Lt. Troy McCoy, Sheriff’s Office: I don’t have a fancy speech or anything, I don’t live in the county but I’ve always wanted to. Me and my wife, we’re like, Elbert County. But, after this, what I see from the commissioners, it is very disturbing to me. I’ve lived in Douglas County for over ten years and it’s not this dysfunctional. Wade, big mistake, I don’t want a law firm that doesn’t give a shit about Elbert County. Excuse my language. I want somebody that cares. This man right here, he cares. I can go to him at any time. I have legal questions so we don’t get sued with just the events I run for Elbert County. He has the time of day, even if he’s busy. He makes time for us. Ed, what an amazing man. Before when I came here, the sheriff’s office and road and bridge, I don’t think they even talked that much. Now, I can say they are my brothers and sisters out there because they are always willing to help us, we’re there to help them and I agree with Teresa, a travesty if you get rid of these two great men and it will make my decision a lot easier not to move into this county. Do the right thing. Good day.

Jerri Spear, HHS Director: I just wanted to say a little bit about our department. This year has been one of tremendous change in our department and we have very capable and committed staff who strive to develop new programs to serve our customers and improved practice, accountability and professionalism in our agency. (References Jen’s nervousness) Included in the change that then leads to responses we make in handling staff turnovers which mirrors the experience in the employee services agencies in our state. However, what looks different from the experiences of many larger communities is that we have had extremely talented applicants for our numerous open positions affording us the opportunity to continue to build on the quality of services we provide. In addition we lost a four month employee who wanted to return because she had heard about all of the positive changes in our agency and county. We have recruited some wonderful and experienced talent from other counties. Also, we selected six items of new attractions for quality professionals for Elbert county residents, the majority of them sitting here today. In addition to some young recent graduates who grew up in Elbert county, who attended our county schools and are tuned in early to our community, we have hired a couple of highly trained and experienced managerial staff who are also Elbert county residents, but they spent the majority of their careers working in other areas. One of them admitted that although she would have loved working in her own community she would not have considered even applying in Elbert County because of its horrible reputation. She was pleasantly surprised and excited about the opportunity to work here following an interview process and for once, I can proudly say that the majority of our staff and our department are also Elbert county residents which I think is very important. So let me tell you what we talked about after this joint interview. We let them know that this is an exciting time to become a part of our agency because the opportunity for professional growth and the positive direction and teamwork that has developed across our county agencies. As Ms. Dore can attest to, she has heard rumors that the sheriff and the sheriff’s office and we don’t work together. And, Sheriff Heap and I actually met with you and we dispelled that rumor, I hope, and we heard some other of those rumors that we dispelled and so I hope you have seen that as a positive step. We also highlighted this decision by this BOCC and we all disagree with you and see the decision to appoint Ed as the county manager as an insightful and positive decision for all of us which reflects the desire of the BOCC to support department heads and elected officials and all staff. We added in that interview that Ed Ehmann has been a positive and supportive county manager who is proactive on behalf of all employees. Ed has support from most of us immediately through his relationship with us as a director of public works and road and bridge. It was evident immediately he would be able to immediately pull us all together as a county team. It has been exciting to see us work together instead of each county department working as a silo with distrust for each other. And I have not had that experience because I have only been here for three years but I have heard that that was how it had operated for the years that the departments were kind of disconnected. I would hope that in Elbert county, of each and every commissioner would be proud of the teamwork that is happening throughout the county through the efforts of Ed and hardworking staff. This can only be seen as a positive reflection on all, including the commissioners. I would also hope that before making decisions that will impact our current team that you take into consideration all of our input and that each of us is treated with the respect and professionalism that we deserve as we do our work on behalf of the BOCC and the Elbert county residents. Unfortunately I heard late Monday afternoon of this decision to discontinue Mr. Gateley’s continued employment with the county in favor of a downtown Denver firm was put on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting. Mr. Gateley has become an integral part of our team and has been very good in providing advice to each of us based on eastern Colorado rural counties that has the professional maturity to handle tough situations ?? employee issues, and contractual concerns to me. Overall, he has been a respected adviser to our team and issues necessary and provides professional assistance services in all our agencies. He has supported our efforts to become county for which we can all be proud to work. I respectfully ask that any decision regarding Mr. Gateley and Mr. Ehmann be seriously considered and its impact on the morale of all the employees of Elbert county and the ability to retain the common good of our employees. One of the lessons from my eight years as a director is that when someone discredits and puts down they are negatively impacting everything and every employee under them. It becomes personal to the employees because his or her leader is a composite of all the staff working under the leadership. So to think you’re simply not supporting the person, you’re terribly wrong. Your team takes it personal, too. And I would add that I take it seriously when I am in support of the commissioners. I don’t like reading negative things about any of you. I don’t want to terminate ???
I believe that breaks down your importance. I’m getting emotional; it’s kind of an emotional day. I hope that you respect each and every county employee that you have by making decisions that impact us only after thoughtful consideration based on everyone’s input and not just a few. Please don’t harm the team working on behalf of this county with all of our knowledge and experience and please remember that all employees have to live with your decisions long after your terms have been completed. And I respectfully request that the Board of County Commissioners join us in the positivity that’s being generated by the commitment and hard work of your Elbert county employees. Thank you.

Monty Hankins, Road and Bridge Assistant Foreman: I don’t know if any of you guys realize that under Ed’s leadership, road and bridge has really dramatically moved forward. The two ends of the two shops of road and bridge are currently working together more than they ever have in the past from what I understand from the six years I’ve been here compared to 10-20 years ago when things were separate. They did not work together. We continue to put gravel on the roads and I know that it’s hard for the public to see. Things are moving forward and we are rebuilding roads like they’ve never been done before. Chip sealing is doing several different things. We have equipment that doesn’t break down constantly and that the county doesn’t specifically own and doesn’t have to sink money into repairs time and time again. All this is due to Ed’s leadership. I think that’s important. You guys are making a big mistake and for most of us in road and bridge, this is just dumb.

Betty Jones, HHS: Wow, I’m so disappointed. I didn’t know what I was coming to hear today. I was just shocked. I have worked and talked with each and every one of you. And, I’ve worked for the county for almost nine years and have been a county resident for ten and a vocal resident and this makes me very upset. Through Ed, Wade, the finance department, previous commissioners, and we’ve been through a lot of them. We finally have come together. Sheriff Heap. I mean with our department we have grown by bounds and leaps here and to think that this is happening here today to tear us back apart twenty years ago just infuriates me. We have come so far and I stand with all my coworkers and all the residents of this county that something needs to be changed.

Commissioner Ross: I’m going to take this opportunity to meet with elected officials, department heads, comments section. I want to clarify what I think is a gross misunderstanding of what is going on here. The county has truly grown and has done much, much better over the last few years from what I saw previously. I don’t intend to take any credit for that personally. It is all you individuals that have made that happen. I’ve worked diligently with Mr. Ehmann on nearly a daily basis to set out goals and I see these things that are getting accomplished on a rather seamless and regular basis. So, first of all, I want to point out to you that these agenda items in no way relate to our county manager. They do have to deal with issues with the county attorney. And another misconception might be and it’s interesting because rumors get started in this county, and I’ve never seen anything quite like it, especially with the internet now. But a misunderstanding can blossom. Quite simply I think we placed these items on the agenda in order to work through an issue with the county attorney and the county attorney only. And those are my only comments at this time.

Commissioner Rowland: I’m going to take it slow and I want to be thoughtful and I think this has legal implications and I think it’s very plain here now. And I think it’s important that the people in this room, particularly our employees that have come today, who have brought us to where we are understand exactly why we are where we are right now. And I would ask the respect of my fellow commissioners. You will have your opportunity to speak. It is not a debate. I want to have this opportunity to have the time to say what I need to say. It is, without a doubt, obvious, that we have come to the point we are at today in the last two years, not because I came into office, or because Kurt Schlegel was here, or any of that, but because we made one critically important decision early on. And that was to bring in a county manager who was respected, who was qualified, and who had his finger on the pulse of this county and the respect of these employees, like nobody else. There was no other choice. We were then fortunate enough to have the opportunity to bring on a new county attorney and by whatever level of belief you have, and I believe only by the grace of God, we got an attorney who was like the missing piece of the puzzle for that county manager. They are a team. They are one. And what they have done in leading this county with the three-legged stool, as I like to say, like the three county commissioners, which is also sometimes a little hairy, I’m afraid. These two have taken charge and can make the decisions and the direction and research and all of the things that have done that have brought us to where we are today. And, to my point of view, I am stunned for one thing, to find the two items on the agenda today and I want to describe how that happened because I think it is important. I believe there has been some serious, serious missteps here that are going to have to be held accountable for but we’ll talk about that later. But the truth of the matter is this, there is one premise that I believe has brought us to this point and I have a couple of documents that I’m going to share with you whether anybody likes it or not, because I think you have a right to know.

This morning, the county attorney was handed a letter that I’ve never seen. I’m still on this board, I’m still one of three and if you don’t know and I know you all do. We operate as a board with three independent votes and no commissioner can make a unilateral action or decision without approval or knowledge of the full board. And that is what happened here. It’s happened a couple of times, but in this case it was particular. He was handed a letter this morning that I’ve not seen until this morning just before this meeting. And I think it verifies the premise of what the accusation and the reason that this item to put our county attorney on administrative leave and bring in some Philadelphia lawyers from wherever they are from. I have no idea because I wasn’t told about that either even though there apparently is a letter of engagement that has been done unilaterally as I understand it that was shown and seen. Now that was prepared and that would indicate previous discussion. And again, whether they like me or not, I’m still a commissioner on the board and I didn’t see that and I didn’t know about that. But, this letter from Commissioner Dore was handed to our attorney this morning raises the ante even more. It doesn’t talk about a 60-day or 30-day administrative leave, whatever that means. It lists the grievances that apparently you would have to assume lead up to this action. And those grievances are: 1) your handling of the reimbursement process for Commissioner Rowland and your failure to advise Commissioner Ross and myself at the same intent. Well, let me tell you what that is.

We all know about this ongoing lawsuit, and multiple lawsuits that started with the ALJ and the board of county commissioners, the previous board making a decision under legal advice to hire an outside firm (consulting with Gateley for words) to handle the budget issue. When that lawsuit was filed, the ALJ determined that we were, in fact, wrong in that decision. Okay, made a mistake. I said it a hundred times. Got it. I understand it. This board, being new, being whatever it was, you know, that was costly. We shouldn’t have done it. Out of that ALJ decision came a decision to sanction the board, if you will, for letting us know, in fact, that we were in violation apparently for breaking Colorado’s law.