Silt resident John Lepkowski and his Garfield County Libraries complaints are becoming fixtures during the open public comment period at Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) meetings. This week, he disseminated information that he said he got from Daniel Kail. Kail, the director of Trailhead Christian Counseling in Glenwood Springs, is registered in Colorado as a licensed professional counselor. The hand-outs included a Citizen’s Guide to U.S. Federal Law on Obscenity from www.justice.gov, a clipping of a letter to the editor from the Glenwood Springs Post Independent and an email from Kail to “John” (listed as John Mierek in the email address) about the effects of pornography on the brain and social relationships.
Jamie LaRue, director of the GarCo Library District told The Sopris Sun in an email that Lepkowski “continues to overlook that there is no evidence that any young people are, in fact, checking out the titles that he disapproves of, or that his definition of pornography, whatever that might be, is an accurate description of [the books].”
Election legitimacy
Carbondale resident Debbie Bruell spoke next via Zoom, acknowledging that the BOCC requires that she identify herself as chair of the Garfield County Democratic Party. (No one else who spoke at Monday’s meeting was required to announce his or her political party affiliation.) Bruell stated that she read an open letter from the Colorado County Clerks Association in December 2023 (www.bit.ly/COCountyClerks), inviting Colorado elected officials to do what they can to restore trust in elections.
The letter includes references to former president Donald Trump’s and his attorneys’ efforts to undermine the 2020 election, stating, “If you are someone who continues to support the same lies that Powell, Ellis and Meadows once peddled and have now rejected, you are undermining our Constitution.” It asks elected officials “to come forward and help us correct the record and regain trust taken from our elections by bullies and bad actors.”
Bruell said, “I’d like to know if you all are planning to comply with that request and actively counter the notion that there was massive voter fraud in the 2020 election.”
Bruell’s question raised hackles across the BOCC. “I don’t have any true information in reference to every election that took place in the United States, so, I can’t say that it was legitimate or not,” replied Commission Chair John Martin. Commissioner Tom Jankovsky praised the Garfield County election.
Bruell asked again, “Are any of you willing to state publicly that you believe Biden was legitimately elected in 2020?” After some heated back-and-forth, Martin said, “The Electoral College, which seems to supersede all of the public vote, says [Joe Biden] is the president.” Bruell voiced disappointment that none of the commissioners would state publicly that the 2020 presidential election was not stolen.
Silt resident Caleb Waller responded enthusiastically to Bruell’s question, identifying himself as a Garfield County election judge and stating that the county elections are transparent and fair. “It’s really important that the residents of Garfield County know that their vote matters,” he said.
Funding and more
Moving into items on the agenda, the BOCC rescheduled a liquor license hearing for Brickhouse Pizzeria in Parachute and approved the consent agenda. The Board also approved a funding agreement with the U.S.Interior Department/U.S. Geological Survey for $11,405 for continuing water-quality monitoring and sampling on the Colorado River above South Canyon Creek. They also approved $11,000 for the 5Points Film Festival and $74,250 for Youth Zone (YZ).
Jami Hayes, YZ executive director, said the organization served 286 youths in Garfield County during fiscal year 2022/2023 and that marijuana possession was the top offense. She added that YZ has increased certified and licensed substance addiction technicians and counselors.
Commissioner Mike Samson asked Hayes what she thought of marijuana legalization after ten years. “Would you be willing to say that it just really didn’t do the State of Colorado any good to legalize marijuana?” he asked.
“What I will say,” replied Hayes, “is that the increase in substance use and abuse across the entire nation is explosive and we see that across states where it’s legal and not legal.” She added that substance accessibility and stress within families have also risen.
The final agenda item before an executive session was an update on the access to a fisherman’s easement in the St. Finnbar subdivision outside of Carbondale that was brought to the BOCC’s attention late last year. The county sent a letter last week to the Ranch at Roaring Fork HOA and John Mindling, who has complained that a fence and no trespassing sign were erected on an easement on his property and that his building permit was held up. The county wants the fence and sign removed immediately to avoid a code violation, and granted Mindling his building permit. The county also said that it will not be involved in litigation on this issue.