Category Archives: 2022

2022, Uncategorized

Beeza’s Restaurant & Pub Grand Opening Sunday

by George Gramlich

Beeza’s
photo by George Gramlich

A new, very interesting new restaurant and bar Is having its Grand Opening this Sunday, July 10th in downtown Westcliffe. Beeza’s Restaurant & Pub, owned by Patricia McDonald is a 70 seat operation with a full bar (including Harp and Guinness on tap), wine and food menu. The food menu is very interesting and will have some dishes not seen in these parts so well worth the trip to try them.

Beeza’s is located at 215 Main Street, Westcliffe, next to Chappy’s. They will be open initially nights only from 5 p.m. to midnight every day but Monday. Their phone number is 720-819-1196 . They also have a Facebook site under the restaurant’s name. Stop by and welcome Pat to our community!

2022, Letters, Uncategorized

Open Letter to Colorado GOP Chair (Concerning Her Comments on Electability)

Chairwoman Brown,
Thank you for keeping us up to date with your emails. In your email dated June 10th, you exhort us “Let’s select candidates who support the Republican Party platform AND who you think can win in November. It’s not enough to just be right; we also must win majorities if we want to govern.”
I would argue that any candidate who honors the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God IS capable of winning in November. Why? Because God is still in charge. It’s not about being “right”, whatever that means. It’s about knowing what is true and what is false and standing for truth. Because God’s word is the way, the truth and the life, we must honor God’s word, His moral law, what our founders called The Laws of Nature and Nature’s God.
The idea of “electability” has received a lot of attention in our party at the expense of truth. However, leaders never say what qualities are needed in a candidate for him or her to be electable. Observation of candidates who appear to be favored by party leaders often points to varied characteristics such as financial wealth (occasionally gained by access to government contracts), lack of understanding or concern over the nation’s founding principles, and lately, blatant and unapologetic disregard for the Republican Party platform and the traditional definition of ‘conservative’. A favored candidate may also practice near total avoidance of the electorate in cases where he or she is not comfortable speaking in unscripted situations. It can often appear that candidates who receive the most support from the party are chosen for their lack of understanding; yes-men who willingly comply with the demands of their advisers, but sometimes appear to be caught completely unaware of what they have gotten into.
The very lack of defining qualities, makes choosing a candidate for his or her electability a farce akin to a practical joke wherein the gullible victims are the complicit electorate. So, let’s move away from the squishy rhetoric to the hard facts for a moment.

FACT: Our founders established a form of self-governance known as a Constitutional Republic (not a democracy) with the understanding that there is a Creator God, that He is in charge and that all government must answer to Him. Romans 13 states, “Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.” (v. 1, 2)

FACT: There is no authority except from God. In other words, a government which institutes laws that conflict with God’s law will not stand. God is our supreme authority, whether we believe Him or not. The founders never required citizens to worship God, but they did require citizens to accept that our government is based upon the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God. We are always to obey God when man’s law conflicts with God’s law. When man’s law is consistent with God’s law, we are obligated to obey man’s law as well.
FACT: Scripture goes on to provide a natural consequence for disobedience to authority established by God: condemnation. When we, as voters, elect candidates who do not uphold God’s law – or equally as treacherous – make laws that contradict God’s law, we condemn ourselves by our own actions. In such cases, we have a right and a duty to oppose laws that contradict God’s law. History teaches that failure to know and defend God’s law as the supreme law of the land causes self-governance to devolve into tyrannical rule.

FACT: Because our first duty is to God and God’s law, God instructed us to “…select capable men from all the people – men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain – and appoint them as officials…” (Exodus 18:21) How do we know a man fears God? “There are six things which the Lord hates. Yes, seven which are an abomination to him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.” (Prov. 6:16-19) Thus, we need to get to know the candidates, or at very least, choose an adviser who we trust to evaluate the candidates through this lens.
The electability doctrine seems random because it is based on fear and not on truth. Leaders invoke it when they are afraid we can’t beat the opponent. It requires we make a compromise to ignore God’s moral law in order to seem more appealing to the left and unaffiliated voters. Conservative voters have fallen for this electability doctrine for too long. Each year we voluntarily cede a little more moral ground in order to choose candidates who we (quoting the Chairwoman) “think can win in November”, denying that God is in charge and, if we do what is right by Him, we will prevail.
Democrats however, are known not to be so easily moved to give up their values and thus, have exploited Republican leaders’ fear by moving the country even farther left. We now have a RADICALLY LEFT government where all those who do not toe the line are bullied and even “primaried” by their own party. In failing to stand for our conservative values under leaders who would have us bow to the electability doctrine, we have given up so much ground that we no longer honor truth. We have become slaves to individuals who do not fear God because that is who we willingly elect, or get stuck with when we forsake God-fearing candidates.

We have become slaves to individuals who do not fear God because that is who we willingly elect, or get stuck with when we forsake God-fearing candidates.

This is likely the fundamental reason why so many former Republicans have become unaffiliated – because their party leaders no longer promote candidates who stand for their values. As a country, we are in full rebellion to God and we deceive our own selves into believing it is better to have a Republican in office than not, even if that “Republican” does not stand for and will not defend the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God. In essence, we have become our own betrayers by selecting men and women who lack character, integrity and courage.
Let’s look at just one example of the destruction this strategy earned us. Today, what is true is ignored in favor of what the left desires to be true. Men dress like women, take hormone blockers to “prove” their “gender identity” and compete on women’s sports teams where they break records that biological women never come near achieving. The University of Pennsylvania brought in staff from LGBTQ services who offered to provide psychological help for disenfranchised teammates of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas because Lia’s presence on the team was “non-negotiable”, his teammates were told by university staff. Thus, the university – a revered institution of higher learning – upholds one man portraying himself as a woman to be truth, while labeling the women who seek justice as psychologically ill. “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” (Isaiah 5:20)
Chairwoman, it’s time to face the facts. We make a grave mistake when we compromise our values to win majorities. The very people our party establishment advocates for and financially supports are the same ones who are complicit in bargaining away our liberties, our securities, our God-given rights, our revered institutions, our intellectual property, even our country. They are the people who willingly trade our children’s safety and mental health because they want to govern. Because we have allowed this for so long, we are now being governed by some of those children who were raised under such delusions. (Think AOC.)
We are in a spiritual battle and we must learn to fight it with spiritual tools. We will not win it by letting fear of losing dictate our actions. I get it that statistics and history have something to say about who is most likely to win, but they are not a crystal ball into the future. Instead, they give a false confidence that allows humans to trust themselves instead of trusting God.

We will not win it by letting fear of losing dictate our actions.

“…God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong.” (1 Cor 1:27) Why? “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8, 9)
This point is illustrated in 1 Samuel, chapter 16. Samuel was sent by the Lord to Jesse to anoint one of Jesse’s sons whom the Lord had chosen to be the next king over Israel. Jesse was so confident that one of his older sons would be chosen, he did not even summon his youngest son David from the pasture where he was tending the sheep. Each of the 7 sons present passed before Samuel, and Samuel announced the Lord had not chosen any of them. “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God does not see as man sees, since man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” (v.7) Finally, Jesse summoned David and Samuel found David to be in the Lord’s favor. Samuel “…anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward…” (v.13)

Chairwoman, when you ask us to consider this undefined quality of electability, you deny the power of an Almighty Creator to raise up an anointed leader. You influence people to consider making choices that go against the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God. You alienate voters who want God-fearing leaders. In short, you work for the enemy. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:21) When we treasure “winning majorities so we can govern” at the expense of serving our Creator God, we fail God, our neighbors, and ourselves.
Make no mistake, we cannot elect or legislate ourselves out of the problems that we currently have in this country. We must disciple ourselves in those things which our founders knew. That is what this letter is about. Its purpose is to awaken the deceived and provide a chance for them to repent, return to God and honor Him in your civic duty as our founders did.
Keep this simple truth in mind: God created us with free will. Therefore, any attempts to coerce, manipulate, threat, bribe or trick us are never from God. They are the work of the enemy. Fear is from the enemy. We must “Submit to God; resist the devil and he will flee from us.” (James 4:7)
If we don’t take a stand for truth, we surrender ourselves to the enemy. The enemy does not honor the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God, and will only govern from what it does honor: greed, power and control. For example, we currently have a Secretary of State that has been changing the rules of elections since she took office. She recently wrote a rule forbidding audits of our elections. Our State Senate and House – which are dominated by Democrats – have passed, and our Democrat Governor has signed into law HB22-153, stealing local control over elections and putting it in the hands of the Secretary of State. Would this have passed if it were put to a vote of the people? Likely not, but that is why it was not put to a vote. This is tyranny.
Our founders lived through tyrannical governments and knew that government needs to be grounded in truth in order to avoid tyranny. Truth is not subjective as this current culture would have us believe. Truth is found in the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God. “Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding.” (Prov. 2:2) If we want to avoid complete tyranny, we must bring wisdom and understanding back into the business of our country. History bears witness to that.
Chairwoman, I urge you to have faith that if we do not compromise on God’s moral law, our Holy and Almighty Creator will find favor with us. With courage, be obedient to God and refuse to uphold any law which is unholy in His sight. Refuse to support candidates who are unholy in His sight. And lastly, I exhort you to consider how your leadership has the potential to further compromise the Republican Party or to lead us into truth and liberty.
I trust you will find the right path.

Sincerely,
Beth Roman
Fremont County

2022, Uncategorized

Stained Glass Artist Updating Our Lady of the Assumption Church

by Fred Hernandez
It is no secret by any means and yet few members of the Custer community in general are aware of an absolutely gorgeous project underway right here in our county. It is an art form that reaches back to the time before Our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ. Some historians mention the year 2700 B.C. and believe it to have started in the Middle East. Ancient Egyptians were probably the first to use colored glass beads followed by well to do Romans who used them in their homes. Artisans of old mixed potash and sand and heated the mixture up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit while adding various metallic powders to create different colors. The artists made “blueprints” or “cartoons” of the design they had in mind on large boards onto which sheets of glass would be laid on top to “groze”, a term which means to cut glass into different forms. From these primitive methods, the art of stained glass windows took shape and grew in popularity during the medieval ages and through the Renaissance period when Christianity was spreading and Christian Churches were being built across the European landscape. At that time, stained glass was almost the perfect medium to teach about Religion to the uninformed masses of the less than Illiterate populations. Christianity was spreading far and wide and stained glass depictions of Biblical lessons were an effective way of getting the message of Salvation everywhere in the ancient world.


At our local Roman Catholic Church, Our Lady of the Assumption on Rosita and Fifth Streets, the parishioners, with the leadership of the Pastor Fr. Stephen Injoalu, decided to commit to an eminent and distinctive project to finally put the finishing touches on the church which was constructed in the early 2000s and officially dedicated on August 15, 2007. At that time every element was in place to conduct all services required. However, six windows on each side of the building were just plain glass due to the high cost of producing stained glass panels. Recently, the parishioners made the commitment to place the finishing touches on the windows and contracted for the stained glass needed to adorn the church and accomplish the job once and for all.
Little do people around here know, and you will be fascinated to find out that we have an accomplished glass maker right here in our midst. Douglas Bayer, also known as Dougie and better known for his expertise in construction of homes, is also an expert glass artist who learned his trade during the time he spent in Europe some twenty years ago. In fact, he has a glass making, glass blowing workshop/studio in his home from where he produces exquisite articles of glass including bowls, platters and objects of art; objects of beauty in a myriad of sizes in fascinating and brilliant colors. A few years ago during construction of the church, Dougie handmade the main panels of stained glass that embellish the back wall of the Altar at Our Lady of the Assumption. These pieces are attractive religious art that lifts one’s soul to a prayerful embrace of the Almighty and Eternal God.
Recently, with Father Stephen’s encouragement, funds started flowing in from the parishioners and Dougie got back to his workbench at the glass shop and began the tedious, hard work required. It starts with many hours of research, then designing, drawing by pencil which includes multiple changes and revisions and finally ‘grozing’ which means placing the glass on the drawing board itself and meticulously cutting, rear-ranging, soldering and, with great attention to detail, fashioning each of the panels. It takes many weeks to produce one panel and this project, no matter how well funded, will take at least a couple of years to complete.
The overall panorama of the design for all twelve windows features a constant element, a theme that runs through all of the windows thus bringing the spiritual message together. Last week Dougie and two church volunteers, Steve Yackley and Jim Potyraj installed the second window shown here. It is the Bible tale of the Lion and the Lamb who will one day lay together in total Peace. The Peace that comes from Our Lord Jesus, Son of The Living God.
Dougie’s expertise was acquired when he worked in Sweden, the town of Kosta, where one of the four most famous Masters in Sweden lived and taught his skills. The Master under whom Dougie learned this trade was Jan Erik Ritzman. One of Dougie’s colleagues was Igor Sacharov who defected from Russia via Germany because artists such as Igor were considered radicals by the Bolsheviks. Igor spoke no English or German and Dougie spoke no Russian. Over time both of them perfected the German language that was to be the way they communicated. They became close friends. Together they went to shows around Europe and slowly built a reputation for themselves as talented glass artists. With the good fame came some well-heeled investors who offered to invest in a commercial enterprise for them. It was then that Dougie had to make a decision whether he should stay in Europe and have a successful career as a glass master or return to his home country,
the USA. We are blessed that he decided on the latter. Seeking a nice quiet location where he could pursue his trade as a glass maker he
eventually picked Custer County. To supplement his income he got
involved with some well known local builders and gained another trade.

The team of helpers who work with Dougie are Steve and Debby Yackley, Diana Hyde, Jim Potyraj and Catherine Verdin.

The team of helpers who work with Dougie are Steve and Debby Yackley, Diana Hyde, Jim Potyraj and Catherine Verdin.

As the panorama grows at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church, the Sangre de Cristo Sentinel will keep the county community posted. Eventually the plan is to do a centerfold of the entire project including all twelve windows. When completed this
project promises to be a thing of great beauty for the entire community.

2022, BOCC, Uncategorized

June 6 BOCC: Another Attack on the Website, Flower Love Note, County Attorney Smith Gets Upset

News, and Commentary
You never know what you are going to get at these commissioners meetings, and this one had some surprises for sure. All three commissioners were in the hallowed chamber for the June 6, 2022 Custer County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting: Chair Kevin Day and members Tom Flower and Bill Canda. The meeting started at 9 a.m.
The Commissioner items discussion was again dominated by Flower with a rambling dissertation on his dealings since the last meeting.
Public Comment was next. Incredibly, the Tourism Board honcho, Deb Adams, was baaaack and AGAIN attacked the county’s website in a somewhat “pushy” manner. (Folks, Adams knows there is a new website coming like in a week or so, so why is she again wasting everybody’s time criticizing something that is about to go bye bye? Well, duh. She is running as an unaffiliated against Canda this fall and is trying, fairly weakly, to get some public face time.) She started with asking why the county’s website does not have any fire ban information on it now. Day responds with there is no fire ban now and the information is on the Sheriff’s Office (SO) website as he is the Fire Marshall for the county. Adams actually asks how would the people know to go to the SO site? (If you have been in Happy Valley for any time, you quickly know the fact that the Sheriff is the Fire Marshall. Also, when there is a ban, the county’s IT guys put it on the county’s site. When there is no ban, nothing on the county’s site. Nice and simple for us deplorables.)
Day repeats what he said last week to Adams that the new website is being worked on and we want the fire ban status to be on the front page. IT guru Vernon Roth pipes up and says when we have a fire ban it goes on the front page and when there is nothing we take it down. Adams, maybe realizing that this “discussion” is a waste of time, to the muskies and the world at large, says “I am not whiiiiining as quoted in a recent article”. (Folks, that is NOT a typo. That is how it sounded. Accent unknown.) Adams continues on for a bit and Roth repeats that we have a new website coming out soon. Finally, it is over.
Braden Wilson, Finance chief is next. Out of the blue, Wilson says he has a statement from some Custer County employees about Mr. Wonderful, Tommy Flower. It is a written document that says the undersigned state that Flower has not turned the courthouse into a “hostile workplace” and he has not created a “hostile work environment” and is not improperly influencing the employees. He then reads off the names of 15 or 20 county employees who signed it.  (It was just a few months ago that Flower was PUNISHED by Day and Canda in a big public meeting over the outrageous harassment of Planning and Zoning’s Jackie Hobby, and allegedly other employees. Flower had his county department responsibilities taken away and people were screaming for him to resign. Apparently, in Happy Valley, bad things just disappear.) Flower, of course, is in Flower Power Heaven and says “I appreciate that. I had communication with people on this”. (“Communication”? Hmmmmm.)
After the photo op, Wilson talks about the various employee committee’s he is setting up to make the county run better. There were some other county department head reports but no big items.
Day finally asks, are there any public comments. It is quiet for a bit, then County Attorney Clint Smith Zooms in from the world wide web.

Make sure you are seated before you read on because Smith just LOSES IT BIG TIME.
Smith starts with talking about the May 31st meeting where Day amended the agenda to add Bad Tommy’s (BT) Colorado Independent Ethics Commission (IEC) ruling (where he was found guilty of several, serious ethics violations) to New Business. Smith says “that has been troubling me since it happened”.
Then, incredibly, Smith says the IEC ruling was “NOT a BOCC matter to start with”. (What!!!) He says the BOCC does not have to recognize the ruling. (What!!!) Smith says it is “not their business”. (That is, the ruling.) (Folks, this is crazy talk. If it wasn’t “county business” Smith, why were you up in Denver on the county’s dime trying to defend Bad Tommy? For goodness sake, the county has a commissioner who was found guilty of serious ethical violations —which is rare for the IEC— and was actually fined. For the muskies NOT to talk about this or allow the citizens to talk to the muskies about it is just WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Smith didn’t like that all the people who spoke wanted Bad Tommy to resign. He thinks that the citizens addressing the BOCC with this issue was wrong! Earth to Smith: the muskies are elected officials. They are politicians. Us citizens have the RIGHT to confront bad behavior from them, PERIOD. TO THEIR FACES. Don’t try to censure us, Smith. It ain’t gonna happen.)
Smith continues and maybe we can see where all this hostility is coming from, folks. He starts talking about the actual ethics case, the complaint wording and the ruling wording. (Bottom line on the case: Smith got his rear end beat like real bad and he is now whining about it.) He complains that the complaint and the ruling had the word’s “pay raise” in it and that the actual issue was a bonus check for BT’s wife and the commission should have “amended” the complaint to replace “pay raise” with what the money was, a bonus check. And because of that, Smith, as you will see below, thinks he should have won. (If you read the actual ruling, it mentions “pay raise” early on then IT CLEARLY DEFINES WHAT THAT WAS AND IT WAS BONUS PAY. So, it was a very, very minor typo that Smith is trying to use to say he should have won the case. Pretty weak, Clint. Actually, pathetic.)
Smith says the ethics commission “was going down a rabbit hole”. (Those pesky wabbits!) He says he “found the whole IEC something of a farce. (Because the poor boy lost.) Then he actually says, and I kid you not, “I felt we won as there was no proof of what he was accused of. (Reality check here Smith: it was on the actual BOCC recording of the meeting and they played the recording at the hearing to the ethics hearing officers. Based on the recording there was no doubt at all in their minds that Flower was FLAT OUT GUILTY. PERIOD. Not even close, counselor.)
Smith then turns and attacks Day and Canda FOR ALLOWING THE CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTY TO COMPLAIN AT A BOCC MEETING ABOUT THE IEC RULING AGAINST ONE OF OUR COMMISSIONERS! He says “this shouldn’t have been allowed before the BOCC”. “It was public shaming.” (Wow, this is crazy talk.) “Everybody said the same thing over and over.” (What? We can’t individually complain, Smith?) “It was a political rally.” (No, it wasn’t Smith. It was outraged citizens of this county exercising their RIGHT to voice their concerns over local governing officials. You saying that we can’t do that? Are you one of Biden’s Thought Police now, Clint? Take the next flight back to earth, sir.) He continued with “I was upset at the way it was handled.” (Poor Thing.)
Day then speaks up and says he apologizes for putting the matter on the agenda. He says he put it on as there were a bunch of people there to speak. (Day did right. There was a crowd of people there to complain and so instead of them speaking in Public Comment he made an agenda item for them. What is wrong with that? It would have happened no matter what.)
Still in some “dark skies other place”, Smith ends with “a group came in and took over the BOCC meeting and essentially conducted a political rally”. (Folks, we have a problem here. When the County Attorney says the citizens can’t address government official’s wrongs in the only local public forum available to us, there is a PROBLEM. We can’t call out our elected officials when they do wrong, Clint? Muskies: this is outrageous, anti-free speech, anti-accountability and anti-transparency talk coming from the county attorney. Are you going to let the county attorney dictate who speaks and doesn’t speak at a BOCC meeting? And this is “political speech” –the most protected form of First Amendment speech. You gotta do something about this. This is Free Custer County and not Pueblo, Boulder or Moscow, muskies. This is unacceptable.)
Another chapter in the Happy Valley Soap Drama closes. It was a good’un.
The next could be a doozy. Stay tuned.
Tha, tha that’s all folks.
(Editor/GG: All italics are editorial comments. Somehow, some people didn’t realize that and there is nothing wrong with interjecting comment into news as long as it is clear that it is commentary. So there, libs. At least we do it openly, as opposed to the other local “publication”.)

2022, Uncategorized

BOCC Decision: Undersheriff Robert Hill to be Appointed Sheriff

BOCC: The Peasants Speak, Common Sense Prevails
Undersheriff Hill to be Appointed Sheriff May 20th at High Noon.

by George Gramlich,
News and Notations
The special Custer County Board of County Commissioners meeting to decide who will replace Sheriff Byerly come his effective resignation date of May 20th, was held at the Lutheran church’s Lange Hall as a big crowd was anticipated. And the peasants didn’t disappoint with around 70 attendees.

The meeting was held on Tuesday, May 10th at 10 a.m. All three Musketeers were present: Chair Kevin Day and members Tom Flower and Bill Canda. County Attorney Clint Smith was not present as he had surgery the day before and was unavailable.
Day opened the meeting by noting that a motion to nominate Deputy Brandon Schoch to finish Byerly’s term was on the floor from the last meeting. Day then recognized Sgt. Brandon Schoch who was in the audience. Schoch announced that he was recusing himself from consideration for the position opening. He said he was deeply honored when Sheriff Byerly recommended him to be the nominee but since that day, it became apparent that it would be inappropriate for him to accept that recommendation. Flower then moved to withdraw the motion to appoint Schoch as Sheriff. A peasant in the gallery asked who made that motion last week. Flower answered that he made the motion. The three musketeers then all voted to withdraw the motion. Continue reading BOCC Decision: Undersheriff Robert Hill to be Appointed Sheriff →

2022, Uncategorized

BOCC: Flower Guilty of Multiple Ethics Violations Fined For Breaking Colorado State Law

by George Gramlich,
News and Notations
Citizenship is a responsibility few of us, regrettably, take seriously these last few decades.
Being self-absorbed seems to be the new American norm. It is why we are where we are today as a country with Custer County being a rare exception. One of our local patriots, Jim McMahon, rancher, farmer, plumber, builder, Christian, bon vivant, saw something wrong two years ago at a Custer County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting (attended by Muskies Bill Canda, Jay Printz and Tom Flower). So wrong, and obviously wrong, that this country boy said enough is enough, I have to do something about it. Government needs to be watched closely, especially local government. That is a key part of Citizenship. And Jim IS a serious watchdog.
At the August 28, 2020 BOCC meeting, McMahon, watched as Commissioner Tom Flower, in multiple violations of Colorado Revised Statutes (CRS), proceeded with attempts to influence his fellow commissioners into a vote to award the Health Department overtime pay that his wife, Cindi Flower, would be a recipient of. He not only hid the fact from the commissioners and the public, that he and his wife stood to benefit from the decision, he also discouraged waiting for a recommendation of fund appropriation from the committee set up for CARES Act funding disbursement. Flower also pushed the other two muskies, who did not want to vote on the issue at that time, into changing their opinions and voting to pay the unbudgeted overtime from the County coffers. These actions are in violation of CRS 24-18-109(3)(a) the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission ruled, specifically, “a breach of the public trust for private gain.”
How did the Ethics Commission come to this discovery and decision? Because Citizen Jimmy McMahon took the time to research Colorado’s ethics laws, found where to make a complaint, and sat down and wrote out a letter to them outlining these serious ethic violations. The complaint was filed and there was almost a year of working out the details of the complaint with the Ethics Commission. Finally, March 15th of this year, the Ethics Commission held the evidentiary hearing. They released their opinion Monday, May 15, 2022.
In a devastating ruling, the Ethics Commission took apart all the smoke and mirrors Flower attempted to use to slither his way out of this and found him flat out guilty of multiple
violations of Colorado Law. And they also imposed a fine on Flower which is somewhat rare.
So we have a County Commissioner that now has been censured and punished by his fellow muskies in the recent  employee harassment scandal (involving county employee Jackie Hobby) and is now being found guilty of violating Colorado law and being fined for more immoral behavior relating to a payment to his wife. We’ll hear the same, old, croaky, crocodile tear apology next meeting (I’m soooooo sorry. I’m a bad boy. It will never happen again. Waaaaaaa.) and he will do the contrition act for a week or so (like he did in Jackie Hobby’s case.) Then it is back to the Flower Power Hour where the world revolves around The Flowers. County employees, his fellow muskies, and the public will again be treated to his bullying and selfish actions that are hurting our county.
What honor lies in a man like this? Will the calls again for his resignation from the public ring hollow in this man? We will find out.
The full ruling is below. The decision and compulsory penalty is at the end. Read the whole thing. It is a lesson in moral politic that hopefully one person might finally learn. God Bless Jimmy McMahon for standing up to corruption. If you see Jimmy about town thank him and buy him ONE beer.

The Ethics Committee finding were printed in their entirety.
To view, go to https://iec.colorado.gov/sites/iec/files/documents/Complaint%2020-73%20Findings%20and%20Conclusions.pdf

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2022, BOCC, Uncategorized

BOCC: American Rescue Plan Grant: Another Flower Power Show

BOCC: American Rescue Plan Grant:
Another Flower Power Show

by George Gramlich,
News and Notations
The April 29, 2022 Custer County Board of County Commissioners meeting was held in the royal musketeer’s throne room and started at 9 a.m. All three muskies were present: Chair Kevin Day, and members Bill Canda and Tom Flower.
After the muskies wowed us (especially Flower) with all the productive and truly worthy government meetings they attended (via in person, or more frequently now, via Zoom) since the last muskie episode, the big show was up: doling out the $870,000 O’Biden slush fund American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that the county was awarded. Who gets this O’Biden vote bribe money? YES! Continue reading BOCC: American Rescue Plan Grant: Another Flower Power Show →

2022, BOCC, Uncategorized

Sore Loser: Sue Happy, WM Tribune

Sore Loser: The Trib Hires a Lawyer Over
the Legal Notice Bid Award

by George Gramlich,
News and Notations

Our local whine fest lib newspaper, the Wet Mountain Tribune, apparently has had a pretty sizable meltdown following the Custer County’s Board of County Commissioner’s decision in January of this year to award the county’s legal notice publication bid to the Sangre de Cristo Sentinel. The Trib’s owner and editor, Jordan “Red Bug” Hedburg* hired a local lawyer, Mr. Wade Gateley to fight this.

Mr. Gately did some basic research based on Red Bug’s opinion that somehow awarding the bid to another local newspaper was illegal. Mr. Gately then sent a “Demand Letter” to the commissioners stating that they violated the Colorado Constitution and a U.S. Supreme Court decision. (Red Bug also attacked our Custer County Attorney Clint Smith in the Trib in several pieces about allowing this  ‘outrage’ to happen, and, in a continuing temper tantrum, accused Smith of being incompetent and not doing his job. See below for more on that.) Continue reading Sore Loser: Sue Happy, WM Tribune →