Greeley Councilman LeRoy Johnson has survived scrapes with police, but a group of residents vow that his comment in a recent public hearing about the women in Greeley’s Cranford neighborhood will cost him his council seat.
After a six-hour hearing on a proposal to give the Cranford area historic designation status, Johnson told a packed City Council chamber that the neighborhood had some nice homes, and “they have some pretty good-looking women who live there.”
“My jaw absolutely dropped,” said Cranford resident Vivian Watson, who was at the July 18 hearing and is a proponent of the historic district. “But in reality, I’m actually embarrassed for him.”
The district proposal failed with Johnson voting against the idea.
Johnson couldn’t be reached for comment Monday. He told the Greeley Tribune last week that he was sorry if some people took his comment out of context.
He said he only wanted to “inject some humor into the proceedings.”
Count Watson among those who were not amused and want to see Johnson removed from office.
“I’m sorry,” she said, “but he’s just an idiot.”
Greeley resident David Gutierrez said Johnson’s comments and his past brushes with the law show a lack of integrity and judgment. Gutierrez will lead a recall drive against Johnson, who has said he is not going to resign from the post he has held since November 2003.
“His comments insult every mom, wife, daughter and sister in the entire city,” Gutierrez said, adding that paperwork for the recall effort should be filed by Wednesday.
Johnson was cited for harassment in 1993 and 1998 after physical confrontations outside the Greeley Mall.
In March 2005, he reported to police that a Russian woman whom he met through a dating service and hoped to marry was missing after she left him. And in May, Johnson pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after fighting with a boyfriend of his ex-girlfriend in Northglenn.
Based on history and this most recent remark, there should be no problem getting the required 443 signatures in a 60-day time period to set up a recall election, Gutierrez said.
“My phone has been ringing off the hook,” he said. “This is going to be a communitywide effort.”
Mayor Tom Selders said Monday that most City Council members believe Johnson is no longer effective as a representative of Ward 1.
His comments also left Councilmember Pam Shaddock “surprised and puzzled.”
“We were supposed to be weighing the evidence of historic preservation and suddenly came this astounding comment,” she said. “I was disappointed at the caliber of his analysis.”
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or at mwhaley@denverpost.com.
