Jennifer Kovaleski is a Denver7 Senior Investigative Reporter.
An attempt to put the Federal Heights city manager and city attorney on paid administrative leave was halted Wednesday night after the city attorney told council a motion was out of order. It's unclear whether a vote to place City Manager Jacquie Halburnt and City Attorney Bill Hayashi would have passed, but while a motion was being read, Hayashi said the motion was inappropriate because the agenda listed a discussion item and not an action item.
Councilors spent more than 90 minutes in executive session Wednesday during a special meeting to discuss the employment status of Halburnt and Hayashi. The meeting took place less than two weeks after Police Chief Robert Grado and Fire Chief Marc Mahoney were abruptly fired on April 3. Staff was informed of the firing in an email sent out at 6:40 p.m. on a Friday night.Prior to executive session, roughly a dozen residents spoke during public comment, the majority raising concerns over how the firings were handled and demanding accountability from the city manager.“What has happened is unacceptable, unprofessional and deeply disrespectful,” resident Renee Lund said. “This isn’t going to go away. We will continue to show up, speak out and demand answers until this is addressed.”Grado’s wife, Judy, also spoke via zoom in defense of her husband.“I am here today to speak about the wrongful termination of my husband,” she said. “A police chief with a 40-year unblemished career who was fired by the city manager through an email and what we believe was retaliation.”After the motion to put Halburnt and Hayashi on leave was stopped, residents expressed outrage during a second public comment session. Some urged the council to vote to add an action item to the agenda. That did not happen, nor did any discussion, and the meeting was adjourned. Tensions in Federal Heights have been building between first responders and city staff for months. In January, police and firefighters issued a vote of no confidence against Halburnt.Earlier, Denver7 Investigates spoke exclusively with Adams and Broomfield county District Attorney Brian Mason, who raised serious concerns over the firing of Grado, saying that he had turned the department around after it was plagued with a backlog of cases in 2023.“He provided stability. He provided expertise. He provided leadership, and now he's gone,” Mason said of Grado. “That's a huge concern to me.”Mayor Linda Montoya said she was ashamed to be mayor of the city during her comment and said that the council would meet again at its next scheduled meeting on Tuesday. In a joint statement from the police and fire unions, they said, 'Our unions thank the public for their support. We find the outcome tonight's special Council session unacceptable and we will have no further comment out of fear of retaliation.'
Federal Heights Police Chief Robert Grado Fired Marc Mahoney Police Robert Grado Adams County City Manager Denver7 Investigates Federal Heights Federal Heights Firing
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