Dacono voters decided to recall two city councilmembers embroiled in controversy in a special election Tuesday, according to unofficial results released by the city clerk. Roughly 60% of voters opted to oust councilmembers Jim Turini and Jacki Thomas, instead supporting their two challengers, Tony Cummings and Michelle Rogers, who will now replace them.
Turini and Thomas faced the recall election amid allegations of open meetings law violations and breeches of council policy.
The disruptions in Dacono began in February, when Turini, Thomas and two other councilmembers abruptly fired longtime City Manager AJ Eukert in an off-agenda motion that appeared to have been coordinated beforehand. The group of four city councilmembers refused to discuss or justify their actions at the time.
Repercussions followed. The city attorney promptly resigned, and allegations proliferated about the group improperly conducting city business. A state investigation later documented apparent violations of Colorado’s open meetings law, which prohibits elected officials from discussing public business behind closed doors, as well as several instances where council rules were clearly infringed. In the midst of those revelations, some Dacono voters demanded the recall vote.
With the ongoing disarray, the city council has not been able to hire a new city manager or replace their municipal attorney, leaving the city administration in a bind without leadership or legal guidance. Dacono Mayor Adam Morehead, who has clashed with the group of four councilmembers behind the firing of the city manager, said the supervisory vacuum at city hall has made municipal business difficult.
"We've been really stymied this year," he said.
Leading up to the special election, the challenged councilmembers raised - and spent - unusual amounts of money for this type of small-government campaign. Financial documents the candidates were required to file with the city show committees for Turini and Thomas each spent more than two and half times as much on their campaigns as one of the challengers, Rogers, spent on hers. Meanwhile, both incumbent committees outspent the other challenger, Cummings, by a factor of more than twenty-five.
All those expenditures, however, did not deliver a successful outcome for the incumbents.
Morehead expressed relief on Tuesday night after unofficial election results were released.
“This is a clear indication that Dacono voters feel they don't want corruption, backdoor deals, dirty money and [councilmembers] wasting their tax dollars," Morehead said. "This is what happens to unethical municipal servants. You get removed by the voters. They don't like to be left out of decisions. They don't like being left in the dark by closed doors, making backroom deals, in their city."
One of the successful challengers, Michelle Rogers, said she was ready to get to work for the city of Dacono.
“I'm just excited to see what we can do with this city," she said. "I love this place and I'm appreciative that people are trusting me with with their community."
Rogers and Cummings will be sworn in as Dacono's newest city councilmembers July 10.
