The Monumental Clown Council
In true Monument Fashion, the Carnival Show Goes On
Just when you thought things could not get any weirder, and that the wildness of the election would subside, things just got a lot more weird and a lot more concerning.
To understand the concerns, I’m about lay out for you, you first must understand some recent history with the Town of Monument. In 2020, in a move to save the Town of Monument some administrative costs, the town moved and approved an ordinance that eliminated out of cycle elections and moved to conjoin all elections to the El Paso County November election cycle.
The effect of this vote was the extension of the terms of several members of the Town of Monument Board of Trustees from an end date of April 2022 to November 8th, 2022. Specifically, on November 16, 2020 the Board of Trustees voted 6-0 to pass Ordinance 29-2020 which states:
The terms of Board members whose terms will expire in April 2022 shall be extended to the November 2022 regular election. The terms of board members whose terms will expire in April 2024 will be extended to the November 2024 regular election
The Home Rule Charter that went into effect immediately when it was passed by a margin of 68% YES to 32% NO votes states:
Section 2.3 Terms of Office 1. Each person holding Town elective office as of the effective date of this Charter shall continue to hold such elective office for the term for which such person was elected or appointed and subject to the same limitations on terms of office in existence prior to the effective date of this Charter.
It is not clear at the moment if the lame duck members of the out going board are even legally sitting on the board. The only two members of the board with a clear qualified and legal position are Council Member Romanello and Council Member LaKind.
There are additional questions about legal standing of Council Member, Mayor Pro Tem Kelly Elliott. That position was vacated when Mayor Don Wilson stepped down in early November to be nominated to the Colorado House of Representatives.
It will be an interesting conversation if Mayor Pro Tem Kelly Elliott obligates the Town of Monument to any financial commitments at tonight’s special board meeting. Those financial commitments may obligate her personally for financial liability if they are found to be Fraud, Waste and Abuse.
There will be one final dispatch this afternoon ahead of Tonight’s Special Board Meeting. All Monument Residents should seriously consider attending if possible.
https://monumenttownco.documents-on-demand.com/?l=b31615d72270ed11a39c000c29a59557&r=C2269E099AFFF47F270B8430538644E0&d=aa4fa4fa327aed11a39e000c29a59557