There is a petition being circulated that intends to have the County hold a special election at an estimated cost of $37,634 for an attempted recall of Commissioner Veronica Medina.
The petition accuses Ms. Medina of not recusing herself from real estate discussions and votes with regard to county land purchases in alleged violation of certain Colorado Revised Statutes. These are unproven and unsubstantiated allegations that have been directly and easily rebutted by Ms. Medina in her formal petition response.
Ms. Medina was elected in November of 2022 with 57% of the ballots cast, a substantial majority. Her professional background in real estate and human resources makes her leadership a valuable asset to the County at a time when her expertise is very much needed. To those of us who regularly attend BOCC meetings and work sessions, track how our Commissioners vote, watch the county employees as they work and interact with the BOCC, it is evident that she’s proven herself to be an excellent commissioner.
She does her homework and research, is fully prepared for meetings and discussions, asks questions that are pertinent and makes informed and insightful decisions. Ms. Medina is a woman of her word who shows integrity and transparency as she has promised.
I find it interesting to note that several recent Letters to the Editor “coincidentally” complain of Ms. Medina’s participation in the recent termination of the County Manager. As a commissioner, Ms. Medina was elected to make such decisions, a responsibility she accepted. I also find it interesting that the recall Petition was submitted and signed solely and only by the County Communications Specialist, Ashley Springer, a current employee in the Commissioners’ office whose position was created and staffed by the same ineffective ex-County Manager.
If there is a conflict of interest going on, it would be a County employee heading up a recall of a duly elected official, Ms. Medina — a direct in-line supervisory superior of the petitioner.
Speaking of recusal, any County employee who signs this petition to recall the voters’ overwhelming choice is demonstrating a repugnant lack of positional awareness and professional ethics. The act of signing the petition is an overt effort to directly campaign against both the holder of a political office and a direct-line superior and their identities are not private. In the real world, this is insubordination and not tolerated.
The real story centers on the proper termination of a County Manager who was judged by the majority of Commissioners to be working against the interests of the County and its citizens. I encourage voters to ignore this costly and irrational recall petition which reeks of a petty internal personnel quarrel gone awry, driven by an unhappy subordinate employee and her gossiping entourage.
Marybeth Snyder
Pagosa Springs, CO
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