Week of February 3, 2022
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
LoneTreeVoice.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | CALENDAR: PAGE 15 | SPORTS: PAGE 16
VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 50
School board members allege Wise Conflict grows between sheriff threatened with termination and former second-incommand
Minority members also allege violation of open meeting laws BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Three Douglas County School Board members are alleging the four new board directors gave the superintendent an ultimatum — resign or be fired — without formal board approval and without the full board’s knowledge. Directors David Ray, Susan Meek and Elizabeth Hanson made the allegations in a Jan. 31 publicly noticed meeting, also discussing their concerns that the four other directors violated public meeting laws and board policies by agreeing in secret conversations to take formal action against the superintendent. Ray, Meek and Hanson were the only board directors who participated in the Jan. 31 gathering. Ray said at least 1,300 people viewed the meeting, which was held remotely. Ray said the three are “genuinely concerned that we’ve got a board that’s off the rails in terms of following not only the law” but multiple board policies. “Our superintendent should never be blindsided with us saying that you’re not performing well,” Ray said. The three directors alleged the decision to oust Superintendent Corey Wise was made in “backdoor meetings” among directors Mike Peterson, Christy Williams, Becky Myers and Kaylee Winegar, and that they were notified by Peterson and Williams after the two asked Wise to resign. In response to interview re-
Former undersheriff sues current sheriff BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Superintendent Corey Wise speaks with Becky Myers at a Douglas County School PHOTO BY JESSICA GIBBS Board meeting.
quests with Peterson, Williams and Wise, a district spokeswoman said the two directors had not attended the meeting and that Wise did not immediately have comment. In the course of the meeting, Ray, Meek and Hanson explained how they became aware of the alleged decision to remove Wise. The
GETTING ON ‘BOARD’
Chess is king during pandemic P12
three had received text messages on Jan. 27 asking to have brief conversations with Peterson and Williams the following day, they said. Hanson said she spoke to Peterson by phone on Jan. 28 at approximately 7:20 a.m. Peterson SEE SCHOOLS, P8
A heated conflict between the Douglas County sheriff and his former second-in-command — who is now running as a candidate to replace him — appears to be headed to the courts after a lawsuit was filed against the current leader of the sheriff’s office. Sheriff Tony Spurlock and former Undersheriff Holly Nicholson Kluth’s feud involves a mishmash of investigations and accusations including allegations of political scheming, domestic violence and illicit deletion of personnel files. The rivalry has come to a head now that Kluth has filed a lawsuit against Spurlock — who is term-limited — alleging he suppressed her First Amendment rights and violated employment law and internal policies when he demoted her in 2020 and fired her in 2021. Politics at play It all began with the 2020 election for Douglas County commissioner. In September 2020, Spurlock, a Republican, publicly endorsed Lisa Neal Graves, a Democrat, who ran unsuccessfully against Republican George Teal. Internal sheriff’s office files show that in the days that SEE SHERIFF, P6
FLU SEASON IS HERE
Doctors expect more cases in 2022 P4