Thursday, November 7, 2002

Silver Cliff Mayor Millhouse
Responsible for mine contamination? 

By Sammie Snoop, Staff Reporter

Silver Cliff—Mayor Jake Millhouse is not as comfortable in his position as he was last year.  With the recent discovery by the Colorado Public Health Department (CPHD) that the water in Slippery Creek is contaminated from old tailings of MH Mining Co, the mayor is on edge.  Having been the last owner of the now-defunct company, residents of the surrounding area are pointing fingers.   

Having only run MH Mining for a few years, Mayor Millhouse sold off the remaining assets all by 1979.  He reportedly did not make much money from the sale, and he continues to live very simply in Silver Cliff, though he still spends weekends on Trout Lake at the old Millhouse family retreat.   

More interested in real estate than mining, he began buying land in Silver County, mostly at Wamasana Center and in Vermillion. 

These investments proved more profitable for him, and he thus served as an example for Silver Cliff residents that a regular guy can make it big.   

Millhouse had no trouble getting elected as Silver Cliff’s mayor in 1986, for he had proven his commitment to the city through his many philanthropic actions.  Not yet losing a reelection, he has maintained the title for fifteen years, a record in Colorado.  He has continued through his tenure as mayor to give funding to local groups, such as Reading Rocks! and Give a Helping Hand.   

Though these activities sound positive and community-focused, many residents of Silver Cliff have lately had negative feelings toward Mayor Millhouse.   

“He is not at all sympathetic to our situation.  Now that the water is polluted, he refuses to take any responsibility, even though it all has stemmed from his mine,” states Maria Sanchez, a resident in Slippery Creek. 
“I can’t believe I have voted for him in the last election!”   

Megan Lee Jones, the president of STAC (Slippery Toxics Action Committee), agrees with Sanchez.  “As both the last owner of MH Mining and as mayor of our city, Millhouse needs to step up to the plate and lead our people out of this mess.  He cannot avoid it anymore.”   

Not everyone in Silver Cliff doubts the stance that the mayor has taken.   

George McDaniels recalls the fire at one of the mines in 1971, just two months before operations ceased.  “Everyone was complaining about us having to lose our jobs and all.  Then, out of nowhere, comes these flames.  It spread too fast for us to avoid it, and my buddy Joe got burned up real bad and never recovered.  But Mayor Millhouse, he visited Joe in the hospital everyday until Joe died.  He’s not afraid of facing his mistakes.  He wants to make things right.”   

Bobby Cross, another miner for MH Mining, had a different experience.  “Back in ’71, 25 of us sued Millhouse for that fire.  When he took over the company, he got rid of half the supervisors who made sure everything was safe.  This way he makes more money.  And what we get is two people dead and lots of people burned up.”   

In response to these allegations and opinions, the Silver Times was able to sit with the Mayor for a short time.   

Millhouse asked, “What have I done for Silver Cliff?  I have done nothing but try to promote the well-being of all its citizens.  Not only have I given time and money to charities, but I have led the community out of the old mining days when men were overworked and sick, and our economy was far behind the rest of the nation.   

“Today we are following in the footsteps of Vermillion.  We strive to improve the quality of life, economics, education, and infrastructure of this city.  Never once would I try to deprive Silver Cliff of what it deserves.”

When told of the Mayor’s response, Councilwoman Martha Moore said, “He didn’t even address the water contamination issue directly!  We need someone in this city to give these people with few options in Slippery Creek a way to drink water.”