May 19, 2022 – El Paso County Commissioners have joined a statewide coalition of over 170 county elected officials to call on Governor Polis to veto the collective bargaining bill.
The letter, and the signers are below.
An Open Letter from Elected County Officials throughout Colorado
Concerning the expansion of county employees’ rights to collective bargaining, and, in connection therewith, making an appropriation.
May 22, 2022
Dear Governor Polis,
As locally elected officials, representing millions of taxpayers, we ask you to veto the recently passed bill, SB 22-230 concerning the ability of county employees to form collective bargaining units.
Governor Polis, SB22-230 does not purport to solve any problem. In fact, it creates huge problems for counties who will have no choice but to cut services and jobs to pay for the cost of mandated collective bargaining.
At a time of record inflation and economic forecasts predicting an economy slipping into recession, we are already faced with tough budget decisions. Now, our communities are faced with SB22-230 which makes our jobs tougher and forces us to reduce important government services like public safety, human services, and vital maintenance on roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure.
SB22-230 was largely written in secret, behind closed doors and negotiated within one political party. The bill sponsors claim there was a robust process with the drafting of this bill. We feel strongly that a couple of quick zoom meetings where our concerns were ignored fail to meet a reasonable definition of productive stakeholder engagement. It’s no surprise how this secretive process produced the largest unfunded mandate upon counties in the history of the state of Colorado or that seriously erodes local control of our already strapped budgets.
Governor Polis, we ask that you stand up with Colorado Counties and our residents in support of local control and against unfunded mandates.
Governor Polis, please Veto SB22-230!
Signed,
Alamosa County
Vern Heersink, Commissioner
Lori Laske, Commissioner
Arapahoe County
Nancy Sharpe, Commissioner
Baca County
Glen R. Ausmus, Commissioner
Shiloh Freed, Commissioner
Rick Butler, Commissioner
Aaron Shiplett, Sheriff
Gayla Thompson, Assessor
Sharon Dubois, Clerk & Recorder
Jozy Stegman, Treasurer
Bent County
Jean Sykes, Commissioner
Kim MacDonnell, Commissioner
Chuck Netherton, Commissioner
Kathy Brown, Treasurer
Lynda Moss, Clerk & Recorder
Jason Nichols, Coroner
Cheyenne County
Ron Smith, Commissioner
RJ Jolly, Commissioner
Darin Dickey, Commissioner
Conejos County
Carlos Garcia, Commissioner
Mitchell Jarvies, Commissioner
Joseph Baroz, Commissioner
Tresses Martinez, Administrator
Crowley County
Terry McMillian, Commissioner
Roy Elliott, Commissioner
Blaine Arbuthnot, Commissioner
Melinda Carter, Clerk & Recorder
Holly McCuistion, Treasurer
Terry Reeves, Sheriff
Delta County
Mike Lane, Commissioner
Don Suppes, Commissioner
Wendell Koontz, Commissioner
Dolores County
Floyd Cook, Commissioner
Julie Kibel, Commissioner
Steve Garchar, Commissioner
Don Wilson, Sheriff
Janie Stiasny, Treasurer
Lana Hancock, Clerk & Recorder
Berna Ernst, Assessor
Dennis Golbricht, County Attorney
Douglas County
Abe Laydon, Commissioner
George Teal, Commissioner
Lora Thomas, Commissioner
Tony Spurlock, Sheriff
Dave Gill, Treasurer
Lisa Frizell, Assessor
Jill Romann, Coroner
Elbert County
Chris Richardson, Commissioner
Rick Pettit, Commissioner
Grant Thayer, Commissioner
Tim Norton, Sheriff
Dallas Schroeder, Clerk & Recorder
Susan Murphy, Assessor
Sherry Hewlett, Treasurer
Sandy Graeff, Coroner
El Paso County
Stan Vanderwerf, Commissioner
Cami Bremer, Commissioner
Carrie Geitner, Commissioner
Holly Williams, Commissioner
Longinos Gonzalez, Commissioner
Steve Schleiker, Assessor
Check Broerman, Clerk & Recorder
Leon Kelly, Coroner
Michael Allen, District Attorney
Bill Elder, Sheriff
Richard Mariotti, Surveyor
Mark Lowderman, Treasurer
Fremont County
Debbie Bell, Commissioner
Dwayne McFall, Commissioner
Kevin Grantham, Commissioner
Allen Cooper, Sheriff
Stacey Seifort, Assessor
Kathy Elliott, Treasurer
Justin Grantham, Clerk & Recorder
Randy Keller, Coroner
Garfield County
John Martin, Commissioner
Mike Samson, Commissioner
Tom Jankovsky, Commissioner
Grand County
Kris Manguso, Commissioner
Merrit Linke, Commissioner
Richard Cimino, Commissioner
Sara Rosene, Clerk & Recorder
Brett Schroetlin, Sheriff
Huerfano County
John Galusha, Commissioner
Gerald Cisneros, Commissioner
Arica Andreatta, Commissioner
Jackson County
Coby Corkle, Commissioner
Daniel Manville, Commissioner
Jeff Benson, Commissioner
Kit Carson County
Stan Hitchcock, Commissioner
Cory Wall, Commissioner
Dave Hornung, Commissioner
Kiowa County
Butch Robertson, Commissioner
Donald Oswald, Commissioner
Michael Lenning, Commissioner
Las Animas County
Luis Lopez, Commissioner
Tony Hass, Commissioner
Felix Lopez, Commissioner
Lincoln County
Steve Burgess, Commissioner
Doug Stone, Commissioner
Ed E. Schifferns, Commissioner
Corinne Lengel, Clerk & Recorder
Andrew Lorensen, Coroner
Logan County
Byron H Pelton, Commissioner
Joe McBride, Commissioner
Jane Bauder, Commissioner
Brett Powell, Sheriff
Pam Bacon, Clerk & Recorder
Peggy Michaels, Assessor
Mesa County
Cody Davis, Commissioner
Janet Rowland, Commissioner
Scott McInnis, Commissioner
Todd Rowell, Sheriff
Sheila Reiner, Treasurer
Ken Brownlee, Assessor
Victor Yahn, Coroner
Mineral County
Ramona Weber, Commissioner
Jesse Albright, Commissioner
Scott Lamb, Commissioner
Amy Wetherill, Treasurer
Libby Lamb, Assessor
Eryn Wintz, Clerk & Recorder
Moffat County
Melody Villard, Commissioner
Montezuma County
Kent Lindsay, Commissioner
Jim Candelaria, Commissioner
Gerald Koppenhafer, Commissioner
Montrose County
Keith Caddy, Commissioner
Sue Hansen, Commissioner
Roger Rash, Commissioner
Tressa Guynes, Clerk & Recorder
Morgan County
Mark Arndt, Commissioner
Gordon Westhoff, Commissioner
Jon Becker, Commissioner
Otero County
Jim Baldwin, Commissioner
Rob Oquist, Commissioner
John Hostetler, Commissioner
Shawn Mobley, Sheriff
Ken Hood, Assessor
Lynn Scott, Clerk & Recorder
Park County
Dick Elsner, Commissioner
Ray Douglas Commissioner
Amy Mitchell, Commissioner
Phillips County
Terry Hoffmeister, Commissioner
Tom Timm, Commissioner
Garold Roberts, Commissioner
Beth Ziller, Clerk & Recorder
Tom Elliott, Sheriff
Sharon Michael, Treasurer
Pueblo County
Garrison Ortiz, Commissioner
Prowers County
Wendy Buxton-Andrade, Commissioner
Tom Grasmick, Commissioner
Ron Cook, Commissioner
Jana Coen, Clerk
Judy Whitman, Treasurer
Andy Wyatt, Assessor
Marge Campbell, Coroner
Sam Zordel, Sheriff
Rose Pugliese, County Attorney
Joshua Vogel, District Attorney 15th JD
Rio Grande County
Gene Glover, Commissioner
Scott Deacon, Commissioner
John Noffsker, Commissioner
Sedgewick County
Mark Turner, Commissioner
Donny Schneider, Commissioner
Howard McCormick, Commissioner
Teller County
Dan Williams, Commissioner
Erik Stone, Commissioner
Robert Campbell, Commissioner
Jason Mikesell, Sheriff
Mark Czelusta, Treasurer & Public Trustee
Krystal Brown, Clerk & Recorder
David “Colt” Simmons, Assessor
Steve Trasky, Coroner
Eric Simonsen, Surveyor
Washington County
Kent Vance, Commissioner
Lea Ann Laybourn, Commissioner
Tony Wells, Commissioner
John Stivers, Sheriff
Annie Kuntz, Clerk & Recorder
Debra A Cooper, Treasurer
Larry Griese, Assessor
Weld County
Scott, James, Commissioner
Mike Freeman, Commissioner
Steven Moreno, Commissioner
Perry Buck, Commissioner
Lori Saine, Commissioner
Steve Reams, Sheriff
Carly Koppes, Clerk & Recorder
Brenda Dones, Assessor
Yuma County
Scott Weaver, Commissioner
Trent Busher, Commissioner
Robin Wiley, Commissioner