New leadership emerges in Palmer Lake amid Buc-ee’s debate
PALMER LAKE, Colo. (KRDO) - In the heart of the Buc-ees controversy in Palmer Lake, the town has appointed a new mayor.
On June 12, the Palmer Lake Board of Trustees voted to appoint interim-mayor Dennis Stern to take over the vacant mayor position. Only one Trustee voted against him.
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KRDO13 Investigates sat down to interview Stern, who's taking the helm amid the most contentious time in recent Palmer Lake history.
"I really didn't have any ambitions of becoming mayor, but I decided it was the right thing to do- and for the town moving forward," Stern admitted.
Stern will be tasked with leading the town for the remaining 18 months left on former Mayor Glant Havenar's term.
"I understood what I was getting myself into when I accepted it. I have to be honest, a couple of days after I made that decision, I woke up in the morning and said 'What in the world have I done?" Stern said.
I asked Stern what would change now that he was mayor. He said he wouldn't be getting into petty arguments on social media and will work with the rest of the city staff to explain the Buc-ees process better.
"Everybody thinks that because we approve their eligibility, that we've, you know, the deal's done. And it's just so far from the truth," Stern said. The next solidified step in the Buc-ees process is the Planning Commission meeting in July to discuss zoning for the project.
Stern hopes the proposal that the town and Buc-ees have been working on will be released to the public between now and then. That proposal will lay out specific terms of the Buc-ees project in detail. Then the Board of Trustees would vote 'yes' or 'no' on that proposal to approve or deny it at a public meeting.
The Buc-ees' controversy isn't the only issue on Stern's plate. Enough signatures have been gathered to initiate the recall of two Palmer Lake Trustees: Shana Ball and Kevin Dreher.
Petitioners say they also had gathered 321 of the 275 signatures needed to recall Trustee Dennis Stern, but since he's been appointed to Mayor, that petition is invalid.
Elizabeth Harris is one of three Palmer Lake residents who filed the paperwork for the petitions. Harris says she knew it was a possibility that one of their petitions could get thrown out if one of them got appointed to replace Havenar.
She said she's disappointed the board decided to appoint Stern. "It feels a lot like the Board of Trustees are not really listening to the voice of the people."
When I asked Stern about the petition, he said that it was only a minority of the town. "I can tell you that there are an equal, if not larger, number of people that are approving of what we're doing and are happy that I have been appointed mayor."
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