The Town Council convened last night — which is to say, they participated in a computerized video conference. Not my favorite mechanism for legal public meetings. Members of the Council are able to view tiny video images of one another and sometimes staff members. So are members of the public. But no one can view a member of the public who wishes to testify on a possibly important issue. Members of the public are presented as disembodied voices.
One topic that was not on last night’s agenda: the firing of volunteer Planning Commission member Bill Hudson. Apparently, the Town Council will take up that tricky issue on June 25, at a ‘special meeting.’ I will be sorely disappointed if the meeting is conducted via ZOOM. Other local boards are now choosing to hold in-person public meetings, but thus far, the Town Council has yet to step out of the COVID-induced computerized shadows.
It’s been explained to me that certain members of the Planning Commission have been meeting with Mayor Don Volger and Town Manager Andrea Phillips for the past couple of months, behind closed doors, to develop a process for getting me fired from the Commission.
I wondered how extensive that campaign has been. As far as I can tell, it’s primarily involved Commission chair, developer Peter Adams and Commission member, writer Jeff Posey, who — curiously enough — live side-by-side in the same hilltop duplex on South 7th Street.
Here are a couple of recent emails, provided by the Town staff in response to a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request. In the first email, Mr. Posey is raising questions about staging perhaps too hasty an attack on Commissioner Hudson, after Planning Director James Dickhoff scheduled a ‘special meeting’ of the Planning Commission with barely 24 hours notice. The email was sent to Mr. Dickhoff a few hours before the hastily-schedule ‘special meeting.’
FYI, I just received a call from Bruce Dryburgh expressing his discomfort with such short notice and lack of clarity in the public notice (agenda) regarding today’s PC meeting.
I must admit I share some of his discomfort. Are we unnecessarily rushing this? Do we have full public disclosure of the allegations against Commissioner Hudson? Are we doing the right thing? My clear impression from the Mayor following the meeting I attended on Monday with him, Andrea, and Peter was that he wanted to take his time and be very deliberate and careful. We mentioned the next regular meeting was June 23, and he responded that was the perfect timing to move ahead with this.
Are we completely sure we’re not only within legal compliance, but also within compliance of what is right? It may be legal, but it does not feel fully right to me. It feels unnecessarily rushed, which is how we got into trouble the last time we addressed this same issue.
I recommend we cancel this special session and place this item on our June 23 meeting schedule, and take the time to get everything in order.
Jeff Posey
Town of Pagosa Springs Planning Commissioner
jposey@pagosasprings.co.gov
Mr. Dickhoff responded:
Jeff,
Everyone is comfortable with the approach.
We did not publicly share the allegations since the attorney felt the matter borders a personnel matter and sharing assertions and claims (dirty laundry) to the public would be inappropriate.
All Commissioners have received the information and since this is only a recommendation to Town Council, who will consider the recommendation, public testimony and testimony from Mr. Hudson, for their determination, the attorney felt this was the best approach.
Additionally, Peter will provide Bill an option of moving directly to a recommendation without public discussion or moving forward with public discussion.
Thank You,
James Dickhoff, AICP
Planning Department Director Town of Pagosa Springs
We are not clear here, to whom Mr. Dickhoff is referring, to when he says “Everyone is comfortable with the approach.” Most certainly, volunteer Commissioner Bill Hudson was not comfortable with “the approach.” School Board member Bruce Dryburgh (a friend of mine) was not comfortable with “the approach.”
But “Everyone” was comfortable? Perhaps not everyone.
Mr. Posey responded to Mr. Dickhoff:
James:
I do understand that argument. But from a citizen’s perspective, the optics look like we’re railroading Bill. We’re handing him a perfect PR victory by not making the allegations against him public and clear. The PC will lose public trust, and Bill will gain public approval. I hope I’m wrong.
I remain 100% resolved in the facts of the matter. But I don’t think this process is the right and fair way to handle the situation.
See you in a couple hours!
Jeff Posey
Town of Pagosa Springs Planning Commissioner
jposey@pagosasprings.co.gov
A few days earlier, Mr. Posey had written a rather lengthy email to the Town Council, urging my removal from the Planning Commission. Curiously enough, the email did not concern any business currently before the Planning Commission — but rather, it concerned issues that might, someday, come before the Planning Commission. Or that might never come before the Planning Commission.
Basically, it concerned Ballot Question A, which has no direct connection to Planning Commission decisions.
We will take a look at that email on Monday, and discuss the constitutionally protected right of Colorado voters, and Town of Pagosa Springs voters, to create laws they believe to be fair and reasonable.
We will look at how a government bureaucracy reacts, when the citizens go to the effort of creating new laws without the bureaucracy’s approval.