All posts by sentineladmin

BOCC: The Quest For a Bigger Local Bureaucracy Never Stops

by George Gramlich,
News and Commentary

C uster County’s mighty Three Musketeers (i.e., our County Commissioners) opened their Custer County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) November 11, 2022, meeting a few minutes after 9 a.m. All three muskies were in their regally appointed throne room: Chair Kevin Day and members Bill Canda and “Traitor” Tom (“TT”) Flower.
Day and Canda gave brief Commissioner Comments while Traitor Tom spent a LONG time on his most recent excursions into the local political world of mindless government meetings. Continue reading BOCC: The Quest For a Bigger Local Bureaucracy Never Stops

Silver Cliff’s Proposed Town Square Custer County’s Economic Future

by Fred Hernandez
Rocky and uneven could arguably be the best description for the one hundred and forty three year history of the town of Silver Cliff. From its inception as a silver mining camp, which boomed and grew to have several thousand residents to the moment it busted when the silver ran out. From the time it was in the running to be the capital of the State of Colorado and lost to the current capital; always subjected to the ebb and flow of political ups and downs through the years, Silver Cliff remains what could be the silver lining for Custer County. Continue reading Silver Cliff’s Proposed Town Square Custer County’s Economic Future

Nov. 1 & 2 BOCC Meetings

BOCC Double Header: New Bldg. Permit Fees, County Fire Hazard Mitigation Plan,   DA’s Budget Request

by George Gramlich,
News and Commentary
The November 1, 2022 Custer County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting: the soirée started at 9 a.m. in the three musketeers richly appointed throne room in the county courthouse with all three muskies attending: Chair Kevin Day, and members Bill Canda and “Traitor” Tom (“TT”) Flower.
In Staff Reports, IT guru Vernon Roth was first up. He said he has been busy with a lot of security work on the county’s systems.
Dorothy Carsten, the Planning & Zoning Director was next. She
announced that she had hired Delenna Crawford as the new zoning clerk. Dorothy gives last month’s statistics: 13 septic inspections, 15 compliance inspections, five violation reviews, 11 new septic permits and 22 new dwelling permits. Continue reading Nov. 1 & 2 BOCC Meetings

November 2, 3 BOCC

BOCC Double Header: New Bldg. Permit Fees, County Fire Hazard Mitigation Plan,   DA’s Budget Request

by George Gramlich,
News and Commentary
The November 1, 2022 Custer County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting: the soirée started at 9 a.m. in the three musketeers richly appointed throne room in the county courthouse with all three muskies attending: Chair Kevin Day, and members Bill Canda and “Traitor” Tom (“TT”) Flower.
In Staff Reports, IT guru Vernon Roth was first up. He said he has been busy with a lot of security work on the county’s systems.
Dorothy Carsten, the Planning & Zoning Director was next. She
announced that she had hired Delenna Crawford as the new zoning clerk. Dorothy gives last month’s statistics: 13 septic inspections, 15 compliance inspections, five violation reviews, 11 new
septic permits and 22 new dwelling permits. Continue reading November 2, 3 BOCC

Who is the Real Deb Adams: A Recap

by George Gramlich,
Commentary
We’ve been exposing the extreme, and we mean EXTREME, progressive, left wing positions of Custer County Commissioner candidate Deb Adams “unaffiliated” over the last eight weeks and as the election period is over next week we figured we should run an article summarizing some of the incredible political, social and moral views and beliefs of the Trojan horse candidate from Commiefornia and how she is completely unfit to be a county commissioner.
1. Adams thinks republicans are “fascists”: Remember Biden’s “most divisive speech” in American Presidential history earlier this year where Pedo Biden called republicans “fascists” and threats to democracy. Adams put a Foolbook post up about the speech and her comment on it was “Good speech”. The majority of voters in Happy Valley are republicans. In Adams Clown World, we are all fascists. Adams deleted the post after she declared her candidacy for commissioner. This is the level of her “transparency”.
2. Adams loves to “volunteer” and help non-profits and charities: Well, maybe not. She volunteered to help the Dark Skies folks back in 2020 for no money, but when the event they were working on was canceled, Adams demanded that she be paid $2,315 for all of her “hard work”. The Dark Skies folks told her to take a hike. Typical lib: it’s all about the money.
3. Adams embraces socialism like all good progressives do: Adams posted a anti-capitalism article by some nutcase on Foolbook a few years ago and commented “And there you have it..”. The article knocks capitalism and promotes crazy libtard socialism values, which, apparently sits well with the well-to-do Adams. Socialism is all about being ruled and controlled by an “elite” bunch of narcissistic know-it-all nut jobs which Adams seems to embrace. Yeah, that is going to work well with the us peasants here. Happy Valley to Adams: This ain’t Commiefornia.
4. Adams hates the 2nd Amendment and loves the Red Flag law: Adams posted a picture of a sign in front of some left wing “church” that said, “When Will They Love Their Kids More than Their Guns”. She commented, “Question of the Day! Great read..”. She also posted a cartoon on social media blaming the NRA for the mass casualty events that have happened over the last few years (mostly performed by leftists). Do you want Commiefornia gun laws here in Happy Valley? It can happen now that the red diaper babies in Denver now allow local government entities make their own gun laws. Several lib cities and counties in northern Colorado have already done so. DO YOU WANT THAT HERE? It only takes two bad commissioners to make that happen…..
5. Patriotism and Love of Country? What did you do after this year’s Independence Day Parade? Do you know what Adams did? She went to an “anti July 4th party” at one of her lib friend’s house here in the valley! Do you know what the featured food was there? Red, white and blue cookies in the shape of a hand giving the “finger” to something, that is, our country. They also discussed at the party that actual violence may be necessary to change the country as politics ain’t doing it for them. VIOLENCE! Like Antifa/Black
Panther type stuff. This party was described in the article by the huge internet news organization, Business Insider, that incredibly had a reporter there. The article was read by millions which didn’t make Custer County look so good. Adams is a CLASSIC, lib who hates this country and literally wants to destroy it. Do you want to see her at the commissioners’ table eating those hate cookies during a BOCC meeting? I wonder if she would even continue to say the Pledge of Allegiance at the meetings. How come she doesn’t bring some of the cookies to her campaign events? Transparency? Yeah…..
6. Adams is “unaffiliated”? Adams told an acquaintance that she was a lifelong democrat and that the only way to get elected here in red neck land is to run “unaffiliated”. She also proudly posted a meme on social media that read, “Voting is just like Driving, To Go Backward Choose ‘R’, to Go Forward Choose ‘D’”. This “unaffiliated” stance is flat out lying and deception by the “transparent” Adams. Every dem in Happy Valley is endorsing her plus a couple of RINO’s. The woman has a truth problem, folks. Again, again and again she tries to hide her true beliefs from us peasants. Do you want a person who is a habitual liar in office ruling us?
7. Adams hates republicans: In multiple social media posts (and other correspondence which we have but won’t print), Adams displays a special hatred for the republican party and all who vote republican. One of her favorite posts was a meme of an elephant spearing the image of the USA with its tusk. The caption was, “Boycott the Republican Party”. Very inclusive, Adams. Yeah, let’s all get along. Of course, these posts were deleted when she decided to run for office.
8. Adams on religion: Looks like Adams is not a big fan of our Judaic/Christian religions and values as she seems to want to worship the “earth” instead of God. Her social media post of a big tree and roots had the caption, “Nature Is My Religion And The Earth Is My Church”. Apparently no Bible for Adams. All she needs for moral reference is talking to a couple of Ponderosa trees for advice. Biblical based values are the core of our country. Adams
has none. So on what moral
and ethical basis will she make decisions on if she is a county commissioner? I don’t think we want to find out.
9. Adams Hates Trump with a passion that is scary: Adams has made multiple social media posts knocking Trump and her private speech is filled with anti republican and severe anti Trump rhetoric. (Note that she loves posting stories from CNN and MSNBC.) She commented on one post that Trump was, “A danger to the world”. Adams also had a post on Foolbook about a story titled, “How Did Hitler Rise to Power” and commented about it by saying, “Absolutely frightening how history is repeating itself here in America…” directly attacking Trump and his followers as the new “nazis”. Nice. Seems a fair number of libs in this county, in addition to Adams, like calling us non libs “nazis”. This folks, is pathological hate and it is sick stuff. We don’t need that in the courthouse.
Adams also failed to show up multiple times at the monthly Liberty Rocks community event at Tony’s Pizza where ALL people running for office were invited. In fact, she was the ONLY one not to show up. Guess she doesn’t want to be in the same room that might have non liberals there.
10. Potty Mouth Adams: Adams has a foul mouth that would shame a drunken sailor in Shanghai. Her media posts, that are available to anybody (including “the children”) are filled with the “f’ word– “f” this, “f” that. On and on. She especially loves the “f” word when talking about Trump. Her correspondence and private conversations are also extremely profanity laced. Remember, she is the head of the county’s Tourism Bureau! Do you want this kind of speech coming out of that office or the commissioner’s room? No lady talks like that. It is a disgrace.
11. Adams, a classic progressive, looks down at us “lowly”, ignorant peasants: Last week we featured a social media post by Adams titled, “The Dunning-Kruger Effect May Explain Trump’s Support”. This ignorant peasant had to look that up:
The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias whereby people with low ability, expertise, or experience regarding a certain type of a task or area of knowledge tend to overestimate their ability or knowledge.
The Dunning-Kruger effect is when a person does not have skills or ability in a specific area but sees themselves as fully equipped to give opinions or carry out tasks in that field, even though objective measures or people around them may disagree.
What Adams is saying here is that anybody who voted for Trump or just supports him, is “low ability” and we “overestimate” our “ability or knowledge”. Adams is basically saying the majority of voters in this county are dumber than rocks. (The other libs in the Valley believe this also. Adams is NOT alone here.) But, she wants our vote. This is classic liberalism where the libs, intellectual and moral giants that they are, need to RULE US PEASANTS as we are totally incapable of any rational thought or decision making ability. Adams wants to be the ruler of the Happy Valley Gulag where us peasants kowtow to progressive nutcase ideas (no gasoline cars/trucks, no outside lighting, FULL building codes, cow farts are destroying the
environment, mutilating our children, re: sex changes, is fine, wood stoves have got to go, more taxes for more giveaways and vote buying, you get the drift…) as we freeze to death in our houses.
We know we have been hard on Adams. The reason is she is flat out lying about her views and positions, hiding behind the
“unaffiliated” moniker and actually deleting/cleaning any
past record of her true pro-gressive views. If she had the character and honesty to run as a democrat or even if she had run “unaffiliated” but told us where she was politically, we could have respected that. But she is HIDING who she really is. Actually, she TRIED to hide who she really is but WE FOUND OUT and let the citizens of this free county find out.


Folks, vote for someone who is upfront and doesn’t try to hide his platform and truly understands our county: Vote for Canda.

Oct 19 BOCC

BOCC: Recall Lawsuit, More Manna
From Heaven Grant Money, OEM Attacked

by George Gramlich,
News and Commentary
The October 19, 2022 Custer County Board of County Commissioners meeting started a few minutes late. All three royal commissioners were present: Chair Kevin Day, and members Bill Canda and “Traitor” Tom Flower.
Canda started off the Commissioner Items part of the meeting noting Round Mountain Water is getting a $500,000 grant. Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy helped them get it. Nothing big from Flower or Day. Continue reading Oct 19 BOCC

October Westcliffe Town Mtg

Chud’s Pizza Gets Liquor License, Round MountainWater District update and SO Quarterly Updates, Trustees Interview Candidates for Town Manager
by Becky Olson
The regular monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees for the Town of Westcliffe convened as scheduled on Monday, October 17, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. in Patterson Hall. A quorum of Trustees was present and proceedings commenced after recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.
After the consent agenda was unanimously approved, the Trustees proceeded to the only item of old business and voted unanimously to approve a liquor license for Chud’s Pizza on Second Street. Moving into new business, the Trustees unanimously voted to grant conditional approval for installation of a mailbox cluster for the town homes at 9 Granada Court, which is contingent upon a signed agreement stipulating responsibilities for maintenance of the mailboxes being delivered to Mayor Wenke for his signature by November 1st. Consideration of a request to waive the building permit fee for an addition to the Fire Department continues to be tabled until the department submits more information to the Trustees. Continue reading October Westcliffe Town Mtg

Ileen Squire –2022 Outstanding Contribution to a Municipality

Press Release
It is with honor and privilege that The Town of Silver Cliff is pleased to announce that our Town Clerk, Ms. Ileen Squire, is the recipient of the 2022 Outstanding Contribution to a Municipality by a Clerk Municipal Clerk Award from the Colorado Municipal Clerk’s Association.

L to R, Ileen Squire, Toby Duffy (President CMCA) and Tiffany O’Donnell (Director CMCA). Courtesy photo

The Colorado Municipal Clerk’s Association is an organization that affords education, training, promotes personal development and provides support,
communication, and networking capabilities for the Municipal Clerks in Colorado. Municipal Clerks are the direct connection between the municipality and their Town Council and they also care for all the citizens, organizations and businesses within.
Every year the Colorado Municipal Clerks Association presents awards to honor the contributions of clerks who have significantly impacted a municipality and to honor individuals or organizations who have made a meaningful impact on our organization, to recognize outstanding dedication to the profession of Municipal Clerk and who give exceptional service to a municipality.

Ms. Tiffany O’Connell, Director of the Colorado Municipal Clerk’s Association noted, “It is very rewarding when an entire council takes the time to nominate their clerk,” and “Ileen had plenty of nominations.”
Ileen’s dedication, loyalty, professionalism and selfless service to the Town of Silver Cliff, our citizens, service organizations and outlying communities are second to none. She shows exemplary stewardship, goes above and beyond and does not stop until the job is done. Ileen keeps us all going, improving our Town every day and never lets anything get in her way. The Town of Silver Cliff is so extremely proud of Ileen’s accomplishments and this award!!
Contributed by H.A. Buck Wenzel, Mayor

Former City Manager Michael Patterson pleads guilty to two misdemeanor charges

Former City Manager Michael Patterson pleads guilty to two misdemeanor charges

by Charlotte Burrous
Fremont Crusader

After more than a year of delay, former Florence City Manager Michael Patterson pled guilty to harassment of an employee and providing alcohol to a minor.


In August, Patterson pled not guilty to all six charges. Since then, he struck a deal with prosecutors in the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s office. On October 20, 2022, as part of the plea bargain, the court dismissed two felony stalking charges, a misdemeanor sexual contact without consent and misdemeanor harassment charges.
The alleged behavior became known after an incident that allegedly happened on August 30, 2021. After a two-hour executive session, the Florence City Council unanimously voted on August 31, 2021, to terminate Mike Patterson as city manager, effective immediately.
After conducting an investigation, the Florence Police Department issued a warrant for his arrest November 3, 2021. On November. 15, 2021, Patterson was arrested at the Denver Int’l Airport by the Denver Police
Department with the assistance of the Department of Homeland Security, according to a press release from the Florence Police Department. Shortly thereafter, Patterson was transported to Fremont County Jail, charged with two felonies and four misdemeanors.
Since 2019, the City of Florence has settled three lawsuits for $444,000 that accused Patterson of sexual harassment. The city’s insurance providers paid the victims after elected leaders agreed to pay the deductibles.
Patterson will be back in court on January 12, 2023, where he will be sentenced.