Home rule town hall leaves a Colorado community frustrated

CBS News

5 days ago

Residents in Douglas County are learning more about what a home rule charter could mean for them.
Back in March, Douglas County Board of County Commissioners took the first step to become a home rule charter. There are still a number of steps, including two elections.
In June, voters will decide if they want home rule and would pick people for a charter commission. If that moves forward, voters will decide in November whether to approve the charter.
If it's implemented, Douglas County would become the fifth home rule county in the state. Weld, Broomfield, Denver and Pitkin counties are also home rule.
CBS
Tuesday night, Douglas County held a town hall for the community to share more about the home rule charter process and answer questions. It was a long-awaited night, as many community members had questions about the process. But the short meeting ended with tension, and many residents left with more questions than answers.
As county commissioners attempted to end the hour-long town hall, they were met with shouts of protest and boos.
"Why the rush?" one community member called out.
"You really like to hear yourself talk. What about the community?" another shouted to Commissioner George Teal.
"Why don't you extend the meeting?" a resident asked.
"We do expect order in this room. I will ask the sheriff's office to get involved," Commissioner Abe Laydon responded.
"Take us to jail!" one woman shouted.
The high tensions came after nearly 9,000 people tuned in online and in person to the town hall, expecting the opportunity to ask questions about home rule, but only about six questions were taken.
"I'm disgusted, very disgusted. The lack of respect for the voters of Douglas County is just incredible," said state Congressman Bob Marshall (D-Highlands Ranch).
"The meeting was too short," said Mark Custer, a Highlands Ranch resident. "They only answered a few questions."
County leaders broke down the nine-step process of developing a home rule charter, which they say would allow the county to write its own rules and free it from strict state laws governing immigration, taxes and collective bargaining.
"I am in favor of home rule because I don't like what's happening at the statehouse in Denver. I feel like the Democrats are pushing whatever they want," said Janet Zoetewey, a Castle Rock resident. "Even though there's a majority of Republicans in Douglas County, I feel like our voice is being taken away more and more and more, and it doesn't matter. To me, home rule gives us a chance to have a little more of a voice, a little more autonomy in our county."
But critics say that isn't a guarantee.
"If they get in a fight with the state, they will lose," Marshall said. "But they intend to get into perpetual litigation with the state, and they're going to spend millions of dollars and lose all these. But they'll be able to take care of their special interest supporters. Home rule could be a good thing, could be a bad thing, but the way they're doing it is very, very bad. It's secretive."
Less than a month ahead of the special election where voters will say yes or no to home rule, many are leaving the town hall with strong opinions on the county's future.
"I like the idea of home rule 'cause I'm in favor of it because of the crazies in the legislature," Custer said. "We need to have more control. This will give us tools to fight against the crazies in the state."
"I like what's happening in Douglas County and what's been here," Zoetewey said. "I don't want to see Denver chipping away by making us build high-rise apartments or low-income housing to get more people, probably more Democrats, into our county."
"I'm the mom of nine kids. You know what I don't have time for? Fighting this nonsense," said Kelly Mayr, a Highlands Ranch resident. "Other elections, if we're not successful, two years later or four years later, we get another opportunity. We don't get another opportunity to do this. This is permanent. This could take decades to undo the harm that could be caused."
Those who still have questions can find more information on the Douglas County Home Rule page. At the bottom, there is a form where residents can submit feedback on home rule.
In the special election, voters will be asked if they support home rule. Then, they will be asked to vote for members of the 21-person charter commission who will draft the charter.
Candidates for the charter commission:
District 1:
Matthew M. Lunn
David Weaver
Mary H. Lynch
Emily Roth Suyat
Jack Hilbert
Jason Hamel
Darren Weekly
October Ann Levy
Jack Gilmartin
Toby Damisch
Laura Hefta
Irene Bonham
Julie Gooden
Bart Dorscheid
District 2:
Jennifer E. Green
Kevin Leung
Jae Mundt
Charles O'Reilly
Julien Bouquet
Barrett Rothe
Juli Watkins
Max Brooks
Tom J. Wiens
Tim Dietz
Douglas John Gilbert
Dave Gill
District 3:
Robin Webb
Lora Thomas
Michael Lees
Priscilla Rahn
Bob Marshall
Sudee Floyd
Frank McNulty
Alicia Jean Vagts
Monica A. Wasden
Matthew Burcham
Ted Harvey
Susan Meek
Lee Hudson Frame
Daniel Brown
Gordon B. "Spud" Van De Water
SuJeanne Foster
At-large:
Steve Johnson
Kevin Van Winkle
Abe Laydon
Angela Thomas
George Teal
Mindy Bandimere-Jordan
Steven Arthur Boand
Ballots for the special election will be mailed in early June. The special election is June 24. If voters say yes, the commission will craft a charter, and that charter will be voted on by residents in the November general election. If successful, the charter will go into effect Jan. 1, 2026.