In Brief: Passed over in Glenwood, assistant city manager goes to Aspen
Passed over in Glenwood, assistant city manager goes to Aspen
The second round of a search for a new Glenwood Springs city manager collected more applicants than the previous round.
“A high number of those, probably 70%, met minimum qualifications, and most of those had preferred qualifications that you guys were looking for,” Karl Hanlon, the city attorney said.
Glenwood Springs City Council agreed on Sept. 21 to continue the search for the new city manager after deciding that the three finalists in the previous round of applicants were not the ideal fit.
They voted to continue the search and increase the salary to see if they could get a larger and more diverse pool of applicants.
Hanlon said that they received about 32 applicants in this round, which is more than the original 26 applicants they received for the first round of searches. He also said that this pool has more of the qualities the council is looking for.
“It represents a nice, diverse group with an interesting set of backgrounds,” he said.
Jen Ooton, the assistant city manager since 2017 and employee to the city since 2016, was one of the finalists who council did not choose. After taking another job opportunity in Aspen, Ooton worked her last day Nov. 15.
While working for the city, Ooton was named the 2020 Assistant City Manager of the Year by the Colorado City and County Management Association.
Ooton also held the role of community development director, with Hannah Klausman filling her shoes as the acting community development director. Klausman has worked for the city for six years and was most recently titled as the assistant director of economic and community development.
Summit County seeks clerk and recorder
Summit Board of County Commissioners is officially looking for applicants to replace Stacey Nell as the Summit County clerk and recorder.
Stacey Nell accepted a job with the town of Frisco after she was elected clerk and recorder, so the county is accepting applications from qualified candidates through Nov. 30. Requirement for the job mandate that the candidate has lived in Summit County for at least one year. In November 2024, the position will open again for the general election.
Letters of interest and resume can be emailed to manageradmin@summitcountyco.gov. According to the news release, the Summit Board of County Commissioners is expected to appoint the new clerk and recorder on Dec. 9 at their regular meeting.
Mount Blue Sky takes Evan’s place
The state’s Geographic Naming Advisory Board on Thursday voted unanimously to strip the name of disgraced territorial governor John Evans from a Clear Creek County fourteener and recommended Mount Blue Sky as the new name, honoring Cheyenne and Arapaho people whose ancestors were killed in the Sand Creek Massacre.
The unexpected vote by the board — which often takes months to evaluate proposals to change offensive or controversial names of geographic features and public places — came after Native American tribe members and dozens of other Coloradans participated in the online meeting and advocated for swiftly removing Evans’ name from the peak.
“No name can undo the pain and suffering caused by the Sand Creek Massacre, but removing the name of the man most responsible for the massacre honors the very tribes that Evans sought to destroy. There is no place to honor perpetrators of atrocities on America’s public lands,” Paul Spitler, director of wilderness policy at The Wilderness Society, said in a petition filed supporting the Mount Blue Sky name change. The Wilderness Society and Cheyenne and Arapaho tribe members made the official nomination and presentation.
Evans was governor of Colorado territory from 1862 to 1865. He was forced to resign for his leadership role in the Nov. 29, 1864, Sand Creek Massacre, which resulted in the murders of more than 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho people, mostly women, children and older adults.
Six name change proposals were under consideration, far more than usual, an indication of Mount Evans’ controversial nature. Mount Soule, Mount Rosalie, Mount Cheyenne Arapaho, Mount Sisty and a request to keep the name the same also were on the table.
The proposal to maintain the Evans name would have redefined it to honor John Evans’ daughter, Anne Evans, who co-founded and supported some of Colorado’s largest cultural institutions, including the Denver Art Museum, the Central City Opera and the Denver Public Library.
— Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned, award-winning news outlet based in Denver: https://coloradosun.com/
College looking to fill rodeo team
Craig native Garrett Uptain has taken the reins of the Colorado Northwest Community College rodeo team. Now, he needs a few more cowboys and cowgirls who want to ride with the Spartans.
Putting CNCC’s calf ropers, barrel racers and bull riders under the leadership of a 24-year-old who may be young, but is no stranger to the rodeo arena or to Moffat County, Uptain became CNCC’s rodeo coach on Nov, 1, taking over for Tammy Olson. According to Olson, Uptain is “a great new college rodeo coach” who “will do a super job with the program moving forward.”
This might be Uptain’s first official job as a rodeo coach, but given his experience in high school, college and as a pro, it’s not his first rodeo.
Uptain graduated from Moffat County High School and competed in rodeo throughout his high school and college careers. In high school, he did some roping events, while also riding bulls and saddle bronc. In college and as a pro, he focused largely on the saddle bronc and bull riding events.
After high school, Uptain attended Sheridan College in Wyoming, Chadron State College in Nebraska and the University of Wyoming — each for two years.
City of Aspen requests more information for Castle Creek Bridge improvements, replacement
After hearing staff’s update regarding data collected from the latest Castle Creek Bridge inspection, Aspen City Council determined they would need to hear more information in a later work session before providing staff with further direction.