Pueblo Democrats remove 2 commissioners from committee following Republican endorsement

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Democrats in Pueblo County have chosen to censure and remove two prominent Democrats and elected officials from the party's central committee after they chose to endorse a Republican candidate for the open Pueblo County Commissioner seat.

Pueblo County Commission Board Chair Garrison Ortiz and County Commissioner Eppie Griego, both Democrats, endorsed Republican candidate Zach Swearingen earlier this month.

“The strengths of the county commissioner role lie in administration, good policy, and a real heart for the community, so I think that crosses party lines quite a bit,” Pueblo County Commissioner Garrison Ortiz told our news partners at The Pueblo Chieftain at a campaign launch party for Swearingen.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the Pueblo County Democratic Party condemned the county commissioner's endorsements and issued a public censure against Ortiz and Griego. The post goes on to say that both democrats are removed from their seats on the Central Committee of the party, and Ortiz was then also removed as a precinct chair.

According to the Pueblo County Democratic Party Chair Marybeth Corsentino, two votes on the issue took place Tuesday night. The first vote removed both commissioners from their seats on the Pueblo County Democratic Party's Central Committee and Ortiz from his precinct chair.

Under the Colorado State Democratic Party's Rules and Bylaws it states that precinct organizer are obligated to support the nominees of the party.

"Failure of any precinct organizer to fulfill their responsibilities, or to perform effectively the functions of the office, shall constitute grounds for removal from such office by the county chair and the county executive committee, or county central committee, upon a 2/3 vote of such executive or central committee, unless otherwise provided by county rules."

The Rules of the Democratic Party Amended 13 November 2021

The vote of removal was approved nearly unanimously according to the Pueblo County Democratic Party.

The second vote pertained to a public censure or condemnation of the two commissioners' actions, which also nearly passed unanimously.

The full Facebook post from the Pueblo County Democratic Party can be seen here:

The Pueblo County Democratic Party told 13 Investigates they'd provide a formal statement regarding the two County Commissioners later in the day.

Below is a statement provided to 13 Investigates by Ortiz.

I have heard countless times throughout my tenure, that the public would like elected officials to work more collaboratively putting community first, regardless of political affiliation. This is what that looks like in practice. The endorsement was simply done in a spirit of finding ways to work together.

The nature of the statement from a very small subset of the party is disheartening and fits the same narrative of the primary election I ran in two years ago.

I have been clear about the projects I would work on in my final term and am incredibly proud of the work our team has accomplished over the past several years. We are on the cusp of a historical groundbreaking for a state-of-the-art detention facility that will enhance public safety in our community, a major boulevard extension connecting Pueblo West to the City of Pueblo, and the creation of a one-stop physical and virtual shop to streamline all business permitting processes Countywide. Transformational projects such as these, require significant cooperation and support from all areas of the community.

I will continue to work hard to move Pueblo County forward.

Garrison M. Ortiz
Chair Pueblo Board of County Commissioners