| 10/19/2007 |
| Council hopeful explains guilty plea |
| By Peter Jones , Staff Writer |
As reported two weeks ago, Shen was sentenced in December 2006 to two years' probation for "following a person in a public place." More serious charges - two Class 5 felonies for stalking and a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon - were dismissed as part of a plea deal that resulted in a Class 3 misdemeanor. "The voters should absolutely not be concerned," Shen, a U.S. Army Reserve engineering specialist, said. "I served my nation, and I plan on serving my nation for the rest of my life. To me, it's open knowledge. I suspect that people who are really concerned who look into it will give me a call. I really don't think it will affect my candidacy."
"Even though I know just a few details about Mr. Shen's incident, I find it very disturbing," Anderson said in a press release. "In my opinion, I believe the citizens of Centennial deserve a full explanation. This is not a minor issue in my view." According to Shen, the episode was the culmination of a relationship gone badly. "I wasn't really fluent in all my emotions at the time," he said. "Essentially, I became involved with a woman who was married. But by no means am I implying she was a bad person. She implied that I was stalking her, but the situation wasn't exactly that. She manipulated the truth. My intention was to be a very good boyfriend. The day I was there was a day I was there to apologize to her. I pleaded guilty in regards to what I thought was going to be optimum for my future." A misdemeanor does not disqualify city council candidates in Centennial, according to city attorney Robert Widner. Members of the military are permitted to seek nonpartisan offices as long as they do not campaign in uniform. Shen is spending no money to replace term-limited Andrea Suhaka. He has eschewed standard yard signs, but is campaigning door to door. Shen was the only council hopeful to miss a September candidate forum sponsored by the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce, though he did attend a recent League of Women Voters event. "If the people believe in me, I have no worries about winning," the candidate said. "If the citizens, honest to God, believe in me, there's no reason for me to advertise. I'd much rather spend that time trying to find solutions to the problems that citizens have." Shen's proposed solutions are unconventional. The engineer said he would use esoteric mathematical models to solve Centennial's traffic-flow problems. "There's actual proof that says if you can unite these elements of people, you can use the energy to change the world," he said. "There's a form of math called graph theory. It teaches you a lot about uniting properties of people. I expect to be successful in applying these principles." Graph theory, a study of mathematical structures used to model relationships between objects of a certain collection, is not within the usual lexicon of municipal government, but Shen expects to apply the principle to stormwater drainage, too. "I have a way of mathematically figuring it out, but I haven't analyzed the exact procedure, so I don't have a well-established routine yet," he said. Centennial is a partner in the recently formed Southeast Metro Stormwater Authority. Shen said he has a very specific plan for economic development in the city, but will not discuss it because he does not want Anderson to know about it. Shen, the son of Taiwanese immigrants, has lived in what is now Centennial since he was 12 years old. He attended Cherry Creek High School. He joined the Army Reserve at 18 and is stationed on the site of the former Rocky Flats nuclear plant. He said it was unlikely that he will be sent to Iraq or Afghanistan. At 23, Shen is the youngest candidate for city council, but he insists he is nonetheless well qualified to represent Ward 3. He said he had no designs on political office other than the city council, but he may seek the mayor's office someday. "Qualifications actually come from the spirit of a person," he said. Shen supports home rule for Centennial, arguing that it would give residents more local control of their government. The candidate said his modest family background taught him the importance of individual initiative, a trait he would bring to the council. "I know what it's like to have to work a job and work paycheck to paycheck," he said. "Because I can relate, I can help optimize the solutions that fix certain problems in the citizens' lives. The people of Centennial are very forthcoming and very positive thinking. I think if you unite all that common thinking, you can create something so spectacular, it will revolutionize the way government works." | |||||||
