A Thornton political protestor capped his summer by refusing to stand down from the podium during a council meeting and ultimately forcing the city to halt it.
Dariush Namazi, who goes by the name “Danny Kulmann” at city events, wearing MAGA gear and carrying supposedly pro-mayor signs, has been a thorn in Mayor Jan Kulmann’s side all summer. Kulmann was granted a restraining order against Namazi in July, which ultimately led to his arrest.
Those charges were dropped, however, and he’s continued his campaign.
The latest chapter has captured the attention of many city watchers. On Sept. 26, Namazi attended a Thornton City Council meeting and refused to stop speaking at the podium during a three-minute public comment. The incident has frustrated and divided city officials.
Namazi had come to the council meeting to refute allegations that he harassed Kulmann. He brought photos and videos to support his position.
After his three minutes ended, the mayor and other council members called for order. Namazi’s microphone was turned off, but he continued to speak. Then he stood silently at the podium for several minutes as the meeting continued. During a momentary pause in the proceedings, Namazi began to shout, pointing at council members and staff.
“If you continue to speak, we’re going to have to recess the meeting,” Kulmann said.
She added: “I’m going to recess the meeting until we have order back in here.”
Mayor Pro Tem Jessica Sandgren said the moment was a first for Thornton.
“We have never had to recess a meeting before, even during discussion of very controversial subjects,” she said.
Citing Robert’s Rules of Order
City attorney Tami Yellico said Robert’s Rules, a set of common guidelines for meetings, allows a meeting chairperson to order the removal of someone who is disrupting a meeting.
Namazi told the Northglenn-Thornton Sentinel that he was prevented from later returning to the council chambers by “a wall of police officers.” Thornton Communications Director Todd Barnes said three officers prevented Namazi from returning to the chambers and that nobody ordered them to do so.
“Mr. Namazi tried dozens of times to go around them despite being advised he was not allowed back in,” Barnes said. “It is their role (the police) to ensure the business of a council meeting can resume after a disruption and recess happen. The meeting was recessed because of his actions and he was not permitted back in because of his disruptions to the business of the council meeting.”
Kulmann, commenting after the meeting, said the council has a lot of ground to cover during meetings.
“We need to be doing more for our voters who are struggling with the issues of the day like public safety, and affordability,” she said. “Our voters deserve for their elected officials to tackle issues that affect them, not more petty politics. As a council, we’ve agreed that three minutes is an equitable time for all residents. The last thing we should do is reward … aggressive behavior where law enforcement had to intervene just because he is a political supporter of some council members.”
Councilmember Kathy Henson, who said she is not affiliated with Namazi and does not know his motivation, feels the public’s existing avenues are not enough.
“In a representative democracy, the voters have a right to be heard by the people who represent them, and particularly at the local level, they should be treated with respect and listened to,” said Henson, who is running for an Adams County Commissioner seat in November. “It doesn’t mean we can give people everything they ask for.
“But my overarching concern is people’s voices not being heard and actually being silenced.”
Last week’s incident aside, Barnes said Thornton’s council formats will stay as they are.
“Our plan is to keep the meeting agendas the same and no one is being denied access,” he said. “We do expect audience members to maintain decorum during the meeting and anyone speaking during public comment to follow the time limits.”
Namazi said he plans to return to future meetings.
“I plan to be there to try to make my voice heard,” he said. “I’m tired of being ignored by my city. They don’t respond to my emails or calls. There’s only so much a citizen can take before they refuse to sit down. I want answers. When people abuse their city powers, when they ignore the citizens over and over, there have to be consequences.”
Kulmann was elected Thornton’s mayor in 2019 and is running for re-election this fall. She is a registered Republican who made an unsuccessful run for the U.S. House in 2022 and is senior director of Xcel Energy’s compliance program development.