Weld County Democrats are working to find a new state representative for House District 50 after Rochelle Galindo abruptly resigned on Sunday, citing unspecified criminal allegations that were made against her.
In a short post on Facebook, Galindo said, “The allegations against me are false. That said, they will make my fight against the pending recall effort untenable.”
What we know
- The Greeley Police Department is investigating Galindo and no charges have been filed against her.
- Speaker of the House KC Becker and House Majority Leader Alec Garnett issued a statement on Sunday saying they had accepted a letter of resignation from Galindo and supported her decision to step down.
- Supporters of efforts to recall Galindo are celebrating. They raised more than $100,000 after the former representative voted in favor of controversial oil and gas legislation, Senate Bill 181, last month.
- Stacey Kjeldgaard, spokeswoman for the Committee to Recall Rochelle Galindo said in a statement to KUNC, “Our issue committee reached out goal, removing Galindo from office. We are hopeful that HD 50 will get the representation they are entitled to."
What we don’t know
- Anything about the nature of the police report. KUNC submitted a public records request with the Greeley PD, but they’re not saying much about the investigation. KUNC also left messages for Galindo and she did not return them prior to the deadline for publication.
- Who is replacing Galindo.
In the wake of Galindo’s abrupt resignation, local Democratic organizers were left to regroup. Carol Burkhart, a committee chair with Weld County Democratic Party, said on Monday she knew of “very good” potential candidates who were interested in taking Galindo’s place.
“It’s tense,” she said. “But we’re hopeful."
An elected vacancy committee now has 30 days to find a replacement for Galindo.
They’ll have a public meeting some time in the next two weeks, Burkart said. That’s where anyone who wants to be considered a candidate can come and notify the committee of their interest. Then, they’ll hold individual meetings with candidates - kind of like job interviews - and vote on a replacement probably in early June.
Whoever the replacement ends up being, they have the option of running for reelection in November of 2020.
HD 50 comprises parts of Greeley, Evans and Garden City.
In her Facebook post, Galindo said the decision to resign left her with great sadness.
“It has been the honor of my life to serve as the Representative for State House District 50,” she said. “I have served my community to the best of my ability have given a voice for the underrepresented.”
This story will be updated.
