Silverton Town Administrator Bill Gardner resigned last week amid ongoing turmoil with the Town Council, marking the seventh person to leave the position in 10 years.
“Controversy comes with the territory in my position, and I appreciate that some Board members would prefer to see me leave sooner than the end of the year,” Gardner wrote in his resignation letter. “I think the interest of both myself and the Town would be served by such an arrangement.”
Gardner, a former La Plata County Sheriff, was hired in July 2015 as Silverton town administrator, coming out of retirement to take the job in the mountain town of about 600 residents north of Durango.
The Town Council brought in Gardner to stabilize chronic turmoil at Town Hall. Within a few years, the town had endured a bitter recall election, a shut-down of Town Hall, and internal staff drama that led to two firings, including a previous town administrator.
“The town was still pretty divided because of the personalities involved,” Silverton Standard & The Miner Editor Mark Esper said in November 2015. “I sometimes say all politics is local. When you get to a town this size, all politics is personal.”
Gardner soon ran into conflicts, as a probe into Silverton’s volunteer fire department finances escalated into a divisive issue, with firefighters deciding to boycott the town’s famous Fourth of July firework show.
Though a number of other issues were reported in the Silverton Standard through Gardner’s tenure, as of Thursday, it was unclear what prompted the Feb. 3 resignation announcement.
According to Town Trustee Malcolm MacDougall, on Jan. 23, he asked for an executive session to “talk about Bill and his job.”
Because “executive sessions” are closed to the public and demand confidentiality, it is unknown what may have led to Gardner stepping down a week later.
But rumors in the mountain hamlet are swarming.
“It’s very difficult when you live in a community when people get to talking and rumors start to fly, and you are in position where you can’t shed any light on those rumors or situations,” MacDougall said.
Several other town trustees declined to comment, or reiterated similar public statements about the resignation.
“We’ve had a controversial board and we get a lot scrutiny from a lot of people,” said Town Trustee Pete Maisel. “We’ve had a couple of rough years, but Bill got some of the strongest staff we’ve ever had here, and that’s to his credit.”
During his one and a half year tenure, Gardner oversaw the aftermath of the Gold King Mine spill and subsequent Superfund designation, worked at improving the town’s financial standards and helped secure affordable housing.
“I absolutely did the very best job that I know how to do, and that includes asking for a lot of advice,” Gardner told The Durango Herald. “I left it all on the field.”
Gardner, 69, now looks to wrap up a career that included stints as Silverton Town Marshall in 1997, La Plata County Sheriff in 1986, and then Grand Junction’s police chief until 2009.
“I have a prized possession: a senior National Park Service pass, and I intend to put that to darn good use,” Gardner said of plans he and his wife Christine have for retirement.
Silverton will search for its eighth town administrator in a decade, as it continues to look for stability in Town Hall.
“It’s been difficult for the town,” MacDougall said. “With any job, you want longevity in your employees, which allows them to grow into that position.”
Gardner said he would help with the transition until his resignation takes effect Feb. 28.
“Silverton is a very difficult place to work as a town administrator, and the track record is clearly there,” he said. “But I hope they come together and recognize that it’s a flaw in the governance here, and then start to look at how you address that, in an unemotional way.”
jromeo@durangoherald.com
Bill Gardner resignation lette (PDF)
