Veteran Manager Calls It Quits; Leaders Divided Over Best Course Forward
Rick Langenberg
The town of Green Mountain Falls ushered in the Christmas season last weekend, with lively festivities, a fund-raiser for their new equestrian rescue center, grandiose tree lighting, log hunts, Santa Claus greetings and many Yuletide toasts for its annual Yule Days.
But on the political and internal front, the town has hit a rocky crossroads, with the pending loss of another veteran manager and a divided slate of leaders regarding its administrative future. Questions linger over whether the town will stay on course and even have another full-time permanent town boss; or if the designated roles of its elected leaders will change, and if more volunteers will have to step up to the plate. Some insiders have even referred to the GMF current scenario as “heading back to Ground-Zero.”
Later this year, voters will play a major part in charting a course with a special election dealing with the town’s financial situation; and ultimately, if they want to increase taxes for possibly funding a permanent manager or increasing or maintaining its current level of services.
Last week, the town board of trustees had another rather lengthy session, capped by the news of the departure of head manager Becky Frank at the end of the month. Frank has held the managerial ropes of the town for three years, longer than any of her predecessors, since GMF embarked on a town managerial form of government about a decade ago. In her formal notice, she lauded the time she spent as GMF’s head boss. “This decision (to not seek re-appointment as town manager) has not been made lightly, and I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to serve this incredible community. It has been a true privilege to work alongside such dedicated board members, staff and volunteers, and I am proud of the progress we’ve made together in fostering the growth and development of Green Mountain Falls.”
At last week’s session, she further echoed these sentiments and cited her current cadre of workers as the best team she ever had in her lengthy public service career. Besides her role with GMF, Frank has held big administrative posts with Teller County and the city of Victor.
Her departure, though, followed a tumultuous period in which the leaders agonized overextending her contract and conducted four-plus executive sessions. A tense debate ensured over whether the town needed a manager, and at times, tempers ignited. At one point, in a recent meeting, it appeared that a few leaders may come to blows. In the end, the trustees voted to extend the contract, but for only a year. Moreover, the future of this position appears to hinge on the outcome of a special election dealing with the town’s finances.
Not a Good Way to Handle Contracts
This news of Frank’s departure was greeted at last week’s meeting by much regret by civic leaders, who expressed frustration over how this situation was handled. In fact, the entire room erupted into a roar of applause in supporting the services of Frank last week.
“I am sorry this has occurred,” said Ann Esch, a planning commission member and frequent speaker at town meetings. She even expressed hope that Frank would reconsider and seek what now is being termed as the interim town manager position.
Planning Commission vice-chairman Lisa Bonwell almost appeared in tears in bidding farewell to Frank. The current town boss was often lauded for her knowledge of local government and ability to deal with the citizens on a grass-roots level. “I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
At the same time, Bonwell didn’t spare much criticism regarding how this situation unfolded. “I was disappointed how this occurred,” said Bonwell. She noted that the trustees need to be better prepared in dealing with employee contracts.
Several board members have come under fire for continuing executive sessions over Frank’s contract and the way employees, such as her, were treated in the process. Mayor Todd Dixon, in his monthly newsletter, also was quite complimentary towards Frank’s service.
But the idea of having a full-fledged town manager definitely has sparked much criticism and divided views locally. At last week’s meeting, resident and veteran planner Rocco Blasi, who has often criticized the various town administrations, reiterated the concerns of several trustees: The town just doesn’t have the resources to continue this position. He called the town manager form of government in GMF as unsustainable. “I view this as an opportunity,” said Blasi, who urged the board to vote against re-starting the hiring process for another town manager.
He maintained that the town could eliminate this position altogether by consolidating certain positions and operating with the help of more volunteers.
But this idea has encountered much resistance by the mayor, who said he favors the town manager form of government, and strongly opposes having the trustees act as mini-town managers. Also, a few former trustees, such as Margaret Peterson, have blasted this idea in social media postings. They contend this amounts to a return to the 1970s or 1980s.
For some time, a debate has ensued on whether the town should return to its roots and operate through a trustee/liaison system that designates elected leaders to oversee individual departments.
Staying on Course
At least for now, the elected leaders appear to be moving reluctantly in following its current town manager course, at least for a year.
But even with this decision, questions are circulating regarding the ability to find a replacement for Frank due to the political divide over this issue. The idea of having a town manager was actually first proposed by Clay Brown, the former regional director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA). This occurred shortly after funding was secured for the construction of a new town hall, after its former historic hub was destroyed by an arson-related fire. Initially, the position was partially supported through DOLA grant funds.
Now, these funds are no longer available, which has put some financial strain on the town. In fact, in her resignation letter, Frank urged the town in its upcoming ballot question to look at the big picture. “I urge the board to consider an approach that strengthens all facets of local governance, ensuring improvements across the entire spectrum of services rather than focusing on any one department or role,” said Frank.
Frank received much praise last week for the stability she provided the town in serving as its head manager. Since this position was created the town has sported more than five head bosses in less than 10 years, making this into a revolving chair role. In fact, a few of the managers only lasted several months.
While the board continues to debate on the future of its town manager form of government and remains divided on certain fiscal issues, the board came to terms last week with approving its 2025 budget. Trustee Don Walker, one of the big critics of the town manager system, had expressed big worries of operating in the red, with expenses exceeding projected revenue by a little more than $20,000, even though it could use some reserve money to make up the difference. But the board opted to make a number of adjustments and now finds its annual budget in the black by close to $4,000.
