(The following statement was issued on behalf of the Board of Commissioners by Commission Chairman Ed Norden at the July 13th board meeting)
I’d like to say something on the record in the aftermath of last Wednesday’s Fremont County Planning Commission meeting and an opinion piece that appeared in Saturday’s Daily Record (Paul Maye-July 10th edition). Let me say that I would not be making these remarks if letters sent to Planning Commission members had not been discussed publicly last Wednesday.
Mike Sheahan of Front Range Aggregate came to the Board of Commissioners at our June 8th meeting and complained about the activities of some Planning Commission members as part of their work on the Master Plan and submitted a series of letters from various business and industry people also expressing concern about the process. This board did not respond to Mr. Sheahan at the June 8th meeting but thanked him and told him his comments and the letters would be taken under advisement.
Subsequently the Board of Commissioners felt perhaps some legal guidance would be in order to outline some parameters for what the roles of Planning Commission members are in their work on the Master Plan. It was not the intent of this board or the county attorney to chastise anyone on the Planning Commission. But in the face of the serious allegations detailed in those letters received June 8th we felt some legal guidance was in order and would hopefully be welcomed and appreciated.
County Attorney Brenda Jackson did not act independently to draft any of the letters to the Planning Commission members. The letters she drafted were done so at the direction of the Board of Commissioners and we reviewed the content before they were sent. The Board’s intent was to offer some discreet legal guidance to Planning Commission members.
To now learn about public verbal accusations directed to the County Attorney at last Wednesday’s meeting and from reading the opinion piece in Saturday’s Daily Record demands a reaction from this Board. Those accusations were unfair and uncalled for. I regret that she has been the target of such criticism when she was acting at the direction of the Board of Commissioners. Regretfully as well, I fear that in the future when the Planning Commission is in need of legal guidance and turns to her for counsel she may be reluctant to offer it for fear of how it might be interpreted. The concerns of this board and our staff in the face of the June 8th complaints is to make sure that our Planning Commission proceeds through the Master Plan process on a sound legal footing and that all citizens who demand to be heard will feel that they are being listened to and treated fairly during that process.