Teller County Commissioners: “We Have Got to Do Better”
Rick Langenberg
The Teller County commissioners have joined the somber chorus in echoing a spirit of outright shock and outrage over the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, along with recognizing the sacrifices made by thousands of of 9/11 victims like never before.
But at the same time, they are pleading with local residents to tone down the divisive and hated rhetoric on social media outlets, some of which has been directed at them, in the form of death threats. “We have got to do better,” blasted Teller County Commissioner Erik Stone during a regular board meeting on Sept. 11, held just hours after the 24th annual 9/11 remembrance ceremony in Lions Park, and one day following the fatal killing of Charlie Kirk.
“We are better than this. It is very sad,” stated Commission Chairman Dan Williams, who came close to tears in describing the recent spate of tragedies impacting the nation and having a big impact on Teller County. The commissioners feared the recent events, with the nation getting bombarded with the most serious political assassinations since the 1960s.
“This is a sad state of affairs,” added business owner and former county commissioner candidate Carl Andersen.
These comments characterized the tone of an emotional meeting in which recent national and local events and remembrance ceremonies took center stage, rather than regular county business. As they have in recent meetings, the commissioners urged more civility on social media and cited potential problems these comments could create with the region’s ongoing mental health crisis. Stone hinted that one of the recent death threats was made in a sarcastic manner but feared some people could take this the wrong way.
He also heavily criticized degrading comments made against Kirk on social media and in other online platforms.
“No matter what you thought of Charlie Kirk, he didn’t deserve this,” added Stone. All the commissioners and other elected officials viewed the fatal shooting as a national tragedy.
Andersen echoed similar comments and said he hoped the Kirk family would receive justice and that the suspect in the case, Tyler Robinson, would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
He also publicly thanked local law enforcement authorities for their vigilance in dealing with the Kirk shooting aftermath. A Kirk memorial tribute, orchestrated by the Teller GOP Party in Memoria Park on Sept. 10 (the day of the shooting) was equipped with scores of law officers to keep the peace. As a result, no anti-Kirk protesters disrupted the proceedings. Andersen said he appreciated the local law enforcement community’s involvement in handling the security for this and other Kirk tributes during the week. Andersen said he knew of some dissenters who came to Memorial Park to celebrate the killing. But their voices were muted, largely because of the presence of so many law officers, noted Andersen “We really appreciated this,” said Andersen.
“We all have heavy hearts,” said Williams, at the outset of the commissioners’ regular meeting. Besides grappling with the murder of the popular conservative activist, who was scheduled to be the prime speaker for a conference at Charis Bible College (see related story), Williams cited the significance of the 9/11 remembrance ceremony. “Today is a tough day for me,” said Williams, a former high profile combat fighter, who did extensive stints in Iran and Afghanistan.
On a more upscale note, he recalled the amazing sense of national unity that occurred on Sept. 12, 2001, when former President George W. Bush greeted the first-responders at the Twin Towers’ destruction site, and vowed appropriate action against the terrorists responsible for the attacks in New York City and Washington D.C. Willaims wished the country and the local area could resurrect this spirit of unity and learn to debate with those they don’t agree with in a civil manner.
Along with these incidents, the commissioners touched on the recent school shooting in Evergreen, Colorado. “This served as a wake-up call,” said Stone, as many have made comparisons between Evergreen and Woodland Park. He noted that no one would have imagined such a horrific incident, which seriously injured several students and ended with the self-imposed fatal shooting of the suspect, occurring in a scenic hamlet like Evergreen. “We have to remain vigilant,” warned Stone.
The commissioners, though, did not just touch on bad news. They labeled the recent groundbreaking of the “A Place For Kids” childcare center project in Cripple Creek as a game changer for probably the biggest need facing southern Teller. They expressed much elation over the huge crowd attending the ceremony. “It is a childcare desert here,” said Stone” It is real, real exciting (to see this move forward).”
The commissioners praised Community of Caring for spearheading the effort and heavily complimented their board director Mary Bielz. Bielz orchestrated probably the most unique groundbreaking ceremony done for a local project in recent history.
