The next Douglas County commissioner could be appointed by Gov. Jared Polis as early as next week — and with little doubt, he will be the same man who was elected to the position last month.
The governor is expected to appoint Republican state Sen. Kevin Van Winkle to the seat, which he would otherwise assume in mid-January. The move is made necessary by the unexpected resignation last Friday of Lora Thomas from the office Van Winkle was set to fill.
Van Winkle, a state lawmaker for the last decade, beat Democrat Josh Smith in the commissioner race on Nov. 5 by a 58% to 42% margin.
Van Winkle told The Denver Post in a text message Tuesday that he thinks he’ll get the nod from Polis on Monday.
“I was shocked by Commissioner Thomas’ choice to step down early but I am excited to begin serving the people of Douglas County and start working on their behalf as soon as possible,” he said.
Polis’ office wouldn’t confirm Monday as the day of Van Winkle’s expected appointment, but a spokesman wrote in an email that if a vacancy committee “fails to make an appointment in the allotted timeline, the Governor would appoint Sen. Van Winkle to begin work as a commissioner a month early considering that he was just duly elected.”
Douglas County Republican Party Chair Steve Peck said there were no plans to form a vacancy committee to fill the empty seat before Jan. 14, when Van Winkle would have originally been sworn in. Peck said he expects “the governor will appoint Sen. Van Winkle to the Douglas County commissioner seat on Monday.”
Peck said there were plans to hold a vacancy committee on Jan. 4 to fill Van Winkle’s Senate seat. Four candidates are vying for the position, he said. The 2025 legislative session is scheduled to begin Jan. 8.
Thomas, a two-term commissioner, cited “4 years of hell” working alongside commissioners Abe Laydon and George Teal, including “harassment, suppression, censorship, marginalization and outright cancellation,” as part of the reason she stepped down early.
The three have sparred for years over Thomas’ conduct as commissioner, with Laydon and Teal censuring her, stripping her of her position as board chair and ordering two investigations that failed to turn up proof of wrongdoing.
Thomas, in turn, sued her two colleagues in 2023 to recover legal fees that she incurred during the investigations.
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