This update post is brought to you today by ‘guyinathinsuit’, co-founder of ‘smalltown7'.
"From August 6 2012, on through her own testimony admission under oath on August 13, 2012, the President and CEO of the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association was named by fourteen sworn under oath individuals as the primary leader of a vigilante group of three women who sought to take the law into their own hands over a period of five years.
With the now publicly documented power and assistance of the 9th Judicial District Office of the District Attorney Martin Beeson.
With the now publicly stated cooperation in local media by Virgili herself, and by the publicly documented through her own testimony: apathy of GSCRA, the City of Glenwood Springs City Council, COGS administration and city tourism boards (past and present). With the Glenwood Springs Police Department and Garfield County Sheriff’s cooperation due to their now publicly documented through the district attorney's office own sworn admissions; absence of enforcing and protecting the law over the five year period in question; these fourteen individuals spoke in different ways regarding Marianne Virgili’s leadership of this vigilante effort.
What is especially noteworthy in each of these individual testimonies is that none of them retracted in any way how significant and involved Virgili was as she gathered them in her effort. Most gave detail and were not reluctant in doing so.
One of Virgili’s cohorts was named repeatedly by the majority of testimony; with the third woman involved being made the obvious scapegoat by Virgili herself under oath as the trial heated up and pressure on the prosecution increased. Locals recognize that pattern of Marianne in shifting blame and dirtying of others hands any time she is put into an unfavorable public eye. ‘smalltown7' does not condone the actions of the third woman of this group but does recognize her vulnerability to that unbridled power now.
What is ironically noteworthy in further testimony by Virgili on 13 August, are her admissions under oath of her use of GSCRA credit for personal use and her justification of her actions once again being accepted as a proper use of public funds by the GSCRA Board of Directors.
Locals can think back to the year 2005 and the ‘odd’ use (still not fully accounted for in 2012) of $86,000 plus change of public funds within GSCRA and accused by former whistles as inappropriate use of public funds and reimbursements.
Locals can now add on an admitted on 13 August 2012, by Virgili, of nearly $11,000 (spent in 2008) for personal use that was "paid back" by John and Marianne Virgili on an undisclosed by the District Attorney date in 2009 and only after still yet another exposure by a whistle blower.
All local business owners can continue to watch Marianne, as spokesperson on behalf of this one 501C-6 organization, rob them of their voice and proclaim through local print media that they can rest safely in their beds at night as long as she and her vigilantism is at the helm of our business community.
One of my co-founders of ‘smalltown7' coined a phrase a few years back that I am going to borrow part of now:
"The irony does not escape me.." that any resident of 81601, who blindly follows the power of a few in our business community that are headed by such individuals as Virgili and GSCRA, can also rest easy in their beds at night knowing that the full, totalitarian power of the state is behind GSCRA and such people as Marianne no matter how unethical, unlawful and presumptuous their actions may be.
Roughly a year or so ago, ‘smalltown7' announced here on safeplace that we pulled more than a decade of CORA and FOIA records on tourism board contracts, funds spent and various other information. We then took that information and laid it out side by side with hard and dated evidence of Virgili’s now admitted under oath vigilante efforts, what the court and public have had held back from their view by the power of the state over the past three years in hard evidence of wrongdoing by Virgili and the actual production of viable tourism gain against accommodations revenue in 81601.
Last week, after realizing that the testimony of Virgili herself gives now more publicly documented proof of ‘odd’ handling of public funds by Virgili and the decision making by GSCRA to justify all that Marianne does; we logged that information into a detailed time line spanning from 2004 through to present day.
The trail of swift and near immediate social and business retaliation to anyone, whistle or otherwise that dares to speak up in either question or protest of any abuse by GSCRA or Virgili, is documented from 2004 so very clearly in our time line we all had to step back and triple check the data.
Between city records, public revenue records, hard data from all who have suffered over the years at that hand of vengeance and the now sworn admissions by others and Virgili herself as to specific dates; there is no denying that the City of Glenwood Springs, all related city, county, federal law enforcement and the 9th Judicial District have turned their eyes and backs on investigating valid complaints over the years.
‘smalltown7' has seen nothing in the outcome of the vigilante efforts of Marianne Virgili to sway us from our support of the latest whistle. In fact, after now seeing the catastrophic abuse of the power of the state and the near rape of law and ethics by the state in its blind support of Virgili and cohorts; we stand more firmly than ever behind the latest whistle as she moves through the appellate process.
The outpouring of email to us since Virgli’s testimony and the testimony of 14 others naming Marianne has been tremendous.
We agree with you that the supporting of Randi Lowenthal’s newest efforts to boost small business within 81601 is to be supported heavily and we encourage you to throw monetary support to Randi’s resource. We thank COGS City Council for finally recognizing Randi’s efforts are the best for our business community.
Coming up in early September at city council is a request for COGS to release to the current tourism marketing vendor of GSCRA, the additional funds left over from the accommodations tax collections. JUST SAY NO. Until the day comes when the City of Glenwood Springs takes full stewardship and responsibility for every questionable decision made by the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association; JUST SAY NO to the release of more public funds into that non-profit entity's hands.
We agree with you that there is no place within our business community for any organization, but especially one in a position of the trust of a non-profit, that abuses their power to such an extent it brings harm of any kind to a business or individual within our community. Boycott and speak up against in whatever way you can safely do so. The depth of overwhelming arrogance and self-righteous declaration of being above the law was so pronounced as I sat in the gallery and watched this trial; I was ashamed to be a member of the bar here in the 9th. Our legal communities within our district are currently filled with similar feeling members.
As strong and dare we say, now powerful conservative voices within our community, we urge you to vote for Democrat Sherry Caloia for District Attorney of the 9th and completely clean house on every available seat upcoming within our BOCC and City Council. For the first time in my life, I am voting blue instead of red on a number of those upcoming seats. You should too.
Out of consideration for the appellate efforts of the latest whistle, comment ability on this post is blocked.
‘smalltown7' once again turns the volume back on, turns it up and keeps talking."
