Mar 29, 2007 12:02 am US/Mountain
Affair Accusations Rock Aurora Fire Dept.
by Brian Maass
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) ―
A veteran Aurora assistant city attorney has been fired after setting up an Internet blog that accused his wife of carrying on an affair with the Aurora Fire Chief.
The city is planning to hire an outside investigation firm to look into some of the allegations contained in Rob Werking's Internet blog. Werking has been with the Aurora City Attorney's office for about 15 years according to City Attorney Charlie Richardson. Richardson said as of Tuesday, "Rob Werking is no longer employed as a city attorney." Rob Werking told CBS4 he was fired.
Most recently, Werking was the legal advisor for the Aurora Police Department. His wife, Julie Werking, was also an assistant city attorney acting as the legal advisor for the Aurora Fire Department.
Court records show the couple began divorce proceedings in January in Arapahoe County. The next month, Rob Werking created an Internet blog accusing his wife of cheating with Aurora Fire Chief Casey Jones.
In a February 23 blog entry, Rob Werking wrote, "This space is devoted to the pain, darkness and despair I am dealing with stemming from Julie's decision to have an affair with another married man and co-worker."
Werking's blog said he found cell phone records showing a 136 minute phone call at 10:15 p.m. from his wife to the fire chief along with other calls early Christmas morning and on New Year's Eve. "After she made her intentions of divorce known, I asked her about the calls. She would not discuss them- coward!" wrote Werking.
On March 5, another blog entry from Werking: "I am not sure who knows about the affair but I expect that a lot of people know. Surely the people in the fire department know by now. You can't keep a secret affair between city officials silent forever. I am so embarrassed to think that co-workers whisper behind my back that Julie rejected me for a married older man."
In various blog entries, Rob Werking accuses his wife and the 58-year-old Chief of using city equipment and city time to further their affair. He said his wife and the Chief were calling and texting each other "constantly." "I guess the old bag Fire Chief could satisfy some needs with a load full of Viagra, but the real attraction is his ability to schedule mid-week golf meetings," reads a blog entry from March 14. Werking said his wife and the Chief would frequently leave work to play golf together.
The final blog entry, from March 20 reads as follows: "Interesting enough, the Fire Chief authorized a Blackberry communication device for Julie the Legal Advisor. Why you may ask? So they can e-mail and text and talk to each other effortlessly and on the taxpayers dime. Yes, the taxpayers will pay for Julie and Casey to send endless streams of love messages to each other whether they are at work, on the road, or at home. Clearly, another perk Julie was looking for in her old bag married man lover -- super!"
Werking said he found other evidence of an affair "including a Hallmark love card that was not meant for me. KC's sign on information on my home computer. Working late, losing weight, dressing sexier … I guess when you are the spouse for 12 years, you just know. Additionally, information gleaned from the Internet shows she was living a double life," reads another blog entry.
CBS4 also obtained a March 21 email Rob Werking sent to several Aurora Police officers. In it, he directs them to his blog and wrote, "...my personal life at that time was a complete disaster. I knew my wife was having an affair with the Fire Chief…"
Aurora Fire Chief Casey Jones declined to comment on the blog or the affair accusations saying it was a "personnel matter." Julie Werking also declined to comment referring questions to City Attorney Charlie Richardson. Richardson would only say that, "there will be an independent investigation into Mr. Werking's references to misuse of city time and equipment." Additionally, Richardson said Julie Werking would be transferred this Friday from the Fire Department to an administrative position within the city attorney's office.
Reached by phone, Rob Werking told Brian Maass, "I have no doubt" my wife was having an affair with the Fire Chief. He said he was told he was fired because the "blog disrupted the harmony in the workplace" and that he "breached city confidences" in his blog.
Werking said he plans to file a civil rights action against the Aurora City Attorneys office claiming his firing over his blogging violated his First Amendment rights.
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