Bill Vidal Decries Hickenlooper's 'Temper Tantrum'

Bill Vidal may have opted to stay out of the Denver mayor's race, but he doesn't appear to be happy about internal discussions surrounding his decision.

On Monday, the Denver Post obtained an email from Vidal, presumably to an circle of supporters who were encouraging him to run.

The email lashes out at former mayor and current governor John Hickenlooper, who chose Vidal to finish his term after Vidal assured that he would not run for a full term.

In his email to supporters, Vidal described Hickenlooper's discussions on the issue as "[an] inexplicable temper tantrum," and suggested that they move ahead with a campiagn, "with or without" the Governor's support.

"It is very disappointing for me to see a person for whom I have worked with and have been loyal to for the past seven years try to shackle my opportunity to run for office," Vidal said of Hickenlooper.

Later that morning, however, Vidal issued a statement saying he would not be running, citing his pledge to his wife to take sabbatical with his wife.

Vidal wasn't the only one disappointed with the way events transpired.

"Bill Vidal has a lot of admirers who thought that he was an excellent choice to become mayor. He really hit it off well coming in with his inaugural speech and some public forums he's been in, people got a great impression of him right away, so there was a lot of encouragement for him to consider this," Mike Dino, former chief executive of the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee, told the Denver Daily News.

Dino insisted that Vidal's decision was based solely on his desire to spend time with his wife.