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Road committee no place for politics

In a letter to the editor (Herald, Sept. 25), Bob Pfeiffer levies serious accusations about political cronyism and the use of Durango Hills Road Improvement District funds.

I’d like to correct the record.

After years of working in open violation of the Colorado Open Meetings Law and other county regulations governing DHRID operations, in the past year the district has begun extensive community outreach to engage and empower district residents. This has included the creation of a district website (dhrid.silvermesa.net); prominent posting of all committee meetings within district boundaries; a survey of residents’ satisfaction with summer and winter maintenance; and the use of an email distribution list to keep residents informed of important updates and meetings.Ironically, the years of non-compliance with regulations specifically designed to ensure transparent and accessible governance occurred under Pfeiffer’s now terminated leadership as committee chair.The advisory committee is a seven-person body requiring majority approval for any formal resolution or recommendation. As such, it would be impossible for one or two committee members to divert funds to any self-serving project.The two advisory committee members Pfeiffer referred to were appointed to the committee by unanimous consent of all three county commissioners, not just Commissioners Lachelt and Westendorff.Pfeiffer himself presided over or voted in the affirmative to approve all maintenance recommendations that he now claims were benefiting select committee members.The DHRID Advisory Committee is composed of neighbors volunteering their time to puzzle through how to best maintain tax district roads with limited funding. There is no place for politics on our committee.

I find Pfeiffer’s use of the very committee he chaired for so many years as a set piece for a political attack ad a sad statement on the toxic political polarization of civic discourse.

When even DHRID is fodder for gossip and lies, something is broken in our community.

Dan Olson

Durango



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