There are five candidates and one write-in candidate for Custer County School District 1 School Board.
The County voted to take away the districts and candidates are at large. On the ballot, all voters may choose three candidates.
Below are links to interviews done by Sentinel writer and VP,
Fred Hernandez.
Linda Brown, Write-in Candidate
Joshua Hackett ( no interview, no photo)
Disclaimer:
This page contains links to documents, recordings, letters to the editor and announcements submitted to the Sentinel by a loosely formed group of concerned citizens who have probed and done discovery on Custer County’s governing bodies, particularly, but not limited to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) , on issues of fiscal accountability, transparency, adherence to written State and County policy, and performance.
The Sangre de Cristo Sentinel is providing the group with this page free of charge. The content may or may not align with our views and we do not make any claims concerning the accuracy of the group’s content. This is not a place for vitriol or nasty personal attacks and we reserve the right to deny concerned citizens the right to publish on this page. The intent is to allow them to publish their findings and inform county citizens.
For your safety, we will inform you if a clicking on a link takes you outside of our website or requires that you download a document file
or audio file that we have not checked for viruses.
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PUBLIC NOTICE
October 10, 2023
We would like to inform the public that an independent audit has revealed alarming findings in the operations of county government and they will be presented at the 9 AM October 18th meeting in Wetmore and we would like to encourage as many people as possible to be in attendance, whether in person or via zoom.
K. Joy Anderson and Other Concerned Custer County Citizens
(The Wet Mountain Tribune has also been requested to post
this notice.)
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Download the audio for August 15, 2023 BOCC Executive Session here. This meeting took place in Wetmore. To read a transcript of the meeting click here.
NOTE: After the transcript was distributed to the newspapers,
an error in transcription was found.
Correction to the August 16, 2023 transcript of the Executive Session.
The citizens who transcribed the recording of this meeting would like to offer their sincere apologies to Chairman Day for this mistake;
The transcript error:
Page 10, Line 23-25 of the transcript were assigned to Kevin Day.
All three lines should be assigned to Tom Flower.
23 CHAIRMAN DAY: I don’t work for them.
24 I represent them. It’s all
25 philosophical. I get that.
__________________________________________________________
Download the Transcript for the June 29, 2023 BOCC Executive Session transcript HERE. Audio files were to large to load here.
_______________________________________________________________________
The group of Concerned Citizens presented their findings to the Custer County Board of Commissioners at the October 18, 2023
mid-month meeting. The presentation was an Agenda item.
To read an account of the presentation by George Gramlich, see SDCSentinel.com. or go to the county website to view the taped Oct. 18 meeting. For just the presentation portion of the meeting, click here.
The presentation included three posters, laying out the questions and findings. Those PDF’s are here;
Presentation for 101823 Board 1
Presentation for 101823 Board 2
Presentation for 101823 Board 3
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Linda Hunt Brown Announces Run for School Board as
Write in Candidate
As way of introduction, my name is Linda Brown and I am running in the November 7th Custer County School Board Director election as a “Write In” candidate.
It is my belief that our district should function like a family, full of heart. I want to support the progress and success our district had achieved pre-COVID 19 and again create an atmosphere of caring and harmony. As a five year resident of Custer County, I am concerned about the direction the district is headed, with school attendance and test scores declining, family/community engagement limited, and staff turnover. It is important to me that we keep the education, safety, and well-being of each student at the forefront of our decisions.
I feel that my training and experience could be a real asset to our district, especially my knowledge of curriculum and Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) test data usage to improve our students’ performance on the required standardized test. (This test is currently being used by our district.) As a national trainer for NWEA, I not only traveled across the country helping districts implement this assessment for learning, but also helped teachers learn to interpret the individual student data. “MAP Growth, part of the Growth Activation Solution from NWEA, is the most trusted and innovative assessment for measuring achievement and growth in K–12 math, reading, language usage and science. It provides teachers with accurate, actionable evidence to help inform instructional strategies regardless of how far students are above or below grade level. Using MAP Growth as part of a comprehensive and balanced assessment plan, teachers can confidently tailor instruction to challenge every student, whether they are below, at, or above grade level. “MAP Growth student reports also present realistic learning goals by subject areas so that, through a teacher’s guidance, students can individually see their progress and be inspired to take charge of their own learning.” https://www.nwea.org/map-growth/ When knowledgeably implemented this strategy routinely improves student motivation,
achievement, and therefore attendance.
We are blessed that Colorado allows parents a great amount of freedom to choose the venue for their children’s education. As a Board member, I feel this right must be respected and that the district needs to work closely with families to support their children’s academic and social success. Having been a homeschool mother with a special needs child (with epilepsy) and his five siblings, I have an empathic understanding of the challenges involved and hope to be a link to this component of our community.
Having reviewed the district website, I noted that this new Board will most likely be instrumental in the creation/revision of the District C-1 Strategic Plan since it is dated 2019. As a previous superintendent/principal, I have been intricately involved in this laborious task and would be a valuable team player in the undertaking.
The chief goal of my professional life has been to invigorate the minds and hearts of those I touch and provide for them opportunities to succeed. I would count it a privilege to share the wealth of knowledge, which I have obtained through my teaching and life experiences to better equip others for their place in our changing world.
Thank you for taking the time to review my website https://sites.google.com/view/dr-linda-brown-custer-school which includes my professional credentials including; Doctorate in Educational Leadership, Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership, Masters in Education Using Computers, and, from University of Colorado, a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. You will also find my educational experiences as a College instructor, superintendent, principal and teacher.
Please remember that I am a WRITE IN candidate so you will need to add my name in the blank on the ballet to support my candidacy. Thank you for making this extra effort!
Respectfully, Linda Brown
Joe McCarthy Announces Run for School Board
My name is Joseph McCarthy. I am running for the Custer County School Board. I have lived in Colorado for 21 years and in Westcliffe for almost 10 years. I am the parent of a 2015 CCHS graduate and just watched my granddaughter start school here.
The theme of my campaign is “Children must be taught how to
think, not what to think.” It encapsulates my educational philosophy. We should encourage children’s curiosity. Learning should be an adventure. Graduation should be a milepost, not an end goal. Successful students become lifelong learners.
Selecting members of the school board is an incredibly important responsibility. It is a shared responsibility, not one simply limited to those with school-age children. Board members should reflect the values of the community. The skills and experience of board members should complement one another. An effective school board is a highly functioning team. This requires strong leadership and management skills, an ability to think strategically, and objectively monitor the performance of the superintendent and the school district’s educational programs.
My business and educational background provide me with a solid foundation to fulfill these responsibilities. As a senior executive, I synthesized empirical data and tactical information into goals and strategical plans. I managed a 13-state region, four geographically dispersed offices, over 150 employees, and a $22 million budget. Leadership and management skills are transferable, applicable to any size organization. I have an undergraduate degree in English, a master’s degree in business administration, and a master’s degree in organizational leadership.
It is difficult to offer a vision of the future without suggestions viewed as a criticism of the present. My intent is to present an alternative way of fulfilling the board’s governance responsibilities. I am an advocate of redesigning the school board meetings. The most important items should drive the agenda. The discussion topics and meeting reports should clearly align with the board’s annual goals and the school district’s strategic plan.
It would be beneficial for the district to develop a comprehensive communication strategy to keep parents and the community informed of the school district’s successes and challenges. This will foster greater transparency and accountability.
The Colorado Department of Education released the school district preliminary performance ratings and the results of the spring 2023 standardized assessments in August. These are important data points of the district’s core educational efforts. At what point should the school district share these key performance indicators with parents and the community?
Experience has taught me it is better to be responsive than reactive. Helping the public interpret data is easier than correcting erroneous conclusions. A good example of this approach is immediately addressing why our middle school received the lowest rating in the preliminary performance report.
The spring 2023 assessment test results indicate the percentage of Custer’s third through eighth grade students who met or exceeded grade-level expectations in English language arts and math. There is aggregate benchmark data provided in the form of how all of Colorado’s districts and schools performed. The statewide benchmark is 43.7% for English language arts. In math, 32.9% of all districts and schools met or exceeded grade-level expectations. Our elementary school scored 37.5% and 23.6%, respectively. The middle school’s results were 16.9% met or exceeded grade-level expectations in English language arts and 18.5%
in math.
The Colorado Department of Education website can be over-whelming. I would encourage you to review the information for our school district by typing CUSTER in the search feature in these two articles:
https://co.chalkbeat.org/2023/8/29/23851588/colorado-school-district-performanceratings-2023
https://co.chalkbeat.org/ 2023/8/17/23834986/colorado-cmas-2023-test-results-scores-find-your-school-districtI wanted to know if Custer is an outlier or if other districts are facing similar challenges? I conducted a peer group analysis to provide context in understanding our results. Using Colorado Department of Education data, I identified 18 peer districts with the same state designation as Custer, “Remote.” I then sought districts of comparable size, between 300 to 500 students. Custer’s pupil total was 356. I compared each district’s All Districts / All Schools data to the state’s benchmark results.
Five districts scored above the state benchmark; 11 districts, including Custer, scored below; and three districts had mixed results or incomplete data. I then compared the Custer results to the other 10 districts ranked below the state benchmark. Five districts scored better than Custer in both English and math, two districts scored below in both subjects, and three district had one score above and one below Custer’s results.
Context provides perspective, not blame. The administration, the faculty, and our students need the support of parents and the community. You can view these observations through the prism of education alone or step back and look at it from a macro level. Strong schools prepare students for the next phase of their life, attract families and businesses, affect the employment pool, and support and increase property values. It is a complex equation.
Elect a formidable team to the school board to explore these results, formulate a plan with the superintendent, and monitor the plan’s progress in fulfilling the district’s vision “to provide a quality education” to the students of Custer County.
Joseph McCarthy
mccarthy4boe@gmail.com
by Charlotte Burrous
During the Fremont County Republicans Central Committee October 26, 2023 meeting, Fremont County Republicans explained why they are adamantly opposed to Proposition HH.
In the meeting, Fremont County Commissioner Dwayne McFall reported the Board of County Commissioners had approved a resolution opposing the proposition in a special meeting on September 21st.
“Last week, we passed a resolution opposing HH and encouraged all of Fremont County to also oppose HH, to vote no on it,” he said. “This is happening in several Republican counties around the state. We’re trying to encourage people to get out and vote ‘no’ on it and educate. If you read the headline, it looks like it’s all roses and candy, but it’s not. It’s the death (of TABOR).”
After he spoke, County Assessor Stacey Seifert reported on her findings of the proposition.
“I’ve been through it numerous times,” she said. “As you all know as your assessor, this thing affects me a lot in my job. It also affects me a lot as a taxpayer in this county. It also affects me a lot because I like to protect my county. I’d like everybody to have a pretty good idea of all the nuances in this proposal and there are a lot of nuances in it.”
The whole proposal is full of spirals with one thing depending on another, Seifert explained.
“This effectively guts TABOR,” she said. “It effectively gets rid of the last bit of Gallagher that was the 5.5 percent revenue. That’s gone. If this passes, it’s gone. What they have now as a revenue limit doesn’t seem terribly unreasonable. It’s a lot of the same language that was in TABOR. It’s inflation plus 1 percent plus population growth.”
However, she noted she did the figures, which comes out to 6.2 percent, using values from June 2023. So that is not a major difference from the 5.5 percent. However, in the next paragraph, the proposition in years going forward from 2024, when the state calculates the revenue limit, the beginning point is not zero then inflation plus 1 then population growth.
“The beginning point is last year’s cap,” Seifert said. “So now, this is going to grow exponentially over the next 10 years.”
Seifert stated the state would adjust the values to where taxpayers could save $147 if they have a $350,000 house and if HH passes, the taxpayers would save another $147.
“But you’re going to give up all your TABOR tax refunds,” she said. “They’re setting up a special account for the HH Cap exempt account for the state within the state budget. They’re going to set up a HH reimbursement or backfill fund for all the local entities. You know we’re going to take money away from you in the form of value, but the state is going to backfill that with the HH money that they’re keeping. Once any individual identity’s assessed value grows 20 percent, they are ineligible to get a backfill. It’s not 20 percent from one year to the next. It’s 20 percent for the 2022 value to whatever year going forward. In my estimation in two cycles from now, nobody’s going to get a backfill.”
The state also allowed all the entities if they choose to exceed their revenue cap, all they have to do is hold a public hearing, she said. At the public hearing, everyone would be able to voice their opinion in a facility that’s big enough to hold the crowd. Once everyone has voiced their opinion, the entity can do whatever it wants to by resolution and no one can appeal it in court.
“That’s the last sentence,” Seifert said. “This is not subject to appeal in court. These are the things we don’t hear about in HH. This was professionally written. I’ve never seen anything like this and we all know if this passes, the very next day, there’s going to be a lawsuit filed. In reality, I have to implement it. The day after it passes if it passes, I have to implement this.”
She said this proposition would not be good for taxpayers.
“This is horrible,” Seifert said. “I can’t even begin to tell you how bad it is. I’ll be out there pounding the drum, (saying), ‘don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it.’”
At that point, Treasurer Susan Luck made a motion that the Fremont County Republicans oppose the proposition HH, as well, which unanimously passed. The group also approved spending money for yard signs opposing the proposition.
The group also discussed opting out from the open primary, which will be voted on September 30th in a state meeting. In the meantime, the state GOP has filed a lawsuit against the open primary, but this could take a long time to be settled.
The next meeting will be a Chili Cookoff, a pie auction and meet the candidates Tuesday, October 24th at 603 Main St.,Cañon City.
by Fred Hernandez
Just when we all thought that we would have to travel many miles to get our next burrito or taco, the Aztec Empire shows up to save the day for all those foodies who love Mexican fare. That’s right. Officially opened on Monday, October 2nd at the Country Store on Main Street in Silver Cliff, IMPERIO AZTECA is ready to serve lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Sunday (Closed on Mondays) from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Between the owner, Ms. Bertha Castillo and her main man in the kitchen Chef Saul Farias, they have a combined food service experience of forty years. Bertha was born in the city of San Luis Potosi, north central Mexico. She moved to the United States with her family when she was seven years old in 1997. Her love of the food service industry comes from her father who spent a lifetime working in restaurants. Her older brother then started his own place and eventually had two locations. Bertha was involved from a young age in all aspects of restaurant operations until she decided to start her very own here in Custer County. When she found out that the Country Store location was going to be available, she was ready and made her move. She runs her restaurant with two other waitresses and a staff of three in the kitchen.
Her menu offers all the favorite and delectable dishes one would expect from a professionally run establishment. Her suppliers are the well known top companies in food service; Sysco and Shamrock, which means the quality is always of the highest standard. The specialty of the house is Birria Tacos. Birria is beef that is slow cooked, all night, with special chiles and spices that render the meat tender and full of flavor. A sheer delight for the most discriminating taste buds. She will have specials such as Taco Tuesdays and Fajita Fridays. Giving a nod to the American favorite, she offers great hamburgers served with all the fixings and fries. At the moment Bertha has made her application for a liquor license and is awaiting word from the State. Despite, not have a liquor licence, they offer up a delicious version of Camarones Borachos, which means Drunken Shrimp. Having just started her business, she is in the process of getting other modes of payment organized and so, for now, cash only.
Imperio Azteca offers dine-in, takeout, catering and parties. Follow Bertha on Facebook @imperioazteca. Call for reservations or takeout orders (719)792-9290. Gift certificates are available for any amount. IMPERIO AZTECA, truly authentic Mexican cuisine. Come in and enjoy the delicious fare: 62 Main Street, Silver Cliff.
Download t audio from SDC Sentinel website: HERE
by George Gramlich
As we promised last week, the Custer County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) August 16, 2023 Executive Session (ES) transcript can be found here. If you recall, this ES was supposed to be about “the process for contract negotiations” with the proposed County Manager candidate Braden Wilson. It is against Colorado law to discuss things not listed as a subject for the ES, and as we noted last week, much of the meeting was definitely “off topic.”
What is really troubling about the transcript, is the utter disdain shown by Commissioner Flower, and to a certain extent by Commissioner Day, for the concerned citizens who show up at the BOCC meetings. Flower even uses curse words to describe the tax payers. Also, the reckless and unethical effort by Day to push the County Manager position through before the recall results were finalized shows a complete lack of competent and ethical leadership.
All in all, the transcript tells us a story of arrogance and disregard for the tax payers of this county. Hopefully, with Lucas Epp replacing the recalled Flower, things will proceed in a more ethical manner.
Here’s the transcript.
NOTE: After the transcript was distributed to the newspapers,
an error in transcription was found.
Correction to the August 16, 2023 transcript of the Executive Session.
The citizens who transcribed the recording of this meeting would like to offer their sincere apologies to Chairman Day for this mistake;
The transcript error:
Page 10, Line 23-25 of the transcript were assigned to Kevin Day.
All three lines should be assigned to Tom Flower.
23 CHAIRMAN DAY: I don’t work for them.
24 I represent them. It’s all
25 philosophical. I get that.
Subsequently, the error appeared in the Sentinel on page 22 of the September 29, 2023 issue.
By Fred Hernandez
The legendary mustang is one of the most distinctive icons of the American West. Descended from the horses reintroduced to this continent by Spanish explorers the mustangs have roamed freely throughout ten states including California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico and Texas. Today there are a number of problems besetting these freedom loving herds that need immediate attention. It is the responsibility of Americans to learn more about these beautiful animals, recognize their plight and act by assisting in their protection, management, care and maintenance.
For the first time ever in Custer County EQUUS Film and Arts Fest and the Mustang Summit, an organization dedicated to enlightening the public in general about the mustang and wild horses in America, brings to Westcliffe three exciting days packed with informative, educational and entertainment programs that will delight not only horse lovers but the public in general. Mark your calendar from the evening of September 28th through October 1st. It will be a weekend “round up” with everything from documentary films at the Jones Theater, fourteen nationally recognized mustang trainers, six of which will be working with mustangs which will then be available for adoption at BbarB Ranch. BbarB will be hosting the Fundraiser Dinner on Thursday night, Feb 28th with Music by the High Country Junkies Band, along with presentations from guest speakers and sponsors.
Musical performances by country western stars Jared Rogerson and Lacy Dalton will be at the Jones Theater on Sat evening, and much more. There is an impressive list of guest speakers from across the country who will give presentations about day-to-day interactions with the mustangs. There will be forums at which groups of those interested can listen to experts, ask questions and discuss concepts and ideas. Fine Artists, Book Authors, Film makers and vendors will be showcased at the Jones Theater throughout the weekend. This exciting event begins on Thursday, September 28th from 3 to 8 p.m. at the B-Bar-B Ranch with an agenda that will include dinner.
The best way to get more information about the great event is to contact Ms. Melody DeBenedictis. Melody is a local artist and a passionate advocate for the mustangs. A new resident here is Westcliffe, she is the Coordinator for Westcliffe, Colorado of the EQUUS Film and Arts Fest and The Mustang Summit. She can be reached at 505-429-6597. Or, see her website www.melodydebenedictis.com.
For the full schedule and online ticket purchases visit the Equus Film Fest website at www.equusfilmfestival.net, or you can purchase paper tickets here in Westcliffe at Candy’s Coffee on 2nd Street downtown Westcliffe, as well as Silver Cliff Mountain Inn (Willie’s Restaurant) in Silver Cliff.
by Laura Vass
Sangre de Cristo Sentinel
–Westcliffe, Colorado
(L to R) Terra, Joshua, Levi and Lucus White
The White Family, all raised in Nevada, set out from Susanville, California as a starting point in April of 2022, with the goal of traveling coast to coast with their sons as a homeschooling journey. The first journey destination was back to Elko, Nevada..
This week the Wet Mountain Valley is their “resting” point. The family is staying out on Gene and Denise Keller’s place as they prepare to speak and share at B-Bar-B Ranch as part of the EQUUS Festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Gene Keller said in four days, the young men broke two green horses, one of which Denise is able ride now. “ They are good farriers, also.”
The parents, Joshua and Terra White, explain their vision for their sons Levi (16) and Lucus (15) this way:
We are on an adventure like no other! A home school journey across the United States; an epic adventure with perils and praise. Our vision is to cross the United States four years, horse-back; a true depiction of our interpretation of our pioneering fathers. Our pioneering fathers were made of iron. Men cut from a cloth that is no more. Our pioneering fathers displayed a code of honor and chivalry, that we have on our list of becoming men. Lucus,15 years, and Levi, 16 years, have embarked on a quest to endure all that comes their way. To endure all weather, freeze or burn. Ride and train their horses as they meet the world that they will be living in “head on” at three to 30 miles a day. They will meet all creeds and colors of men in this world furthering their right to be in it. They will manage all the money, plan all travel [routes] and they will endure and overcome all consequences and struggles, they will gain work ethics, they will learn bartering skills and much, much more. Dire moments overcome with grace and significant moments overcome with humble acceptance is on our man quest list Lord willing. This epic adventure is no sacrifice, only a parent’s duty, hopefully this is the greatest gift we can give two of the world’s best boys. The goal is that everything will be easy after this. God’s Country is the greatest most beautiful gift of all. Our motto: Live Don’t Just Exist!”
In visiting with them this week, it sounds like they are meeting all their goals thus far. The young men started out with $1,200 which they used to buy their horses and figure out how and what to pack. They took old saddles belonging to their granddad, ripped them apart and remade them to fit their needs. Over the last year, through work and barter they’ve updated their tack and equipment and have been very innovative. These young men even broke all their horses.
Levi and Lucus have learned much about themselves and the world around them, being in survival mode and having to create and implement solutions to each problem or complication as they travel. Both parents have a rodeo background, but Levi and Lucus have been responsible for mapping out routes, taking on odd jobs when funds are needed, training horses and much more.
Currently, they pack with two donkeys (Thelma and Louise) seven horses and two dogs, one of which they rescued from a bobcat trap and nursed back to health.
For an incredibly rewarding, once in a lifetime window into a life very similar to exploring the West 200 years ago, we encourage everyone to meeting Levi and Lucus at B-Bar-B Ranch. This IS true grit. As part of the EQUUS Festival/Mustang Summit this weekend, they are scheduled to speak/demonstrate at 2 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 29th – October 1st at the B-Bar-B Ranch located on CR 160/ Hermit Road outside Westcliffe, Colorado.
(This is a paid event) See below.
For the full schedule and online ticket purchases visit the Equus Film Fest website at www.equusfilmfestival.net, or you can purchase paper tickets here in Westcliffe at Candy’s Coffee on 2nd Street downtown Westcliffe, as well as Silver Cliff Mountain Inn (Willie’s Restaurant) in Silver Cliff. For the full schedule and online ticket purchases visit the Equus Film Fest website at www.equusfilmfestival.net, or you can purchase paper tickets here in Westcliffe at Candy’s Coffee on 2nd Street downtown Westcliffe, as well as Silver Cliff Mountain Inn (Willie’s Restaurant) in Silver Cliff.
To follow or support the Whites from Westcliffe forward, see their website https://www.llmanquest.com/or follow them on Tik-Tock for Facebook under L+L ManQuest. The White family plans on a more southern route for the winter months.
Thank you, White Family, for blessing us with your experiences and your warmth! We think you are a wonderful inspiration to us all! God keep and bless each of you!
Artist, Singer, Songwriter
PAINTER OF THE WEST AND ITS WILD: Melody DeBenedictis
by Fred Hernandez
Her paintings are absolutely beautiful as she captures the very essence of that moment in her subject’s life. That’s Melody DeBenedictis, painter of the wild mustang and wildlife in their natural habitat. She moved West 14 years ago and wanted to focus on her art. A true artist in every sense, she is also a singer and songwriter. It was when she lived in northern Colorado that she was initially invited on a trip to wild horse range. The first time she ever saw wild mustangs in their habitat she was, in her own words,”blown away.” Since then, she has traveled all over the West photographing and painting wild mustangs and burros.
Settling in Custer County two years ago, she opened her Fine Art Gallery and Studio in the town of Westcliffe located at 111 North 3rd Street. Melody is deeply committed to the welfare of wild mustangs on the range, and in holding. Over the years Melody has traveled across the west with EQUUS Film and Arts Fest and The Mustang Summit. While at the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo last winter, Melody suggested the idea of having an EQUUS Film Fest in Westcliffe, and founder Lisa Dierson agreed it would be a great venue location! Melody has co-coordinated the events for September 28th through October 1st. This paramount occasion, the first such event in Westcliffe, will bring together an important group of players in the present and future fate of the mustangs due to recent changes.
This group is composed of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) which is the agency responsible for the management of wild horses and burros, and the Mustang Heritage Foundation, established in 2001, which worked with the BLM to facilitate successful adoptions until the recent loss of their long running contract. The Cloud Foundation will also be present at the EQUUS Film Festival, a strong voice and filmmaker for the Wild Mustang.
The EQUUS Film and Arts Fest and The Mustang Summit is such an important event to aid in the plight of the mustangs and wild horses spread across the west, with focusing on the present nearing 80,000 wild mustangs lingering in holding facilities across the nation. In the words of Melody, “ We cannot assume that the information out there is correct. It’s important we educate ourselves regarding the issues that surround our West’s public lands. Otherwise we assume. When we do, we may be wrong”. As an example she tells this brief narrative of a customer who was interested in one of her beautiful paintings. She asked him if he knew anything about wild mustangs and he replied that what he understood was that they were overpopulated. Melody asked him when was the last time he had been out on Public Lands where the mustangs live. His reply was “never”; clearly illustrating the lack of information out there in the public sector. Education is key to assuring Land Use of our public lands to be a fair plan moving forward for wild mustangs and wildlife. The demand of industry on our public land is fierce.
Melody is very well versed on the history of the mustang, the problems they face at this time, the need for organized, well funded programs run professionally and transparently, that will protect, maintain, and help these icons of the American West, which is part of the total history of America. The goal is for these magnificent creatures to thrive so that future generations may enjoy them. This is Melody’s mission and she shows her passion for it in the paintings, and songs she creates of these living symbols of the American pioneer spirit, the historic motivation and inner being that propelled this country to greatness.
Come visit Melody and learn more about the organizations that manage the mustangs, and work for their welfare, the laws that affect them and going forward, all the benefits humanity gains by their being here for us. In fact, one significant achievement recently is the advent of equine therapy which has been a big help specifically for veterans who have suffered traumatic experiences. Learn about this milestone in psychology and how it will help our local Veterans here in Westcliffe. For more information about the
EQUUS Film Festival, or Melody’s Gallery here in Westcliffe, you can find her through her website at www.melodydebenedictis.com
Come to the EQUUS Film Festival September 28th through October 1st in Westcliffe!
BOCC: Secret Session Audio Tape Released Due to Citizen Pressure
Here’s How Day and Flower Tried to Snooker Us
by George Gramlich,
Sangre de Cristo Sentinel
News and Commentary
Man, oh man, that secret Executive Session (ES) that the Custer County Board of County Commissioner’s (BOCC) Kevin Day and Tom Flower had on August 16, 2023, was supposedly just about “legal advice” on the “process for contract negotiations” concerning the employment con-tract for the proposed County Manager (CM) position, turned into something else — which was way wrong. Instead of just “legal advice” for the “process for contract negotiations”, the secret session discussed a whole hoard of things other than that single subject. When you read the transcript of the meeting (coming next week) it will give some insight on Day’s and Flower’s “management” skills and “leadership” qualities. (That is, two clowns lost in Clown World.) In addition, Day and Flower talked about how to suppress citizen’s input and comments and personally attacked a citizen. Folks, this tape is an eye opener into tyrannical and corrupt government. So, let’s see what we have.
But how do we know what went on in that ES? We know what went on because of the demands of a group of motivated citizens who attend the BOCC meetings and smelled a rat regarding the process Day and Flower used to push a County Manager position on us. They wanted that audio recording of that August 16th Executive Session (ES) made public. What else happened was a change of who is a county commissioner due to the recall (Lucas Epp replaced the recalled Tom Flower) gave the citizens the deciding vote in the BOCC releasing the tape. (Day fought tooth and nail to keep it a secret. When you read/hear it, you will see why.)
Due to the pressure from the citizens and Epp’s vote to release, we have the tape. (These citizens did what most of the county refuses to do: engage our local politicians and keep them on track and honest. God bless them.)
The following description and quotes of the ES are based on listening to the audio recording. It is very poor quality in parts so some words may be incorrect. We are having the recording professionally transcribed and that will be printed in next week’s Sentinel.
What you hear on the tape is Day frantically pushing to get the whole contract negotiation process and the hiring of Wilson done in that one meeting as the Flower official recall results were days away (the unofficial Recall results were out August 7th and it wasn’t looking good for Flower Boy) and if Flower was recalled, the new BOCC would probably never finish the process. (That’s why Day put in an unprecedented Severance Pay provision for ($45K) that the CM would get even if he worked only one day.)
Commissioner Bill Canda refused to attend the ES on August 16th as he believed that Day and Flower did not properly follow the Colorado statutory provisions required to create a CM position and that the whole process was totally improper because Day and Flower had pre-chosen Wilson for the job and that was unethical.
So, what happened in that ES and the open meeting? Here are some important items that occurred:
What the recording revealed:
1. The ES was supposed to be about getting “legal advice” from the County Attorney, Dan Slater, about the process for the contract negotiations Day and Flower should be taking in negotiating the contract with Wilson. But it turned into a lot more which was outside of the stated reason for the ES and thus illegal.
2. County Attorney Slater was inconsistent during most of the meeting.
3. Flower, even after being told by Slater that the actual negotiations with Wilson must be in a public, desperately wanted to do them in secret to keep the public in the dark. In the end, due to Slater, they did the fake “negotiations” in the public exposing the farce again to the citizens.
4. The whole ES discussion was a total clown show with Flower using curse words to describe the citizens in the meeting and Day pushing the absolutely crazy proposition to hire Wilson first and THEN negotiate a contract. This was beyond the realm of stupidity. Remember Flower called the citizens in the gallery at a big BOCC CM meeting a few months ago, “ya, ya’s”? Well, now he refers to the citizens that attended this meeting Bill’s “Billy Goats.” (Nice way to refer to the citizens who pay his salary and to show disrespect for your fellow commissioner.)
5. Slater, who constructed the proposed contract, used a sample employment contract from the national county manager association. Do you think that the sample contract might be a little biased towards the employee? Nah, no way. In the rush job to get this done, Slater did not get a good sample of other counties’ actual contracts but went with one that was surely pro employee and anti-county. (So we are paying him to side with an employee over the county’s interests?)
8. Our County Attorney, Dan Slater, who made up the employment contract (and we paid him for it) actually says about his proposed contract THAT HE MODIFIED, “And it may be poorly written. That’s a reality.” (Unbelievable.)
9. At one point, Flower asked Day, “How do you feel about postponing it all? Give them what they want?” Day, apparently started literally crying and said, “If that’s the case, I just spent two months fighting for something I know needs to happen and then I see [it] not happening.” (Day seems to think he knows it all and the dozens of citizens who said let’s slow this thing down on this are wrong.)
11. Cat out of the Bag: Day saying that “Braden will probably take whatever we want for him.” (Does that sound like the whole thing has been set up?)
12. With regards to public contract “negotiations” that were going to happen after the ES, Flower says this about the citizens at the meeting, “Yeah. I say the public doesn’t have anything to say about it.” (Nice.)
Bottom line, the tape shows that Day and Flower have NO respect for the citizens who voted them in. Somehow, as soon as they got elected, these two clowns turned into Super Mario managers with no need for advice or consultation before they make big time structural changes to our county government. We didn’t see this in Day when he was running for office. But, as we have seen over and over again, the man has become a huge disappointment.
Canda was right. The county needs management and leadership training. Starting with Day.
So, most of the ES was NOT about getting legal advice about the “process for contract negotiations” thus violating the Open Meetings law. This is wrong and unethical and probably illegal. We have enough of these ES’s. As citizen Matt Miles has said repeatedly in the meetings, “the public’s business should be done in public.” We need to make that happen.
