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July 9, 2014 VOLU M E 49 | I S S UE 25 | 7 5 ¢
Tri-LakesTribune.net T R I - L A K E S R E G I O N , M O N U M E N T, G L E N E A G L E , B L A C K F O R E S T A N D N O R T H E R N E L P A S O C O U N T Y
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Scores flock to Tri-Lakes Independence Day celebration
Kids in America. Photos by Rob Carrigan
Record crowds line streets of Monument By Rob Carrigan
rcarrigan @coloradocommunitymedia.com
POSTAL ADDRESS
Nearly 40,000 people converged on The TriLakes 4th of July Celebration which offered a full day of festivities for the whole family. Pancake breakfast at St. Peter Catholic Church, the 33rd Annual Fun Run at the Palmer Lake Trailhead, Annual children’s parade began at 9:30 a.m. followed by the Main Parade at 10 p.m. both sponsored by the Monument Hill Kiwanis Club. Fourth continues on Page 10 O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
Effort to recall Maketa has July 12 deadline TRI-LAKES TRIBUNE (USPS 418-960)
OFFICE: 325 Second Street, Suite R Monument, CO 80132 PHONE: 719-687-3006 A legal newspaper of general circulation in El Paso County, Colorado, the Tri-Lakes Tribune is published weekly on Wednesday by Colorado Community Media, 1200 E. Highway 24, Woodland Park, CO 80863. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT WOODLAND PARK, COLORADO. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Thurs. 11 a.m. Legal: Thurs. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 10 a.m. G ET SOCIAL WITH US
P L EA SE R ECYC L E T H I S C OPY
County Commissioner Glenn: Nothing his office can do to force embattled sheriff out By Danny Summers
dsummers@coloradocommunitymedia.com It wasn’t all that long ago that El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa appeared be one of the more popular people — in a good way — in the Pikes Peak region. But these days, he seems to be on a lot of citizens’ most wanted list — in a not-so-good way. “You can’t allow personalities to get in the way of public safety,” said El Paso County Commissioner Darryl Glenn, whose territory includes northern El Paso County. “I know what I would like Maketa to see happen, but the sheriff is an elected official and he has to be dealt with as such.” Glenn, an Air Force Academy graduate, is usually not one to mince words. In May, he and his fellow Commissioners — Dennis Hisey, Amy Lathen, Sallie Clark and Peggy Littleton — voted unanimously to have Maketa resign. Glenn has not changed his position. “I absolutely stand by my decision to request the sheriff’s immediate resignation,” Glenn said. “You run into problems when you have elected
offices that can essentially stick around longer than the actual Board of County Commissioners. So, we kind of serve as a check and balance to each other.” According to Glenn, Maketa has not been held accountable for many of his actions. The county commissioners’ May vote came on the heels of serious allegations of misconduct on Maketa’s part. The accusations include sex with subordinates and abusive treatment of employees. It moved into the public spotlight after a complaint filed by three sheriff’s office commanders. That came days after Maketa put them on administrative leave. The commanders accused Maketa of, among other things, a hostile workplace, sexual impropriety, discrimination, and violating basic civil rights. Maketa, of course, also was not shy in his criticism of Black Forest Fire/Rescue chief Bob Harvey’s handling of the June 2013 Black Forest Fire that destroyed nearly 500 structures and killed two people. Glenn sided with Maketa on his criticism of Harvey. Lathen, the commission’s vice chair, made the initial motion for a vote of no confidence in May and asked that Maketa resign. But voting for Maketa to resign and having him actually do it are two different things. His term ends in January, not December as some have speculated. “The recall has nothing to do with his pension or anything like that,” Glenn said. “Whether he’s recalled in November or serves his full term into January does not affect anything when it comes to
his pension.” Randy Stagner, chairman of the recall effort, and his team have worked diligently the past weeks collecting signatures to get Maketa’s recall on the November ballot. The group needs 44,000 signatures by the July 12 deadline. Maketa, an elected official, can only be removed from office on a recall vote. The commissioners’ vote did not require that Maketa resign. It was more like a ceremonial action. Clark has called the Maketa allegations and ensuing investigation a “public distraction.” Littleton went a step further and said: “Our sheriff has chosen to exclude himself from those high standards.” Glenn has called the rumors of Maketa’s alleged affairs “the worst-kept secret in town.” Ryan Parsell, a spokesman with the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, said the county would not schedule a special vote to speed up the recall process. By most accounts, GOP nominee Bill Elder is the likely successor to Maketa during the November election since there are no candidates from other parties in the race. Elder is a deputy chief of the Fountain Police Department. He established a foothold on the County sheriff’s race with a convincing win in March over Jim Reid and former sheriff John Anderson at the El Paso County Republican Assembly. Elder took 65 percent of the vote and prevented a June primary.