BOULDER – In Boulder the County Commissioners have dug their heels in and are focusing on their work. The commissioners have had their hands full since they lost one of their members, Commissioner Tom Mayer, who died on June 22 from cancer.

A committee of Boulder County Democrats chose Boulder County Tax Assessor, Cindy Dominico, 51, to replace Mayer. Dominico was sworn in on July 9, only 16 days after Mayer died. Without missing a beat the commissioners began working on county issues including hearing comments at a public hearing in early July on possible restrictions to limit the size of structures in Boulder County. While some people argued that the proposed land use code changes conflicted with private property rights, others expressed concern over the size of new homes being proposed for unincorporated mountain areas

Commissioners have been debating the idea of using a tiered system of structure sizes, conditions and restrictions for homes in rural and mountain areas. New home applicants could be required to use green building materials. The commissioners are still months away from making any formal regulations.

Commissioners also considered a conservation easement for a 38-acre parcel south of Lyons and west of U.S. Highway 36.

By contrast Larimer County Commissioners have been embroiled in a tangle of harassment. Larimer County Commissioner Karen Wagner resigned in early July citing “harassment and verbal abuse” from fellow Commissioner Glenn Gibson. In a letter to county voters, Wagner also accused Commissioner Kathay Rennels of failing to intervene in the alleged mistreatment. The letter was posted on the Fort Collins Coloradoan Web site Monday.

Gibson disputed the allegations and said he treated others with dignity. “I have no apologies in how I’m working,” he said. “It’s part of the politics. You voice your opinion, you take a vote and the majority wins.” Rennels described Gibson as outspoken and Wagner as sensitive. She said Gibson had not treated Wagner differently than he treated others, including Rennels.

But Gibson is known to rail against his constituents and treat them with total disregard. Several years ago he met with a group of residents living in the Blue Mountain Road area, just west of Lyons, over the issue of creating a dam and reservoir on the Little Thompson River and flooding a portion of the valley. While residents fought to save their homes, Gibson told them, “Remember the Indians?” He said. “The government took away their land and that is what is going to happen to you now.” As it turned out, Gibson was wrong and the new reservoir is being created near Carter Lake.

Larimer County residents seem to have a history of electing inferior candidates to office.

In April 2006, Senator Wayne Allard (R), from Larimer County, was named by Time as one of “America’s Five Worst Senators.” The magazine called him “the invisible man” and said he was one of the “least influential Senators” because he “almost never plays a role in major legislation” and “rarely speaks on the floor or holds press conferences to push his ideas” despite his ten years in the Senate and his presence as a majority party member on two key committees.

And Representative Marilyn Musgrave (R), has also incurred unfavorable ratings. In September 2006, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), “non-profit, progressive legal watchdog group”, listed Musgrave as one of the “20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress.” She reportedly used her congressional office to run her campaign, and was also accused of using the franking privilege accorded to House members to send campaign material for a candidate she favored. “All of which is not true”, Musgrave’s chief of staff Guy Short said. The Rolling Stone magazine ranked Musgrave as the 10th worst member of Congress and sharply criticized her views on homosexuality and gay marriage, calling her “the Christian soldier.” The May 2007 issue of the online magazine Radar satirically ranked Marilyn Musgrave as the fourth holiest congressperson, mocking her 2006 statements that gay marriage is the most important issue.

Wagner was elected in 2004. A vacancy committee of the county Democratic Party will choose her replacement. Rennels was elected in 1998 and Gibson in 2000.

Back to Top