Larkspur – Jim Paradise Sr., owner of Larkspur’s Colorado Renaissance Festival, has sent a letter of intent to sue Mayor Myrna Been for $100,000 over her statements in a Nov. 7 article in The Denver Post in which she said he offered her money.
The festival is suing the town separately over Been’s contention that the festival owes hundreds of thousands of dollars for past water and sewer use.
In the article, Been said Paradise came to her and said, “What’s it going to take, Myrna, 50 (thousand)? A hundred? A hundred and 50?”
“I said, ‘I want what you owe the town, not a penny more, not a penny less,”‘ Been said.
Paradise’s attorney, T.R. Rice of Denver, said Been’s accusation is defamation, causing Paradise distress and possibly influencing patrons and sponsors of his event, with no regard for whether her accusation was true.
Been said Monday that she never characterized that offer as a bribe.
“There’s a big difference between an offer and a bribe,” she said.
She said she reported the offer to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
“I just felt uneasy about the fact he said it,” Been said.
Been received the letter of intent, the first step toward a civil lawsuit, last week.
Been said Paradise had threatened lawsuits before and never followed through, and she said she considered the latest threat part of an attempt to keep her from being re-elected next year.
“Doesn’t it seem foolish to sue a 67-year-old lady who doesn’t have anything?” she said, referring to herself.
Staff writer Joey Bunch can be reached at 303-820-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com.
