Mayor Hancock Declines Interview On City Attorney Resignation
By Brian Maass
DENVER (CBS4) - Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has declined a request to be interviewed about the resignation of his city attorney, Scott Martinez.
"The mayor is not available for an interview," wrote Hancock's spokesperson, Amber Miller, in response to a CBS4 request to speak to the mayor on camera about the Martinez resignation.
Miller said she would "track down answers," but that Hancock would not be addressing the matter at the present time.
The mayor announced on Tuesday via emailed news release that Martinez was stepping down from his nearly $200,000 a year job and his last day would be May 31. The prepared release lauded Martinez for his "thoughtful leadership" but gave no reasons for the resignation and did not identify any other job Martinez might be taking.
According to the release, Hancock said "Scott has been a dedicated public servant for our city throughout his time in my administration."
Martinez, 37, did not respond to a voicemail message or email from CBS4 seeking to discuss the reasons for his resignation.
His resignation comes as the Denver district attorney is reviewing Martinez and the City Attorney's Office conduct in a Colorado Open Records Act case. In that case Martinez's office denied the existence of a letter connected to a controversial case. However, months after the city attorney claimed the letter did not exist, CBS4 obtained a copy of the document.
In mid-March, the Denver District Attorney's Office said it would review what occurred to see if anyone with the City Attorney's Office had violated Colorado's Open Records Act. Knowingly withholding public records is a misdemeanor. After six weeks of review a spokesperson for Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey said the review is still ongoing.
Miller, the mayor's spokesperson, wrote that, "As you are aware, the DA's review of the CORA matter is ongoing. The city will have no comment on the matter until a determination is made."
CBS4 Investigator Brian Maass has been with the station more than 30 years uncovering waste, fraud and corruption. Follow him on Twitter @Briancbs4.
