Was fired From Webb administration for tax evasion
Face The State Staff Report
A Denver woman who says she was misled into signing a petition in support of the Colorado Civil Rights Initiative, on the ballot as Amendment 46, now admits that she never read the petition language before signing it.
Venita Vinson, who served as chief of staff to former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, has filed an official complaint with the Secretary of State Mike Coffman's office alleging that she was mislead about the nature of the petition she was signing. But when contacted for comment, Vinson admitted that she signed because of her own negligence.
“I should have read the petition, and I didn’t,” she said, “I signed it because I was in a hurry.”
Despite this admission, Vinson is still demanding that her signature be removed from the petition. Coffman's spokesman, Rich Coolidge, previously told reporters that voters can’t get their names removed saying, “It’s kind of like casting a ballot.”
Vinson is no stranger to controversy. She was fired by Webb in 1993 after it was revealed Vinson had failed to file her state and federal income tax returns for nine years. ("Mayor's staffer probed - Income-tax woes plague appointee", Denver Post 1/31/93)
Vinson’s complaint is one of a handful that have been filed against the CoCRI since the organization submitted 128,744 signatures to Coffman on March 10. According to CoCRI Executive Director Jessica Peck Corry (a Face The State editorial contributor), the public should be highly skeptical of such allegations. "Some people began alleging voter fraud even before we began collecting signatures," she said. "Our opposition wants to taint us with lies to avoid having an honest debate about ending race and gender discrimination in Colorado."
According to Corry, the controversial initiative seeks to ban race and gender discrimination in government contracting, hiring, and education, but would still allow for outreach programs targeting people based on economic disadvantage. The initiative specifically asks voters to approve language reading: "The state shall not discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to any group or individual on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public contracting, or public education."
Vinson is not the only opponent to have her complaint publicly questioned. Chloe Johnson, a legislative intern for Rep. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, saw her complaint dismissed when it was discovered that she is not registered to vote. Additionally, diversity activist Dara Burwell publicly claimed that she was deceived into signing the petition, yet she never even filed an official complaint.
Like Burwell, Vinson is also a long-time activist, dedicating her resources to "social justice" causes in Africa, as well as serving on the Board of Directors of the ill-fated Eulipions, an "African-American theater troupe" which closed amidst legal controversy in the late 1990's. She and Webb's wife, Wilma, served on the board of the Colorado African/Caribbean Trade Office, which was criticized for taking a city grant for a trade junket to the tiny nation of Gabon.
"I plan on seeing this through," said Vinson of her complaint. "I support affirmative action for everyone."