KLINE – In the weeks after a contentious election for the Fort Lewis Mesa Fire Protection District Board of Directors, the district’s fire chief resigned, two board members quit and nine firefighters left – leaving new board members to pick up the pieces.
None of the longtime leadership remains, and the loss of key staff has required the board to assume a more hands-on role in the daily operations of the department.
“Let me make this abundantly clear, this is a department that is in, essentially, a state of emergency,” said Emily Horvath, the newly elected board president, at a board meeting Tuesday.
The resignations are the culmination of months of tension that had grown steadily leading up to the May 6 board elections.
The six candidates running for the three open seats on the fire district’s five-person board were divided into two opposing camps: those who wanted to maintain the status quo and those who wanted to see a major restructuring.
Horvath, along with the recently elected Travis Schmitt and Garrett Vogel, wanted to institute significant changes to address concerns about transparency, budgeting and staffing standards.
Their opponents, content with the state of finances and district operations, shared none of those concerns.
Led by incumbent and now-former board president Debbie Lee, the opposing candidates remained enthusiastic about the department’s status quo.
On May 19, after nine years of service, Chief John Lee quietly submitted his letter of resignation.
“When the chief left, he did not notify the community that he left,” Horvath said. “… This was a pretty hostile situation.”
The resignation was not made public until June 4, when Horvath and fellow board members Travis Schmitt and Garrett Vogel were officially sworn in.
By then, Lee had already returned his gear and collected a sizable check – part of a severance package that Horvath, Schmitt and Vogel were unaware of until that moment.
The severance agreement, approved by the previous board in November 2024, granted the chief three week’s pay for each year of service. The nearly $70,000 payout, which equals roughly 10% of the district’s $670,000 annual budget, has triggered sharp criticism and legal concerns from Horvath, Schmitt and Vogel.
The three ran on a platform of increased transparency and budget oversight – an issue they believe is underscored by the severance package.
Horvath questioned both the timing and legality of the payout, given that Lee resigned voluntarily.
“It’s strange that even with him quitting and not being terminated that it was paid out. That’s rather unusual,” Horvath said. “We will be seeking legal counsel because that is our fiduciary responsibility to the community.”
The payout, she added, leaves the department less capable of funding new leadership positions.
“We had a large severance payout, and we still need to be able to pay a new chief and a new assistant chief,” she said. “The way things were done with taxpayer dollars is concerning for our district and very concerning for the members of our community.”
Debbie Lee, the former board president, and John Lee, her husband and former fire chief, did not return calls seeking comment.
That relationship was one of the main concerns for her opponents, who claimed it created a conflict of interest in budget decisions.
Additionally, the board criticized the decision to send Lee’s second-in-command, EMS Capt. Luke Reitz, out of the county for training after the resignation.
During Reitz’s absence, the station was left without a clear leader or stable staffing.
It was an irresponsible decision, Horvath said, pointing to the potential life-threatening risk if a major emergency had occurred during Reitz’s absence.
On June 4, after Chief Lee had already left, the two remaining preelection board members resigned, along with Lee’s second-in-command, Capt. Reitz, and three paid firefighters.
In the following weeks, five volunteer firefighters followed them out door – leaving the department with 20 volunteers.
The resignations are the culmination of months of tension that had grown steadily leading up to the May board elections.
“Each of the employees, including the chief, left because a new board took over, and that new board did not include the chief’s wife,” Horvath said.
All resignation letters were submitted on June 4 and read aloud at Tuesday’s board meeting. Most cited a “misalignment” with the new board’s vision, though few gave specific reasons.
Reitz’s letter provided the most detailed rationale. He wrote that tensions during the election cycle and public comments from board members had eroded his trust in the district’s leadership.
“The public and private comments made by certain board members directly attacking the qualifications, character and integrity of the department’s officers have eroded my confidence in the leadership and direction of this organization,” he wrote. “After watching the transition of power take place, it is evident that the attitude toward staff has not improved.”
Before the election, Horvath and others had criticized Chief Lee’s qualifications, noting he had never completed the EMT or firefighting certifications he was required to complete upon being hired.
None of the departing volunteer firefighters provided reasons for their resignations, which has raised concern among some community members.
“I get more concerned about volunteers resigning because that’s what we rely on,” a resident said during the meeting’s public comment period. “… And I guess I’m concerned with why they’re resigning.”
The mass exodus of personnel raises some serious questions and concerns, especially when the only reason provided is that a new board was elected, said Ashley Smith, a resident who attended Tuesday’s meeting.
“It didn’t seem like they were answering the question of why are all these people leaving? There has to be a reason,” she said.
The board said they, too, were at a loss for the resignations but promised to continue trying to figure it out.
Schmitt assured the group that the volunteers who had left were not part of the core group who responded to most calls, and leadership has worked to ease concerns about the department’s effectiveness during the transition.
“We still have a really strong department. We’ve still got 20 volunteers that are stepping up to the plate,” Horvath said. “All of the emergencies will be responded to. Every call will be responded to.”
jbowman@durangoherald.com
A earlier version of this story incorrectly said the fire chief’s severance agreement granted him one week’s pay for every year of service. It actually provided him three week’s pay for every year of service.
