All Schook Up

An out-and-proud woman with a rich political history and close ties to the community launches her campaign for city council.

Color me humiliated.

I was in the wrong coffee shop checking my watch every three minutes wondering if city-council hopeful Tea Schook had forgotten about our meeting. The gut- sinking realization that I’d screwed up the venue hit me and I hotfooted it over to Einstein’s on 29th.

And there she was, smartly dressed in a red blazer and silk scarf, her hair a neat bob. I offered an explanation, but quickly surmised she, in true Type A fashion, demands accountability. Fair enough. She’s running for Denver City Council, after all — accountability is key.

Formalities aside, we launch into a discussion on political apathy in the general public, with special attention to younger voters.

“City Council isn’t sexy,” she says. “It deals with trash pickup, neighbor disputes, owners not picking up after their dogs, things like that. But what people don’t realize is just how close to daily life the decisions of city council are. Where we’re sitting right now,” she demonstrates, alluding to the small table in the Stapleton coffee shop, “puts us under at least four levels of government, from inspections to who’s keeping the sidewalks clear. It’s in your best interest to pay attention. Apathy is something we’ve been dealing with for a number of years.”

Why is that?

“I think the reason [for low voter turnout] is a lack of education about how government works. Most people just don’t understand the levels of government. And it’s not that people aren’t smart, by any means. It’s just that we don’t educate our public very well on how government works — especially on a local level.”

She leans forward. “Apathy is a gift to your opposition.”

She asserts that the American high school curriculum lacks civics education, and it upsets the process of democracy, both federally and locally.

“It’s important to pay attention to city council, in particular — it’s the closest level of government to our daily lives,” she adds.

So what does Tea Schook aim to bring if elected?

“I envision safer streets and better protection of [District 11] constituents. We need more streetlamps, better sidewalks, enforced leash laws, and things of that nature. I also want to ensure that the new developments — and there is plenty of development underway — won’t affect the jobs and the homes that already exist. I want to make sure the constituents of District 11 aren’t overlooked. Being elected means I’ll have a little more leverage to work with city agencies to advocate for them and enact some real change, if need be.

“Montbello residents are telling me they don’t feel listened to and that things are happening without their consent. I plan to implement a bilingual staffer, and I want a ‘welcome wagon’ to literally go around the neighborhood, knock on doors, and speak with people. I’d like to set the stage on what it means to be a good neighbor. I’d like to educate people on how we operate, and to actually respond to requests and complaints. I want to restore the expectation that your city council representative cares.”

Is she a ‘power to the people’ type?

“I’ve been a fighter for justice for a long time,” she says.

Well, let’s take a look.

In 1988, Tea lobbied Denver City Council to enact an anti-discrimination ordinance for the City of Denver. Until then, the city had no protections in place when issues such as race, religion, sex, gender, and the marital status of Coloradans were unfairly taken into account for housing, say, or employment. Due to her efforts, and those of her colleagues, the ordinance took effect in 1990 giving protection to potential outsiders.

In 1992, a religious faction from Orange County, CA moved to El Paso County, CO in the hopes of overturning the ordinance (and similar laws) by incorporating anti-LGBT language into the Colorado constitution claiming, essentially, that it was necessary and important to have the ability to discriminate against LGBT people. This was Amendment 2, and Schook was on the beat, leading the charge to kill the Californians’ shady campaign at the ballot box. A battle ensued, naturally, and a vote was put to the people of Colorado. Discrimination passed with a 53 percent majority, but the fight didn’t end there. The case was taken up via Romer v. Evans and went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1996, SCOTUS ruled that state-sanctioned discrimination against LGBT people was (and is) unconstitutional. Apathy would’ve made that impossible.

How about the time Schook ran for governor? She became the first openly-gay candidate to run for public office here in Colorado when she campaigned in 1990. During the process, she literally raced incumbent Roy Romer to multiple campaign stops across the state in order to speak first. The governor — in spite of a 98 percent approval rating — had a restless base that wanted to talk issues. As he sat and listened to Tea speak about LGBT concerns night after night, he realized the importance of the issues and changed his rhetoric to reflect the community’s concerns.

“The point wasn’t to win,” she says. “It was to raise the level of dialogue on issues that concerned such a large group of people.” When she withdrew, it was after an amicable agreement with Romer’s camp that he take up the issues where she left off. “Roy is a great man. He has a huge heart. He’s a champion for the underdog and was always so open to change.”

She remembers her concession speech as mostly off the cuff and bittersweet. “My campaign manager couldn’t be there that night,” she says. “He wasn’t well that day.” She tells Out Front that he was dying of AIDS, and that night was a particularly rough night for him.

“It speaks of the times,” she says. “During those days, you didn’t know who was going to be there in the morning. [His sickness] was at the core of my speech. It was just so sad that he couldn’t be there to see it.”

Still passionate about positive change, she brings the conversation back into District 11’s present-day needs.

“I want to advocate for proper planning in my district,” she says. “I don’t want any homeowners in my district to fall by the wayside. I’ve worked with business owners for the past 15 years, so I can bridge that gap.”

Schook currently works at Denver International Airport overseeing land development, and helping new hotels, restaurants, and rental car agencies navigate the proper logistics of business at DIA. She can wax on about the Panasonic center coming to the district, and wants to ensure that the light rail will properly serve the people of District 11. She’s also actively involved with the LGBT community in her area, seeking input and offering face time with the members of the Green Valley Ranch LGBT Facebook group.

“I have a wide range of business and community go-getter experience,” she writes on her campaign page. “I am well known throughout political and business circles, both straight and LGBT.”

So how will her advocacy and experience influence her as a councilwoman? “I want the community to know that you don’t have to embrace the victim status,” she says. “Your voice matters. ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.’ That’s Margaret Mead.”

I ask if she’s worried her LGBT advocacy could be used against her by political opponents. She finds that amusing and clasps her hands at the table.

“I’ve been a freedom fighter for a long time and I’m not ashamed of anything I’ve done,” she says with clear conviction. “I’ve always fought for what’s right. Being an advocate for the people on the city council level is a natural progression.”