The recall election for all seven elected leaders in tiny but growing Elizabeth, 40 miles southeast of Denver, will go forward.
A hearing officer determined Thursday that signatures gathered to recall the mayor and six town trustees were sufficient, and she denied protests that had been lodged by the board this month.
The recall election — which will occur on two different dates — was prompted by worries about how fast the town of 1,700 in western Elbert County is growing. A group dubbed We Are Not Parker, a name serving to snub Elizabeth’s sprawling neighbor to the north, wants slow-growth leaders to take the helm in Town Hall.
Caleb Shipman, vice president of the Elbert County Citizens Coalition, which is working with We Are Not Parker, said Thursday the recall election for two of Elizabeth’s trustees will take place Dec. 17, and Mayor Megan Vasquez and the other four trustees will face their possible ouster April 7.
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The hearing officer wrote in her ruling that two trustees, June Jurczewsky and Rachel White, didn’t file valid protests “and were not considered as part of the protest hearing.” Thus the December date for their recall election.
Elizabeth Town Administrator Matt Cohrs told The Denver Post this month that the town is simply trying to get on top of and manage the growth that is projected to come to Elbert County over the next few decades.
