After receiving threats of Physical Violence, Boulder City Council drops the impeachment issue.

Ryan Morgan, DailyCamera — Boulder won’t debate a measure calling for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

Backers of the measure couldn’t muster support from five members of the Boulder City Council to draft an impeachment resolution, even though many members said they were sympathetic to its goals. The council reached that decision late Tuesday night after hearing from dozens of activists who pleaded with them to draft such a resolution.

Two Boulder police officers were stationed in the room after elected officials received threatening e-mails from impeachment opponents, City Clerk Alisa Lewis said. Deputy Mayor Crystal Gray said she received one e-mail that said the portrait of the City Council “would make a fine target for a firing squad.”

City Councilman Macon Cowles last week told his colleagues that he’d ask for a vote on whether to move forward with an impeachment resolution, even though he opposed taking up the measure.

Impeachment supporters have been speaking at City Council meetings and handing out “Impeach” pins for the past several weeks. Many of those who gathered Tuesday night wore large, white signs pinned to their shirts that were printed with “IMPEACH” in red letters.

Cowles said he’s sympathetic to activists’ outrage about the administration’s actions. But, he said, members of the City Council were elected to deal with local issues and matters on which they can actually have an impact.

“To me, this action, if we were to take it, would be purely symbolic,” Cowles said.

Three council members — Gray, Susan Osborne and Lisa Morzel — said they’d like to see an impeachment measure drafted and debated. Morzel said she wants to be able to tell her grandchildren one day she fought what she called an unjust administration.

“I will have to answer to them one of these days when they ask me, what did I do?” she said.

Boulder resident Ellen Stark said officials who opposed debating impeachment on the grounds that the city government doesn’t have any say in the matter miss the point.

“I don’t think it really is symbolic, because every voice that’s raised in the spirit of resistance really counts,” she said.

Stark said it’s especially important for cities to take up the issue since members of Congress won’t. Dozens of cities across the country have passed similar resolutions.

“What recourse do the people have but to turn to their local municipalities?” she said.

Impeachment supporter Nancy Sullo said this year — the last of Bush’s administration — still isn’t too late to hold impeachment hearings.

“Addressing the crimes of the president and vice president is necessary even at this late date to re-establish the rule of law in this country,” she said. “It will send a message to current and future administrations that they are not above the law.”

Mayor Shaun McGrath said elected officials have to consider their “political capital” when weighing in on controversial foreign policy. Boulder’s leaders have to work with members of Congress, for example, and they need to consider whether it makes sense to alienate other elected officials before proceeding, he said.

“It makes a difference when we do these things, because there are people who will be very strongly opposed to it who also get to vote on things like our appropriations,” he said.