Historic mass resignation of Colorado city council, what happens now
FLORENCE, Colo. (KRDO) -- Following Colorado's first mass resignation of a city council in state history, one former councilman explains to 13 Investigates his reasoning for resigning with five other fellow council members.
Former Florence Councilman Brian Allen says calls on getting an outside agency to investigate corruption allegations were unheard, and "drastic times call for drastic measures", prompting six council members to participate in a mass resignation.
In a statement released to 13 Investigates, Allen said:
My hope is that this resignation, along with those of the other five council members, will be an audible cry for help. That some agency, somewhere will see that this isn’t just a story on the news. People live here. People have families here. And those people need help. WE need help.
Former Florence Councilman Brian Allen
Read his full statement at the end of this article
The former council members also told 13 Investigates the mass resignation wasn't coordinated.
Former Councilman Mike Vendetti told 13 Investigates, “I hoped we could keep the town running if I remained on council, but as soon as the fourth person resigned, we lost our quorum, that put us into a special election and there was no reason to stay around.”
Mayor Paul Villagrana remains Florence's only elected official. The City of Florence is now forced to figure out how it will move forward with no governing body.
13 Investigates reached out to the Florence Interim City Manager and Florence Police Chief for comment on the situation.
Wednesday, Interim City Manager Tom Piltingsrud held a press conference. While 13 Investigates was not invited, our team was able to attend.
At the press conference, Piltingsrud said bills are getting paid and staff will get their paychecks. Additionally, the current plan is for the City of Florence to hold a special election for the now six open council seats.
Piltingsrud tells 13 Investigates he did not get a heads up about the mass council resignation and claims he has no idea why they left.
"My job is to get the city functioning um establish some trust and confidence in the office of city manager. Try to train whatever city manager selecting they have. There are some rather unique situations involving the city of Florence," said Piltingsrud.
Details on the special election are expected to be released in the coming weeks.
The Interim City Manager told 13 Investigates he told the Governor's Office he didn't need their help to run the city.
Read Allen's full statement below:
To the citizens and staff of the City of Florence,
I will not become my neighbor’s enemy. I live here, shop here and attend community events. It was only after substantial contemplation that I reached the decision to leave my post before completing the job.
There would have been a different outcome if we, as council for this community of our peers, had been provided with a date on which the forensic audit we requested would take place. The purpose of this audit would have been to determine if any- and how much- money is missing from the city and what steps would be necessary in reconciling that. I made the motion for this forensic audit during public session several weeks ago, with the hope that the findings would provide long-awaited answers and some sort of reassurance to the citizens that their tax dollar was safe and being utilized appropriately. However, even though this motion was passed unanimously by council, we have been continually met with explanations as to why this forensic audit cannot or should not take place. I am confident that between the recent loss of staff/salaries and the sale of the city’s trash service assets (vehicles, bins, etc.), some room would have been provided within the budget to accommodate this very necessary service for our taxpayers. Yet we are still met with excuses, alternative “solutions” and reasons why our request cannot be completed.
In that same meeting, council also directed city staff to solicit investigative assistance from CBI or another outside agency for a number of different issues within the city. Again, all members of council were in agreement that this was a necessary and crucial step, yet once again we were met with resistance and a failure to follow direction.
There are many decent men and women working for the City of Florence who have dedicated years of their lives- decades in some cases- to serving this community. Yet there are still many unanswered questions and old business lingering from the past. And while I do not- nor will I ever- question the integrity of the Florence police personnel who have been tasked with pursuing answers to these questions, I feel it is greatly unfair to place them in a position where they are investigating their own colleagues and coworkers.
Reasonable investigations to include:
- Potentially missing taxpayer dollars
- Interest-free payroll loans for city staff
- Questions regarding management the Defense Reutilization Marketing Office (DRMO) program
- Allegations of staff members’ conversations being unknowingly and illegally wiretapped within City Hall
- Possible mishandling of police evidence locker
- Misallocation of fundsCity Council is responsible for directly overseeing three city employee positions. Within the last six months, we have removed and replaced two of those positions in an effort to help create the change that is so desperately needed. Sadly, our efforts have not been sufficient in achieving the positive change we seek.
Going forward, I will continue to work alongside community members, non-profits and other groups in Florence. However, I can no longer sit with the problem. I resigned because I will no longer suffer the embarrassment of city leaders trying to protect themselves. I can only hope that with the exodus of the entire Florence city council, outside agencies will finally step in to provide assistance and bring resolution to the citizens and staff of Florence, Colorado.
I apologize to the citizens of Florence whose building projects, liquor licenses and other government business might be inconvenienced or delayed by the actions of council; but drastic times call for drastic measures. For the elected officials of Florence, drastic measures were necessary. Our efforts in reaching out to other agencies for assistance have apparently been in vain. My hope is that this resignation, along with those of the other five council members, will be an audible cry for help. That some agency, somewhere will see that this isn’t just a story on the news. People live here. People have families here. And those people need help. WE need help.
To anyone who was employed or elected during the current matters in question, I ask that you evaluate yourself and your own integrity with critical honesty.
A quote by Thomas Pain- “To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason, is like administering medicine to the dead.”
Respectfully,
Brian Allen
Citizen of Florence, ColoradoP.S. Tim is always right.
Previous coverage by 13 Investigates on the growing corruption scandal in Florence:
13 Investigates: Florence leaders directed staff to use fraudulent COVID sick time
Florence Manager says failure to report missing city money not police chief’s fault
Secret tapes reveal Florence Police Chief knew of sex scandal years before taking action
Florence City Council fires attorney, calls in CBI for missing money found by 13 Investigates
