Denver City Council members on Monday forwarded to voters a ballot initiative requiring police to impound the cars of unlicensed drivers, although most council members said they believed it unfairly targeted illegal immigrants.
Because supporters of the proposal gathered the necessary signatures — nearly 4,000 — the council was required to sign it into law or place it on the ballot in August.
Still, council members said that in performing their ministerial duties under the charter, they were in no way endorsing the initiative. Several, including council President Michael Hancock and councilman Doug Linkhart, said they would encourage voters to reject the proposal.
Two council members — Paul Lopez and Judy Montero — voted against forwarding the measure onto the city’s voters, even though the charter requires them to when a ballot initiative has succeeded in gathering the necessary signatures.
Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz and Jeanne Robb are working on a proposal that would allow voters to take such initiatives directly to the ballot, without forcing council members to play a role. The council will decide whether to forward that proposal to the ballot for voter consideration.
