Area needs full-time commissioner
Come Tuesday, Longmont-area residents will have a part-time county commissioner. Boulder will still have a full-time commissioner. So will Lafayette and Louisville.
But Longmont's representative on the commission, Ron Stewart, will be busy with his other job — director of the Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department.
On Tuesday, Stewart handed his gavel to fellow Commissioner Jana Mendez, took a seat in the audience and then watched as Mendez and Commissioner Paul Danish voted to name him to replace the late Carolyn Holmberg as chief of one of the county's most powerful departments.
Nothing unusual about that, insisted several bureaucrats, noting that it is not uncommon for commissioners in Colorado's smaller counties to fill dual roles.
But Boulder County is not Hinsdale County. Directing a 100-person Parks and Open Space Department with an $11.7 million budget — which by itself rivals the budget of many of the state's smaller counties — isn't really on par with a commissioner who helps out with a couple of the snowplow routes. Boulder County has a $150 million budget and 1,200 employees.
After the commissioners had originally announced that the county would need to conduct a nationwide search for this important position, it seems a bit odd that they ultimately decided they did not need a search at all and that these vital duties could be fulfilled with a part-time schedule.
The political maneuvering that preceded Tuesday's action was an intricate dance all its own. For months, county officials have ducked questions about why no search was under way.
Stewart recently dodged point-blank questions from a Times-Call reporter about whether he was interested in the job.
Tuesday's development clearly wasn't a spur-of-the-moment event.
Beyond the noble pronouncements that Stewart will serve the dual roles for only his commissioner's salary of $50,000 — the Parks and Open Space job pays about $80,000 — are some intriguing political questions.
The Colorado Constitution provides that a vacancy committee from the same party as a departing commissioner must name a replacement within 10 days of the incumbent's leaving office.
Stewart's dual position gives the Boulder County Democratic Party a number of options to ponder as they prepare for the race for Stewart's seat in November 2000.
If Stewart steps down later this summer or fall (and collects his $30,000 raise), his replacement would have a year's track record to run on in the next county election.
Or perhaps Stewart could win re-election himself in 2000 and then resign, permitting the party to name a replacement that would not have to stand for election until November 2002.
The bottom line in Tuesday's political line dance is this: While the Democrats ponder the proper time to pull their political strings, Longmont has an essentially lame-duck and part-time commissioner.
Copyright © 1999 Longmont
Times-Call.
Reprinted with permission.
For more information contact the Land Use Coalition at info@landusecoalition.org or call 303-666-7903.
Last updated June 04, 2001.
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