Commissioner reads Maketa love letters, prepared to make statement
The Board of County Commissioners will meet Thursday morning and may vote on whether or not they think El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa should resign.
One commissioner, Peggy Littleton, has already asked for his resignation amid allegations of sexual favoritism, a hostile work environment and misuse of taxpayer funds.
Commissioner Darryl Glenn told KRDO NewsChannel 13 that he is prepared to share his opinion at Thursday’s regularly scheduled meeting.
“If he’s going to stay, I have serious concerns about whether or not we’re going to be able to have a functional relationship between the sheriff and all of the people who report to the sheriff,” Glenn said.
Glenn said he spent hours poring through email exchanges between Maketa and an El Paso County Sheriff’s Office employee, Dorene Cardarelle. The emails obtained by KRDO NewsChannel 13 date back to 2007 and show expressions of love and longing between the sheriff and the comptroller. The emails were exchanged on Sheriff’s Office accounts and some were during work hours.
“The allegations are serious,” Glenn said. “I spent two hours today personally going a bunch of emails, about an inch thick. I’m going to make some statements in regards to that.”
Glenn said the alleged affair is not his main concern. He is most concerned about distrust within the Sheriff’s Office and with the public. Three top commanders have been placed on administrative leave and other employees have complained about a hostile work environment. Glenn wants to make sure everyone, from first responders to the community, trusts the people in charge.
“He has a job to do,” Glenn said. “A very important job. If you look over the past two years, whether it’s a fire or another event, if his decision is to stay, I want some reassurance that the office can function.”
The Board of County Commissioners may or may not vote on Thursday, but Glenn indicated that the board is prepared to make a statement. Even if the board votes that Maketa should resign, it is not mandatory for Maketa to do so.
“We cannot compel him to do that,” Glenn said. “He is accountable to his electorate. Unless people want to do a recall, it’s his personal decision on what he wants to do with that.”
The meeting begins at 9 a.m. at Centennial Hall. KRDO NewsChannel 13 will bring you full coverage on NewsChannel 13 and on KRDO.com.
