James Mejia fired back at Chris Romer on Thursday, calling out his Denver mayoral-race rival over $30,000 in campaign contributions from strip clubs.
Mejia’s remarks, which came in a forum sponsored by the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, marked the second time in as many days that the pair squared off.
The exchange was set up by remarks from Councilman Doug Linkhart in a discussion on the proliferation of neighborhood medical-marijuana dispensaries.
Linkhart said that in his neighborhood, there also were liquor stores, bars and an all-nude revue cabaret, and that he wasn’t sure which, if any, of the businesses should be banned.
That prompted Mejia to chime in: “Please don’t ban topless bars and all-nude revues because I don’t know where else Chris Romer would get his campaign contributions. Thirty-thousand dollars doesn’t just grow on trees, ladies and gentlemen.”
Among Romer’s major campaign contributors is Troy Lowrie, owner of numerous strip clubs in the metro area. Through March, Lowrie had made 10 contributions of $3,000 each to Romer’s campaign from different businesses. He also donated $3,000 to Michael Hancock.
Romer declined to comment after the forum.
In a statement e-mailed Thursday evening, Romer said: “These are legal businesses that operate in Denver. We are running a campaign about the issues that are important to the people of Denver. We are focused on putting people back to work and helping to create a world-class school system for a world-class city.”
Lowrie hung up when called for comment.
And while the two candidates shared a brief hug at the conclusion of the forum, it was clear Mejia was still annoyed by a Wednesday exchange during a Denver Post/9News debate in which Romer said Mejia had offered multiple answers about his support for a school-improvement plan in northeast Denver.
“You have to be careful if you decide to come out swinging,” Mejia said.
When Romer wasn’t taking shots from Mejia, he was hearing it from the crowd gathered for the NORML convention at the Grand Hyatt.
Romer said he wasn’t “completely on board” with Colorado’s medical- marijuana industry because of the potential for abuse and addiction in young people.
He said he thinks the age for acquiring a medical-marijuana card in Colorado should be raised from 18 to 21.
As Romer cited the case of the teenage child of a good friend who he said had become addicted to medical marijuana, many in the audience jeered, some yelling that dependency on pot is impossible.
Romer remained undaunted.
“This is the civil debate I want to have; this is the discussion we have to have,” he said.
Afterward, a number of attendees made a point of seeking out the former state senator, saying that while they didn’t agree with his viewpoint, they respected that he at least broached the subject.
Other candidates said Thursday they had no problem with the city’s burgeoning medical-marijuana industry, provided safeguards are followed in such areas as regulating the quality of the product and preventing underage people from getting medical pot.
Candidates Jeff Peckman, Theresa Spahn and Thomas Wolf also participated in the forum.
