Everything is Going Great in Douglas County!
At the end of last week, we noted in this space that the Douglas County Commissioners were uniformly declaring that the COVID-19 pandemic had ended, despite, you know, facts and evidence and stuff. Commissioner Abe Laydon was particularly tone-deaf in comparing the COVID-19 pandemic to The Emperor’s New Clothes.
This week, The Denver Post reported that Douglas County Commissioners had fired a representative of the Tri-County Board of Health for “creating distrust” in the county. Marsha Jaroch was canned because she disagrees with the DougCo Commissioners’ weird obsession with getting rid of the Tri-County Board of Health because they are mad that the organization wanted people wear masks so as not to spread COVID-19 (and before you ask…yes, that does seem like a prudent thing for a BOARD OF HEALTH to recommend).
But as The Douglas County News-Press reports, this is just the tip of the rapidly-melting iceberg in this cesspool of local Republican politics:
The conflict began after Commissioner Lora Thomas posted to her personal website that she was removed from her position as the board’s chair by her fellow two commissioners.
In the April 21 post, Thomas said Commissioners Abe Laydon and George Teal voted during a Monday, April 19 work session meeting to remove her as chair.
The county’s board chair serves as the public representative and leader of the board, according to the county’s policy for commissioners. They preside over meetings and decide agendas. Normally, the chair and vice chair are selected on a rotating basis based on district, according to the policy.
In many counties, the position of “board chair” is a largely ceremonial role that transfers from one elected official to the next every year or two. The role of “board chair” might be more significant in Douglas County, although that probably depends on who you ask.
Read more: https://www.coloradopols.com/diary/157224/everything-is-going-great-in-douglas-county