Naming The New Jail

For some reason I don't think that my suggestions are going to be considered....

The Denver Post

Forget the U.S. Senate appointment. Don't even think about which Coloradan is up for the next job in President- elect Barack Obama's administration.

The real intense lobbying at Denver's city hall involves something completely different: naming rights for the new Denver Justice Center Complex, which voters approved in 2005.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper in November solicited suggestions, and people funneled petitions to a task force the mayor formed to deal with the issue. The mayor, after consulting with the task force, plans to forward the finalists to the City Council for final approval in the spring.

There's a big push to name the detention facility after the Van Cise family, which has had three influential lawyers in Denver, including former district attorney Philip Van Cise, who prosecuted mobsters and the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s.

Another group, which includes Gov. Bill Ritter and Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey, wants to name the new courthouse after the late Dale Tooley, who headed the district attorney's office from 1973 to 1983.

And those factions are just the most vocal. Anyone could submit a suggestion if they provided at least 100 signatures and a reason why the suggested individual should be honored.

Pool of candidates

Sue Cobb, the mayor's spokesperson, said the task force received five submissions for the courthouse and six for the detention center, all of which met the criteria for consideration.

"I've been working on this for the last year," said Cindy Van Cise, whose great-grandfather, grandfather and father are all considered legal luminaries in Denver.