Is Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper a puppet?
Well, he was — literally — on Thursday in front of an audience of 750 people at the sold-out Colorado Business Committee for the Arts awards luncheon in the Seawell Ballroom.
Ventriloquist and master manipulator Mark Hellerstein coaxed the mayor to the stage on the ruse that he was “looking for a volunteer” from the audience.
“If you don’t volunteer, I don’t have a show,” the retired oil-and-gas executive said to the mayor.
Then, in what must have been among the more painful moments of his career, the good-sport mayor who wants to be governor stood stiffly as Hellerstein turned him into a puppet with an Uncle Sam-like hat, a gag polka-dot tie and a Howdy Doody mask with a string attached to the lower jaw.
The puppet master threw his voice at the mayor while tugging on the mask mouth.
“I’m a ventriloquist who also wanted to be a lobbyist,” Hellerstein said to the mellow mayor. “This is a great opportunity to pledge $25 million to CBCA.”
“I may be a dummy, but I’m no idiot,” the mayor’s mask mouth flapped.
After a few more painful minutes when the music for “Row, row, row your boat” wouldn’t start, Hellerstein proceeded to sing a round of the song a capella, waving the mayor’s arm back and forth like he was rowing.
After he removed the get-up and regained his dignity, Hickenlooper took the podium to congratulate art philanthropist and developer John Madden Jr. for receiving the organization’s first John Madden Jr. Leadership Award.
“I’ve been called a dummy before, but that’s taking it to a new extreme,” Hickenlooper said.
How did the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor, who is expected to face Republican Scott McInnis in November, really feel after the ordeal?
“I can’t believe I did that,” he joked when he got back to his table. “There goes the campaign.”
Penny Parker: 303-954-5224 or pparker@denverpost.com Margaret Jackson: 303-954-1473 or mjackson@denverpost.com
