Monday, May 20, 2013
Whistle-wetters, whistle-blowers
by Bob Campbell
Local TV station KOAA secretly filmed District Attorney John Newsome drinking 134 ounces of beer in a five-hour period on a workday, and driving a county-owned vehicle afterward. Now he faces a possible challenger for his office and public scorn.
Skyway
Travel consultant
What's your reaction to the Newsome incident? One of his important duties as DA is prosecuting people who drink and drive. The fact that he got no penalty when he did it himself makes him a hypocrite.
Old Colorado City
Real estate broker
Thoughts on the Newsome incident? It's probably not an isolated incident. Anyone who can drink that much has built up quite a tolerance to alcohol.
Downtown
Real estate agent
What were your thoughts when the Newsome story broke? [I was surprised] that they caught him. People of his stature don't usually get caught.
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Pamela Chesnut 
Skyway
Travel consultant
What's your reaction to the Newsome incident? One of his important duties as DA is prosecuting people who drink and drive. The fact that he got no penalty when he did it himself makes him a hypocrite.
Should the DA be held to a higher standard? The DA should be subject to the same, often harsh, penalties that he imposes.
What about Newsome insisting he was OK to drive? That's scary. In our house, we arrange for somebody else to drive after the first beer, let alone the 11th.
Will this incident influence your voting in November? I won't be voting for Newsome.
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John Hauber 
Old Colorado City
Real estate broker
Thoughts on the Newsome incident? It's probably not an isolated incident. Anyone who can drink that much has built up quite a tolerance to alcohol.
Was the media remiss in reporting it? A public servant working on behalf of the people should hold himself to a higher standard. When he doesn't do that, the media has every right to investigate and expose it.
Do you accept that he wasn't impaired? Anyone who drinks two six-packs' worth is impaired, period. Colorado law says anyone who's had two drinks is impaired.
Describe yourself after 11 beers. I couldn't even drink 11 beers.
Will you vote for Newsome in November? As long as he deals with his problem and alters his behavior, I'm more interested in his record as DA.
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Randy Johnson
Downtown
Real estate agent
What were your thoughts when the Newsome story broke? [I was surprised] that they caught him. People of his stature don't usually get caught.
Was the media out of line to report this? There's nothing improper in investigating and reporting the misbehavior of public officials.
Newsome insists he wasn't impaired. What do you think about that? Anyone who drinks that volume of alcohol in that time frame is impaired, and anyone who drinks 11 beers on a workday probably has a drinking problem.
Describe yourself after 11 beers. I haven't had a drink in over 30 years.
