Federal Heights – Some residents in this north metro city of 12,000 think it’s unseemly that the mayor worked as a doorman for a strip club that was raided by police on prostitution charges.
That’s why they are starting a recall petition this week in hopes of booting Dale Sparks from the mayoral seat he’s held for six years.
“This is not a huge moral crusade, but a huge good-judgment crusade,” said Ted May, who is organizing the recall.
May hopes to have the language in the recall petition certified by the city clerk today. He plans to collect by next week the 379 signatures needed to set up a recall election.
“I don’t think we will have a very difficult time getting the signatures,” May said.
Sparks says residents have the right to try to recall him. “If there is a recall and I lose, I can honestly look back and say the process worked,” he said.
The mayor worked at the Bare Essence Gentleman’s Club three nights a week for about a year, checking IDs and collecting the cover charge.
He was working at the club last month when officers from Federal Heights and the North Metro Drug Task Force arrested the owner, the disc jockey and five female dancers.
The club had been under investigation for four months on suspicion of code violations of improper touching, as well as for state charges of prostitution.
Sparks, who also owns a barbecue catering company, said he never knew of any alleged illegal activity because he couldn’t see the area where dancers performed for customers.
Sparks makes about $600 a month as mayor. He said he needed the $100 a night he earned at the club to help pay for his health insurance. “If I had to do it over again, I wouldn’t,” he said.
But, he added, the city knew he worked at the strip club and no one raised an objection. “This wasn’t a big secret,” Sparks said. “My question is, why are they doing this (recall) now?”
May said Sparks’ employment was never questioned because the strip club had never been linked to any alleged criminal activity. The raid, however, put the mayor and the town in a bad light, May said.
“The image of the city has been tarnished by that activity,” he said.
Sparks said he’s severed all ties to the club.
Most residents will forgive and forget the situation, said Councilwoman Joyce Thomas. “Sometimes citizens see a big issue one week and then later they are on to other things.”
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com.
