens, The decisions however were made based on money interests and business interests instead of individual needs. As an example, efforts to protect or rebuild Malibu after a fire were different than efforts to help an inner city apartment building where numerous people died. Citizens inherently expected city services to be equal through out the municipality. This unfortunately was not guaranteed by the municipality. Money and location did change the quality of services. in Denver, citizens also expected that city services would be prepared for an emergency, ‘especially the yearly chore of snow removal. The Manager of Public Works oversaw snow removal as well as street maintenance. in 1963, Bill McNichols would take the appointment as ‘Manager of Public Works, by and under Mayor Currigan. Added to his list of responsibilities as Public Works Manager, he had the title of Deputy Mayor. The Public Works Manager stepped into the job of maycr if the office was unexpectedly left vacant. He was Public Works Manager for over five years and was mayor for over eleven years. He had the experience in street maintenance and snow removal, and as mayor, had departments under him responsible to battle snow storms. His background also included a job with the Colorado Highway Department during his school years.‘ Learning the job of Public Works Manager he also became familiar with the city finances. His job as Manager of Public Works involved budget concerns including overtime pay and materials costs. Starting as Public Works Manager in 1963, by 1982 MeNichols had more than enough background to run the city in a snow ‘emergency.In an unforeseen chain of events, McNichols found himself in the position mayor. He was not looking for the job, nor initially had ambitions for it. Long time Denver city auditor, William McNichols Sr., who was in office from 1931 to 1953,” started the family legacy into politics. He #m McNichols Ir.’s older brother, who was governor of Colorado was followed by Stephen, from 1957-1963. As governor, Stephen made it possible for his brother Bill Jr. to become involved in city and state politics. Stephen asked Bill to be his assistant in the governor's office. As his assistant, Bill was with his brother when Stephen lost the gubernatorial race in 1963 to John Love. Stephen McNichols pressured then mayoral candidate of Denver and fellow Democrat, Thomas Currigan, into promising William Jr. the job of Manager of Public Works. Stephen threatened to enter the Denver mayor's race if Currigan did not give his brother the Position. As a preventive measure to keep Stephen out of local politics, Currigan promised the appointment.” Bill McNichols thus entered Denver's government as a political appointee of ‘Tom Currigan. Since the next in line for the mayor's job, by city charter was the Manager of Public Works, Currigan had picked his own successor if he left office. This was not the first time McNichols had worked for Currigan, Earlier in Currigan’s campaign for mayor, after Bill McNichols Jr. left the governor's assistant job, he was asked to run the Currigan campaign headquarters. He had worked at the campaign headquarters less than two weeks when he accepted @ banking position fram his brother, Stephen, then ex-governor and new president of 17th Street National Bank.* Currigan and McNichols started off on a rocky professional relationship. ‘Tom Currigan fulfilled the promise to appoint Bill McNichols as Manager of Public Works after being elected mayor. Political appointments may not always be an exact fit, butCurrigan’s appointment of McNichols to Public Works Manager worked. McNichols had not been a public works official before but, from his military service as a sergeant in WWIII he knew organization skills, and comradery.® As assistant to his brother he had gained experience in civic duties. Department managers works helped him learn the public works job. His duties as Public Works Manager and Deputy Mayor included street maintenance. Falling under street maintenance duties were snow removal responsibilities. McNichols was a Denver native, ‘familiar with Colorado winters, and knew the sudden changes storms could bring. He was not a vil engineer or plow driver but he had enough back-ground experience from his school days, military service, and public works department job to recognize a snow emergency. ‘When McNichols took over the public works department in 1963 the emphasis was on cost reductions. Late in 1963, a ietter from Sid Keller, Director. of Administration-Public Works, to 1.C. Theno, Public Works Maintenance Office Manager, claimed a major decrease in expenditures was accomplished by personal reduction and use of fewer construction materials. Also in the letter was a statement that a second major cost reduction was associated to overtime, “a subject that has been brought up by the accounting office repeatedly.” This included overtime pay for salting and sanding streets. A snow storm meant overtime pay for city employees and costly materials to assist clean up, including road salt and extra fuel. A weekend snow storm increased overtime costs even further. The lessons of cost management at the public works department would have shaped MeNichols’ reaction to a snow emergency, especially a weekend storm. Generally, Denver's finances were not 2 major problem during the ‘Currigan years. Formally the City Auditor, Currigan’s money problems were eased during his first term when City Councit agreed to extend a two percent sales tax voted upon in the7 Previous administration.”* Still, there was an emphasis on saving money. In 1965 the mayor's proposed budget called for a decrease in operational expenditures by most city departments, with the Department of Public Works losing $142,800 in the 1966 budget.” ‘McNichols, working within budget concerns, stayed in the position of Public Works Manager until Currigan caused a major change in Denver city government in 1968. Currigan was successful as mayor but was uneasy about the job’s low pay and high exposure. He felt the mayor of a large westem city should be paid more than $14,000, an amount fixed by the city charter.* From contacts he made as mayor, Currigan planned to abandon the job, and take a position with Continental Airlines in California. Since next in line for mayor was the Public Works Manager, Currigan planned to convince Bill McNichols to resign so he could give the position to Denver attorney and Denver Democratic Party Chairman Dale Tooley."* McNichols refused to resign. Tooley, who had already resigned from the law firm where he worked, was left in alurch. Currigan boxed himself into a political corner. tf he fired McNichols to put Tooley in his place, there would be voter outrage. Currigan told Tooley his plan would ot work and Tooley would not be mayor. McNichols was sworn in as mayor, December 31, 1968." After this first unconventional bid for mayor, Tooley would tussle for the job of mayor ‘on and off for the next 15 years. As for Curtigan, he took the job in California and left his appointee to Public Works Manager and Deputy Mayor, William McNichols, the Mayor of Denver."° McNichols later recounted: “I never dreamed of being here in this particular office-it was thrust on me in the middle of the night.””” But, he was the mayor, and integrated himself into the office pretty successfully. His first re-election, in 1971, was against the last non-declared8 contender for the mayor's job, Dale Tooley. in a three way race, where Tooley gained the most votes in the regular election, a run off election determined that McNichols retained his job as mayor. This time Denver voters validated McNichols’ position as mayor, voting him into office in the run-off election. in the same election, a charter amendment passed raising the mayor's ay, thus eliminating the reason why Currigan claimed he left office."* in the election of 1975 a similar scenario happened. In a campaign that had four candidates for mayor, Tooley won the regulator election, but failed to get the majority of votes. A,un off election was held which MeNichols won. ‘McNichols soon found another antagonist he would fail to defeat, snow. The following winter, after being elected mayor the second time, MeNichols was in the middle of a snow ‘emergency. A snow storm stagnated the city in December 1973. it took a month to clean up the snow. Denver residents wanted something done because the public works department could not get the streets cleaned. On January 21, 1974 the Department of Public Works instituted a snow emergency plan.” The plan included the definition of an emergency, Personal assignments, the relationship between city agencies, and concerns for the duration of ‘an emergency. Details also included that hospitals, police, and fire stations were to be addressed first, because of their importance. About three weeks after the snow plan was. written, a concerned citizen, Mr. H. Murphy sent Mayor McNichols a letter with suggestions to ‘combat snow storms in Denver. in an almost tongue-in-check response, Mayor McNichols sent a thank you letter to Murphy for his suggestions, 23 days after the city already developed a snow plan.” MeNichols was well aware of the impact of snow emergencies on the city and the need for an emergency plan. The emergency plan, as it turned out, was at the center ofcontroversy in the 1982 blizzard. in the intervening years, the city did not experience any city- closing storms such as the one that came in 1982. McNichots won a third term as mayor in 1979, the election was not as eventful as the last. ‘two run-offs. Dale Tooley was District Attorney and did not Participate in the mayoral election. McNichols took a majority of votes on the first ballot, eliminating a run-off, During his third term McNichols battled City Council over contracts and the Bronco stadium finances. But, he “retained a stable budget and first-rate bond rating.””* Personal tragedy, however, struck in September 1982. Laverne, Bill's wife of thirty-five years passed away.” Christmas 1982 would be the first Christmas Holiday without Laverne. McNichols kept busy with the mayor’s job. He returned from Chicago the Tuesday before Christmas 1982, where he had worked on bond issues. in McNichols’ day timer, the week approaching Christmas was scheduled with holiday Parties, lunches, and the Debutante Ball. The Broncos and Nuggets games were penciled in at the scheduled day and time.” The Debutante Ball took place at the Brown Palace Hotel on Thursday, December 23. ft was the last engagement listed in McNichols’ day timer before the ‘Christmas Holiday. Friday, Christmas Eve, was penciled out as if he planned to take the day off. McNichols was a sport fan, and probably planned to spend some of the Holiday weekend watching the Denver teams after a week of social and business commitments. Weather forecasting can be a tricky occupation. Newspaper readers and television viewers always joke that weather forecasting is a profession in which you can be wrong and still hold Your job. The weather forecasters may have kept their jobs after Christmas, 1982, but jobs at City Hall were in jeopardy. Poor weather forecasting Christmas week, lead to the eventual shake up of jobs in Denver's City Hall. The blizzard that started the night before Christmas Eve10 was not accurately predicted in the newspapers and it turned out to be the worse snow storm Denver experienced in sixty-nine years. The snow started at 11:00 P.M. ‘Thursday, as the Debutante Ball at the Brown Palace Hotel was starting to wind-down.”* Those planning holiday outings were fooled by the weather, a day before, Wednesday the 22nd, the high temperature in Denver was 58 degrees.” But to the west of Colorado, Thursday's Rocky Mountain New, reported, there were power outages in California, Arizona, and Nevada from @ powerful winter storm2® The Friday forecast in Thursday's newspaper predicted poor visibility and accumulations of 2 to 4 inches of snow for Denver.” it wasn’t until Friday's. Denver Post that the forecast predicted a “possible storm peril.’ By this time it had been snowing all night and travel was already becoming hazardous. There was little advance warning of the severity of the storm for Denver. Many people expected to do last minute shopping, Friday, Christmas Eve. Ablizzard is a blizzard, something urban folk rarely experience. The fury of the storm was unexpected. Fora short time Thursday morning, drivers tried to get around the city. But as snow piled up one to three inches an hour, cars were abandoned in the deepening snow, they blocked the streets and created more obstacles. Travel out of town by car was impossible, by 8:00 A.M. the east-west highway, I-70, was closed. A short time later, +-25, the north-south highway closed. Stapleton International Airport stayed open only until 9:30 A.M. It closed for ‘the first time in thirty-two years because of blowing snow. Roads continued to close, stores shut early, and public transportation was suspended. At 6:00 P.M. acting Governor, Nancy Dick, mobilized the Colorado National Guard to rescue stranded motorists on state highways.” In later reports she said that there were no requests from any Denver officials for a state of emergency declaration. Conditions were bad and the city and state did not recognize thenu storm’s severity. Bus and taxi services were halted until Sunday, many routes did not run for days. Stapleton’s four runways remained closed until one runway was finally cleared Saturday evening. For the first time ever, both newspapers halted daily editions. There was no trash pick up until after the New Year. The city was at a near standstill, but no one called a state of emergency, opened the city’s emergency preparedness center, or coordinated help to the stranded city. Nothing could fly in or out of Stapleton international Airport. Cars could barely make it to the terminal. During the blizzard it took two hours to travel from the closest highway, 1-70, to ‘the Stapleton terminal, a distance of about two miles.” Some 2,000 passengers spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at the airport." By Sunday, conditions at the airport were miserable. There were lines for food, Phil Gately a Missouri man said, “Vou can’t even get a candy bar.”®® Denver police Set. .W. King asked the city’s Office of Emergency Preparedness to arrange for Red Cross aid.” The airport's Travelers Aid and nursery were dosed. Western Airlines flight attendant, Claudia Myers, described the flight situation as a “zoo.” Continental Airlines brought in sandwiches for the exhausted travelers, and also supplied baby food and diapers.> The first runway opened Saturday evening. ‘On Sunday at 11:30 AM. the city's Emergency Operation Centered opened, 68 hours fate. It should have opened, according to weather reports airport officials had, on Thursday at 3:30 P.M. ifthe city followed their own snow plan.** This was when the snow desk at Stapleton had in hand a weather report predicting near-blizzard conditions and snow fall of at least six inches. ‘This was the earliest known warning that the impending storm would be severe enough to activate the city’s snow emergency plan. Since Stapleton had updated, official weather reports,12 they should have acted on these reports. Deputy Public Works Manager Jack Bruce said after he failed to follow the city snow plan: “Heck, you know how weather reports are. We just. didn’t believe there would be a heavy storm.”?” At 9:30 P.M. the reports were updated for up to 10 inches of snow with continued high winds. The city officials at the airport knew the snow plan, had in hand two severe weather reports, and yet left themselves undermanned for the expected plow efforts. Visibility finally improved to start plowing the runways. But, the plow drivers first had to clear two to five feet of snow from the access roads just to get to the runways. To keep the plows moving, twenty maintenance workers assigned to snow removal were “paid overtime and/or holiday pay,” according to Myles Carter, chief airport maintenance supervisor.® Twenty workers would mean five workers per runway, an almost unimaginable task. The inadequate number of plows and drivers was an issue to the public, overtime pay seemed to concern supervisor Carter. By adding more workers and more plows from private contractors one runway opened each day until Wednesday, when flight volume returned to near normal levels. But, by the time the third runway opened Tuesday, the Rocky Mountain news ran an editorial comparing Denver with Chicago. The inadequate job of snow clean-up from a January 1979 storm caused Chicago Mayor Michael Bilandic to be thrown out of office.” There was growing controversy in the newspapers of how Denver's the clean up effort was going. McNichols defended the growing complaints by putting the blizzard in a class of catastrophe with volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.” He claimed the city was trying the best it could. The city council tried to praise the cleanup job at a Council Meeting Monday evening after the storm. North Denver Councitman Sal Carpio, often an outspoken critic of McNichols said, “I heard the mayor is3B getting a bad rap, but | think it’s unfair. The city did the best it could.”"* The next day another city councilman disagreed with the favorable evaluation. Councilman Bill Roberts of Montbello did not support of the mayor's performance. His district, Montbello, was snow bound. McNichols did not ask for help from the National Guard except for a couple of ambulances and two half tracks. The four-wheel-drive ambulances, provided by the National Guard, went to help Montbello, Denver's isolated subdivision east of the airport. According to Denver Fire Chief Myrle Wise “That was the only place we needed it,” and added, “But we really needed it there.” Montbello residents saw the situation worse than that. Postal worker Tony Vigil of 12940 E. 48th Avenue said he won't forget that for five days after the Christmas Eve blizzard not one city plow had touched the street where he lived in Monthello. Vigil continued to say: “I don’t think McNichols is doing a good a job.” Nate Askins of 12967 E. 48th Ave. referring to the city plowing the McNichols Sports Area parking lot said: “What's the point of shoveling that when I can’t get out to see the game?” Council Roberts questioned the city’s clean up and remarked: “What appears to me is that Montbello ‘was given equal treatment with every other residential area of this district - that is, it was completely ignored.”“* Conditions on the other side of the city were not much better. Twelve days after the blizzard it stil took Regis University student, Dee Farrell, 75 minutes to travel three miles. She tried to get from her Capital Hill residence to school, and gave up saying both “Colfax and 13th are parking lots.""* Days after the blizzard, city services were not able to keep up with resident's thinning patience. ‘The attitude between City Hall and the Denver public began to change. The immobility and cabin fever began to infect people. Jeffery Haber, clinical psychologist and associate professor“4 at Metropolitan State College observed, “By Sunday, everybody | spoke to was pretty irritable.” ‘And then he added, “On Monday, the people who were still cooped up were downright ornery.”” An opinion of the clean up was offered by citizen Tom Bass when he said, “We're not pleased with anything the city has done.” Bass continued, “The McNichols administration is ‘outdated, outmoded and we need to get some new level of thinking in there. We need a different breed of person in there.” A poor decision was made to use valuable snow clearing ‘equipment to clear the McNichols Arena parking lot. The Denver Nugget's game was postponed because of the snow, yet city crews continued to work at the arena parking lots. ‘Then the city was criticized for shoveling the private parking lot of Glendale company Stearns- Rodgers. McNichols defended the action, even though it was approved with out his knowledge by Bill Mifler, Denver Water Department Manager. “When you open parking space,” McNichols said, “no matter where itis, it does alleviate people having to park on the very street you clean because they can’t park somewhere else.” Further reports of inappropriate action were reported in the lower downtown. A water department employee, assigned to work on a water pipe, asked for $35.00 cash to clean parking lots.” The employee was reported by a disgusted business owner when the worker would not take a check for snow removal. Business was influencing the snow clean up. Emergency services were not manned and yet private parking ots were being cleared. McNichols, his administration, and the city snow plan were questioned by the candidates wanting his job. Still an undeclared candidate for the spring 1983 Denver mayoral challenge, McNichols was criticized by those looking to take his job. Four challengers, Dale Tooley, Wellington Webb, Federico Pena, and Monte Pascoe all took offence to McNichols’ leadership in the blizzard.4s Webb claimed, “This is just another example of the administrations failure to plan and lead.” Tooley’s response was less critical, “I don’t want to get too specific until we have all the facts, but 'm sure we could have done better.” Pena pinned down the administration's weak point when he commented that the Office of Emergency Preparedness, Denver's communication center in severe storms, did not even open until 36 hours after the last snowflake fell. Pointing to the controversy over servicing private property, Pascoe cried, “That is 2 terrible thing,” continuing, “you cannot service private lots.” McNichols rebuttal was that even though the city has a snow-fighting program, “There is no way to plan for a storm like ‘this.”** Actually, since he failed to initiate the snow plan on time, it meant city employees were stranded in different parts of town, unable to reach the garaged equipment.” A Denver resident Robert Hesdorfer, when interviewed by the Denver Post about the clean-up, spoke his mind about McNichols, he said, “I won't vote for him, no way.” Snow was an election issue. ‘Traditionally, elections are a fall event. A spring election has the advantage for the incumbent mayor. Fewer, yet loyal, voters maintain the status-quo by voting for the incumbent. Because Denver had spring mayoral elections the Denver Post thought McNichols would have good chance at re-election, even though he had not yet declared his candidacy.” ‘Almost a year earlier, in May 1982, MeNichols was asked if he was going to run for re-election, his answer then was he had not made up his mind.” As late as mid-December 1982, when asked again if he was going to run, he only smiled.”* Finally on March 1, 1983 MeNichols ‘announced he was running the fourth time for mayor. It would be his third time to run against his rival, former District Attorney Dale Tooley, who quit the District Attorney, job to run again for mayor. McNicols was thinking the most pressing issues for the election were airport16 expansion, development in the Central Platte Valley, and continuing downtown growth.” A Denver Post editorial, while the snow was still on the streets, listed the additional issues of cronyism, police, transportation, and minorities that should take precedence over the snow storm in the May election. On top of the list of issues however, the Denver Post said, was the “overall management of the city; it is the niche into which the snow issue fits.”"** They hinted that even though there were more pressing issues, snow was what was on the voter's minds. ‘MMcNichols was ready to shake the snow storm as an election issue, but he knew it hung over him. \n his first campaign appearance after declaring his candidacy, at Emie’s Restaurant, he joked about the rainy evening. He quipped, “We've got more water out there than I've seen in a long time,” he said. “Pd hate to tell you when that was,” meaning the Christmas Eve blizzard. The elections issues that surfaced, it tuned out, were those least likely to help MecNichols regain the mayor's office. He had to deal with the issues of age, snow, and his, administration. McNichols was not fearful of running against multiple candidates, he had done it before. ‘The other mayoral candidates besides Tooley, 49, were; Webb, 42; Pena, 36; and Pascoe, 48. Added to these challengers were two inexperienced opponents, Steve Schwitzberger, 33, and Harold Sudmeyer, 42. All candidates were younger than McNichols, 73, and age became a campaign issue. McNichols’ age was almost always mentioned in any newspaper articles about the elections. Articles about the election also included McNichols’ failure to shed his older administrators. McNichols was asked why he did not replace some of the older member of his ‘administration such as Max Zall, the 82-year-old city attorney. McNichols replied, “I really don’t think that’s an appropriate statement to make... don’t think it's fair to_.kick him out of the7 place.” At a candidate forum on May 6, 1983 McNichols said he would keep Max Zall city attorney if re-elected.®* Tom Noel of the University of Colorado at Denver when interviewed about McNichols and the election, said: “His roots are so old here. He’s been here so long that he sees Denver as a basic and functional city." Adding to the age issue, was experience. Ata candidate forum the “challengers are boasting of their experience and knowiedge of government.” McNichols found it an odd criticism. If the voter was looking for experience, which comes with age, McNichols has more than all the candidates combined. But the criticism of age did eventually get to McNichot's administration. Max Zall resigned three days before the election.“ Hoping to shed some of the cri of McNichol’ aging administration, it was too little too late. Battling the age issue as Election Day neared, the snow storm issue also re- appeared. Alittle more than a week before the election, Tooley claimed McNichols missed a chance to receive federal money to help with the 7 million dollar clean-up cost of the Christmas Eve blizzard. The wounds were reopened. There were two areas of assistance that were questioned, logistical help from the Colorado National Guard during the snow, and federal financial help for the clean up efforts. Concerning help from the National Guard during the storm McNichols claimed: “We had serious problems getting any help from the National Guard based on [Dick’s]..feeling that it wasn’t that severe of a situation."* The next day Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dick responded to McNichols’ charges, she said McNichols only asked for “two half-tracks and two ambulances for Monthello.” Dick said when McNicols only asked for that limited help she asked again, “Is that all you want?” McNichols, she said, answered “yes.”°° ‘The second form of assistance was federal aid money for clean-up efforts. Tooley felt 1.2518, million dollars could have been reimbursed for the clean-up effort. Jerry Oakley, deputy regional director for the federal emergency- management agency, Pat Byrne, state director of disaster-emergency services, and Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dick doubted the city would have qualified.” Tooley felt since the city did not apply for the money they lost even the chance of getting reimbursed. The request for emergency funds was again brought up at a May Sth candidate’s forum, When asked by a reporter why he did not ask the governor's office for help, McNichols “shot back” at the reporter and said, “I did...[t] issued a proclamation-an edict that it was an emergency. [I] asked for the Guard.” During a later a television debate, Tooley said MeNichols “misspoke” when MeNichols claimed he sought emergency financial relief. The Rocky Mountain News wrote of the television debate that “what Tooley meant to say was that McNichols had lied. But, he didn’t say it." MecNichols defense of the blizzard clean up had holes. There was no record of McNichols asking for more help from the National Guard or the Governor's office, neither was there any record of anyone denying help. Whether there was federal financial help or not, the point was made, the snow clean-up was bungled. Both Denver newspapers did go on record, however, supporting their own candidate. The Denver Post editorial staff endorsed Tooley. The editorial wrote: “the administration of Mayor Bill McNichols has run out of steam. Voters sense the need for fresh energy." The Rocky Mountain News editorial staff chose Pena. The editor wrote: “For too long, the McNichols administration has allowed events to wash over it before reacting.””” McNichols felt the pressure the press was putting on his re-election campaign. Two reporters, Gary Delsohn of the Denver Post, and Dave Kridger of the Rocky Mountain News, seemed to be on personal missions to oust the mayor. They always mentioned the mayor's age when writing about the snow19 storm or elections. McNichols felt he was always battling against another of his foes, the press. Gene Amole, Rocky Mountain News columnist wrote in his Election Day column: “McNichols is running against the press..”” McNichols, himself felt the press was the cause of many of his problems. He planned, he said at one of the few candidate forums he attended, to “release a detailed rebuttal of news reports that criticized his administration.””* He felt the newspapers were so competitive that they “distorted the news to increase circulation.” There was also radio press that was nat favorable to the mayor. The radio station, KOA, conducted a poll of 300 Denver voters. The polt results were printed in the Rocky Mountain News a day before the elections. They reported McNichols was running third behind Tooley and Pena. Of those polled, 61% said they thought that Denver had been poorly managed for the past few years. = On the day before Election Day polls showed 20 percent of the voters were undecided.” Other polls put the percentage of undecided voters at 25 and 30 percent.”” One in five voters had not yet chosen a candidate. Jim Monaghan, ‘communications director for Monte Pascoe’s campaign remarked, “You can theorize that if they can’t make up their minds, they may as well stay home.””> McNichols’ fought criticism of his age and the mismanagement of the snow storm. The press reported a large number of undecided voters, there was doubt the mayor would keep his job. ‘The political machine that McNichols developed over the years in office began to have problems. A week before the blizzard of '82, the Denver Post reported, “When people discuss McNichols, they invariably mention his loyalty.”” The article continued to predict a campaign issue, “His chief problem. is his unwillingness to fire incompetent or aging: ‘officials.”® But, in some cases termination was the only course. Howard Dave, the city’s chief tax collector was20 caught embezzling more than $650,000 in tax refunds.” Criminal charges were filed and Howard Dave was removed from office. In another case, McNichols suspended, rather than fired alleged wrong doers. In 1982 Police Chief Art Dill and Safety Manager Elvin Caldwell were suspended for their alleged role in a bingo game scandal."” McNichols expected that he would have to replace them if he was re-elected. McNichols combined his contempt for the press and the pressure they put on him through out the campaign and said: “The assumption of the press that these people are guilty of something — that is wrong.”** He knew Dill and Caldwell were ies for re-election, but he defended them. McNichols loyalty to those in his administration prompted what a Tooley voter in Southeast Denver said: “The McNichols’ administration has started to crumble.” He then went on to say, “I voted for McNichols twice; after a certain amount of time, you have to give up.”™ The voter's opinion was that the McNichols administration was starting to come apart. Thinking he would run again for mayor defendin, sues such as airport and city growth, McNichols ended up defending his aging city administration against charges he mismanaged the snow storm clean- up. The average date of the last snow storm in Denver is May 12th. Sadly for Mayor McNicols, 1983 beat the average, it snowed May 17th, Election Day. The last thing he needed was his name associated with snow. A run-off election was expected, but voting totals were surprising. Pena had 48,102 votes, followed by Tooley with 40,733, and McNichols gathered a mere 25,217. In an exit poll conducted in Southeast Denver, a voter said problems with snow removal after the Christmas Eve blizzard was why she voted for challenger Federico Pena."® MeNichols lost to two candidates and one snow storm. Like Chicago and New Orleans where fire and infection strained politician's ability to handle a crisis, Denver only wanted their mayor2 to lead them through the snow emergency. The poor clean-up effort caused voters and the Press to question McNichols’ job and his administration. They blamed his poor response to the ‘snow clean-up on his age and his handling of his administration. His failure to respond quickly and compassionately to the citizens needs during the blizzard opened up criticism toward his entire administration. Once the criticism started it could not be stopped and voters withdrew their support of McNichols and his administration. McNichols was not initially voted in as mayor, but after fourteen years he was voted out.22 * Rocky Mountain News, May 18, 1983, p. 7. 2 karen Sawislak, Smoldering City, Chicagoans and the Great Fire, 1871-1874, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995.), p. 27. * ri Kelman, A River ond its City, (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003.) p. 94. * William McNichols Papers, Denver Public Library Western History Collection, introduction Online. itp leader denweribrary.org/sdx/p/tocxspid=WH1O15 d0e2683Rcid=sdx qORimt=toxtRidtoc WMIOIS sicadetoc& base-fafin=4AssetrueBas lection-cot| (accessed 17 Api, 2030.) ‘Rocky Mountain News, June 27, 1983, SColorado Governor’ index, The Governor Stephen McNichols Collection atthe Colorado State Archives, i Jn soloredo,soulda/dol/archives/0vs/menich him {assessed April 18, 2010;) ” Denver Post, February 6, 1983, p. 11A. ® George V. Kelly, The Old Gray Mayors of Denver, (Boulder: Pruett Publishing, 1974.) p. 171. ? Rocky Mountain News, December 19, 1982, p.6. 2° Thomas Currigan Papers, Denver Public Library Western History Collection, Box 64, FFB. + George V. Kelly, The Old Gray Mayors of Denver, p. 209. ® Denver Post, September 12, 1965, p.1. ” Denver Post, December 31, 1968, p. 1. * George V. Kelly, The Old Gray Mayors of Denver, (Boulder: Pruett Publishing, 1974.) p. 217 *© Denver Post, December 31, 1968, p. 1. + Denver Post, February 6, 1983, p. 11A. ” Rocky Mountain News, December 19, 1982, p. 6. George V. Kelly, The Old Gray Mayors of Denver, p. 236. °° William McNichols Paper, Denver Public Library Western History Collection, Box 64, FF8. ® wiltam McNichols Poper, Denver Public Library Western History Collection, Box 64, FF. 2 Rocky Mountain News, May 18, 1983, p.7- Rocky Mountain News, September 12, 1982, p. 1. 2 william McNichols Papers, Denver Public Library Western History Collection, Box 39, FF5. > staff of the Rocky Mountain News, Christmas Blizzard ’82 A Survivor's Souvenir and Scrapbook, (indianapolis: News and Features Press, 1983.}, p. 35. ?* Rocky Mountain News, December 22, 1982, p. 166. © Denver Rocky Mountain News, December 23, 1982, p. 1. ” Denver Rocky Mountain News, December 23, 1982, p. 122. * Denver Post, December 24, 1982, p. 1A. * Rocky Mountain News, December 26, 1982, p. 1. *° Rocky Mountain News, December 27, 1982, p.69. * Denver Post, December 27, 1982, p. 4A. = Rocky Mountain News Staff, Christmas Blizzard ‘82, p. 70. * Rocky Mountain News Staff, Christmas Blizzard “82, p. 70. ™ Rocky Mountain News Staff, Christmas Blizzard “82, p. 70. ** Rocky Mountain News Staff, Christrnas Blizzard ’82, p. 76. * The Denver Post, December 31, 1982, p. 1A. * The Denver Post, December 31, 1982, p. 1A. Rocky Mountain News, December 30, 1982, p. 69. ® Rocky Mountain News, December 28, 1982, p. 38. ® Denver Post, December 28, 1982, p. GA. Denver Post, December 28, 1982, p. 6A. © Denver Post, December 29, 1982, p. 18. Rocky Mountain News, December 30, 1982, p. 10. “ Rocky Mountain News, December 30, 1982, p. 10.® pocky Mountain News, December 30, 1982, p. 10. “© Denver Post, December 5, 1983, p. 18. Living & Arts Section, Denver Post, December 29, 1982, p.1. * rocky Mountain News, December 20, 1982, . 10. Denver Post, December 30, 1982, p. 15A. "© Denver Post, December 30, 1982, p. 15A. * Denver Post, December 30, 1982, p. 15A. ® Denver Post, December 31, p. 7A. ® Denver Post, January 3, 1983, P. 7A. * Denver Post, February 6, 1982, p. 114. ® Denver Post, une27, 1982, p. 3C. © rocky Mountain News, December 18, 1982, p.7. ° Denver Past, March 1, 1983, p. 4A. * Denver Past, January 3, 1983, p. 28. * Rocky Mountain News, March 18, 1983, p.7. © Denver Post, My 6, 1983, p. 12A. The Denver Post, May 6, 1983, p. 13A. © Rocky Mountain News, May 16, 1983, p. 42. © Denwer Post, My 6, 1983, p. 12A. ™ Denver Post, May 6, 1983, p. 18. © Denver Post, May 5, 1983, p. 158. “© Denver Post, May 6, 1983, p. 13A. © Denver Post, May 5, 1983, p. 15A. Denver Post, May 6, 1983, p. 134. © Rocky Mountain News, May 15, 1983, p. 78. ” Denver Post, May 15, 1983, p.2. * Rocky Mountain News, May 15, 1983, p. 78. 7 Rocky Mountain News, May 17, 1982, p. 4. ” Denver Post, May 6, 1983, p. 1. » Denver Post, May 18, 1983, p. 1A. rocky Mountain News, May 16, 1983, p. 6. * Rocky Mountain News, May 16, 1983, p. 8. ” Denver Post, May 17, 1983, p. 8A. ” Rocky Mountain News, May 16, 1983, p. 16. ® Denver Post, December 19, 1982, p.6. ® Denver Post, December 19, 1982, p.6. * Denver Post, February 6, 1983, p. 110 ® Denver Post, March 1, 1983, p. 4A. ® Rocky Mountain News, May 14, 1983, p. * Denver Past, May 17, 1983, p. 9A. © Denver Post, May 18, 1983, p. 1. Rocky Mountain News, May 18, 1983, p.8. 23