Embattled Douglas County Commissioner Lora Thomas resigned Friday, just weeks before the end of her last term in office, blaming years of friction with fellow commissioners who she says “evicted” her from her office space.
In a social media post, Thomas wrote that she’d put up with “4 years of hell” while working alongside commissioners Abe Laydon and George Teal, including “harassment, suppression, censorship, marginalization and outright cancellation.”
Thomas’ term would have expired in January, when state Sen. Kevin Van Winkle is scheduled to take over the seat.
Thomas was first elected in 2016 and reelected in 2020. Commissioners are limited to two terms in office, and Van Winkle prevailed over Democrat Josh Smith in the race to represent northwest Douglas County last month.
Thomas wrote that Laydon and Teal on Wednesday ordered county staffers to clear out her office space to allow Van Winkle to move in.
“There was already a vacant exec office for Van Winkle’s use, but he was just fine with Laydon/Teal kicking me out,” she wrote. “This personal petty harassment was the last straw.”
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.
Laydon and Teal told Denver7 in a joint statement that there was nothing unusual about the timing of Van Winkle’s move into Thomas’ office and criticized the timing of Thomas’ own interview with the broadcaster.
“It is tragic that our censured colleague with whom we made countless attempts at reconciliation, chose to repeatedly violate our policy manual, and then host a press conference when the County was honoring the Kendrick Castillo family,” they said.
“We are thankful for the peace, positivity and collaboration that Commissioner-elect Kevin Van Winkle will bring to Douglas County.”
Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.
