QUIDNUNC: Aurora mayor gushes on city at garden party

QUID HAS HEARD that you, dear reader, have been waiting ever so patiently for the previously promised rebuttal to Mayor Steve Hogan’s soirée outside the Municipal Center last week. The threat of those afternoon storm clouds kept Quid’s snoopers away from the confab, but the miracle of modern technology — specifically, some city worker’s smartphone and the Periscope app — allowed us to keep tabs on the proceedings. Sadly, it seems that despite Hizzoner’s impeccable fashion sense — following President Obama’s lead with the tan suit — and the dulcet tones of Studio 1430’s Rick Crandall, you could still measure the number of everyday people there with one, perhaps two hands. But those few, those happy, those band of garden partiers bore witness to some fascinating statistics and facts heretofore unknown to the common man. For example, did you know Aurora is home to a lot of solid ethnic restaurants? Perhaps it was supper time at Cafe Paprika and Star of India that usurped Hogan’s audience? But as much as we kid the soon-to-be-second-term mayor of this fair city, we have to give credit for letting anyone who was actually listening hear the good news that the always expanding medical complex on the old Fitzsimons site is putting more money into the Colorado economy than all the ski bums across the state. No, we’re not Vail, A-Basin or Aspen, but that’s pretty darned impressive. Now if only getting that VA hospital finished weren’t more difficult than running down a black diamond.

AND QUID HAS HEARD that A-Town may yet get a homegrown Republican Senate candidate. No, it won’t be U.S. Rep. Mike “Make America Great Again” Coffman; we’re as trusting of him as we were the last time he said he’s sticking with the CD6 race. No, it would seem that it only took days after the theater shooting trial wrapped for good that somebody asked GOP Golden Boy George Brauchler if he’d be considering a run in 2016 to send incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet packing. To Quid’s surprise, Brauchler actually answered in the affirmative rather than simply demurring and biding his time. And if teapot talk radio man Chuck Bonniwell is to be believed (and we aren’t sure that he is), Brauchler doesn’t want to be seen as cut from the same cloth as 2014 wunderkind Cory Gardner. Bonniwell claimed earlier this week that Brauchler sees himself as a Ken Buck Republican. Quid’s never seen the D.A. walk into court with cowboy boots before, so the jury remains out on just what to expect from a Senator Brauchler.

AND THAT’S ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS.