Citizen endorses Stanley for DA and questions whether Sheriff’s should endorse any candidates
This post is in response to the 3 County Sheriff's endorsement of Kaitlyn Turner who is the Democrat appointee for Judicial District 11 District Attorney here in Colorado.
Several weeks ago I contacted the office's of all four Sheriffs departments that are represented by, and have to work with the District Attorney of Judicial District 11 by telephone and left a voicemail with each of the 4 Sheriffs to kindly please return my call.
The 1st call I received back was returned from Chafee County Sheriff John Spezze.
After introducing myself, I asked him about the endorsement from the other 3 Sheriffs and that I'd like to hear from him in his own words why he chose not to also endorse Turner.
His response was that he would not endorse her, because it is his belief that no Sheriff should ever do so because that is not something an elected Sheriff should even think about getting involved in as an elected official.
I also received a return phone call a couple of days or so later from Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper.
After introducing myself to him, I asked him his reasons for the endorsement of Turner, and I stated also that before I made up my mind further in this matter, that I also wanted to hear from him his reasons for doing so, straight from the horse's mouth so to speak.
His answer was such that he couldn't endorse Linda Stanley based on her past.
I asked him to give me details of that and after some initial discomfort on his part, he finally admitted that it was because of her censure.
Allen said that was unforgivable to him and that he had fired people for less. He said, and I quoute "That isn't an error in judgment, that is a character flaw and those things cannot be corrected".
I asked him what evidence he based his actions and decisions on, and he said the recorded proceedings of her censure from the Colorado State Supreme Court.
I then asked if he had read those proceedings personally or had access to them and he said he had read them and still had copies of them on his computer.
I asked him to send them to me and he agreed to do so. I certainly did receive those records from Allen.
I also asked him for a copy of the initial letter from Sheriff Shannon Byerly from Custer County.
That letter stated in the heading area "for your eyes only" and asked for signatures from I believe 18 different law enforcement officers, Sheriffs and other officers and public employees to sign the letter of endorsement also.
I never received that copy to this day.
I also asked for a copy of the letter he sent to Fremont County Republican Chairman Bob Dewey stating that his reasons for not endorsing her is because Linda Stanley didn't answer the censure claims. That is a lie it seems to me.
I read the Colorado Supreme Court proceedings records and I can plainly see that Linda absolutely answered each and every single point brought up and that each answer is part of the case file from the Court.
Custer County Sheriff Shannon Byerly, Park County Sheriff Tom McGraw, and Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper did sign the letter of endorsement for Kaitlyn Turner who was appointed to the position by governor Polis.
None of the other 15 or so individuals would sign the letter.
Custer County Sheriff Shannon Byerly and Park County sheriff Tom McGraw never returned my phone call to me when given the opportunity to explain in their own words their reasons for signing the letter of endorsement for Kaitlyn Turner.
That to me speaks volumes in not a very good way, as to their character in my view of this situation.
I do however appreciate both other Sheriffs returning my phone calls and also for their time spent speaking to me and sending me information and some of the documents that I inquired about.
I have also done my due diligence before deciding on the validity of the reasons each Sheriff gave me, and I have to say that I absolutely agree wholeheartedly with Chafee County Sheriff John Spezze's reason that he does not believe it is something any Sheriff should do either way in an official capacity.
As for the reasons given by Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper, I will honestly say that I wholeheartedly disagree with him that a censure is a character flaw and is a firing offense.
A simplified example that I can use, is for instance someone owning a horse that has a certain character flaw, and that anybody with a lick of horse sense knows that a character flaw can easily be taken care of by someone that knows horses.
Apparently after speaking with Sheriff Cooper it seems to me that he doesn't possess that skill-set to handle humans and their imperfect flaws and does not earn my faith in his judgment of human character. He has exhibited a serious error in his judgment of Linda Stanley, along with Park County Sheriff Tom McGraw and Custer County Sheriff Shannon Byerly.
Some of the employees of each of the 3 Sherrif's offices agree that none of the 3 Sherriff's should have endorsed Turner based on her ways of handling various cases and their interactions with both her and the District Attorney's offices. I definitely agree with them.
A censure by the Court is the lowest possible step allowed in several steps possible to being disciplined or disbarred by the Court that they can choose from.
I would compare a censure to something like a first step corrective action that somebody might receive from their employer.
I certainly am not flawless and have had a corrective action administered to me on my employment record in the past.
In closing, I can truly say that after doing my due diligence regarding this matter that Kaitlyn Turner, Shannon Byerly, Tom McGraw and Allen Cooper have demonstrated to me quite clearly that they deserve to be voted out of office for the above stated reasons.
Thank you for everyone's consideration in this matter.
- Signed,
Mark Sullivan
Citizen in JD 11TH District
There are more airplanes in the ocean than submarines in the sky.
Several weeks ago I contacted the office's of all four Sheriffs departments that are represented by, and have to work with the District Attorney of Judicial District 11 by telephone and left a voicemail with each of the 4 Sheriffs to kindly please return my call.
The 1st call I received back was returned from Chafee County Sheriff John Spezze.
After introducing myself, I asked him about the endorsement from the other 3 Sheriffs and that I'd like to hear from him in his own words why he chose not to also endorse Turner.
His response was that he would not endorse her, because it is his belief that no Sheriff should ever do so because that is not something an elected Sheriff should even think about getting involved in as an elected official.
I also received a return phone call a couple of days or so later from Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper.
After introducing myself to him, I asked him his reasons for the endorsement of Turner, and I stated also that before I made up my mind further in this matter, that I also wanted to hear from him his reasons for doing so, straight from the horse's mouth so to speak.
His answer was such that he couldn't endorse Linda Stanley based on her past.
I asked him to give me details of that and after some initial discomfort on his part, he finally admitted that it was because of her censure.
Allen said that was unforgivable to him and that he had fired people for less. He said, and I quoute "That isn't an error in judgment, that is a character flaw and those things cannot be corrected".
I asked him what evidence he based his actions and decisions on, and he said the recorded proceedings of her censure from the Colorado State Supreme Court.
I then asked if he had read those proceedings personally or had access to them and he said he had read them and still had copies of them on his computer.
I asked him to send them to me and he agreed to do so. I certainly did receive those records from Allen.
I also asked him for a copy of the initial letter from Sheriff Shannon Byerly from Custer County.
That letter stated in the heading area "for your eyes only" and asked for signatures from I believe 18 different law enforcement officers, Sheriffs and other officers and public employees to sign the letter of endorsement also.
I never received that copy to this day.
I also asked for a copy of the letter he sent to Fremont County Republican Chairman Bob Dewey stating that his reasons for not endorsing her is because Linda Stanley didn't answer the censure claims. That is a lie it seems to me.
I read the Colorado Supreme Court proceedings records and I can plainly see that Linda absolutely answered each and every single point brought up and that each answer is part of the case file from the Court.
Custer County Sheriff Shannon Byerly, Park County Sheriff Tom McGraw, and Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper did sign the letter of endorsement for Kaitlyn Turner who was appointed to the position by governor Polis.
None of the other 15 or so individuals would sign the letter.
Custer County Sheriff Shannon Byerly and Park County sheriff Tom McGraw never returned my phone call to me when given the opportunity to explain in their own words their reasons for signing the letter of endorsement for Kaitlyn Turner.
That to me speaks volumes in not a very good way, as to their character in my view of this situation.
I do however appreciate both other Sheriffs returning my phone calls and also for their time spent speaking to me and sending me information and some of the documents that I inquired about.
I have also done my due diligence before deciding on the validity of the reasons each Sheriff gave me, and I have to say that I absolutely agree wholeheartedly with Chafee County Sheriff John Spezze's reason that he does not believe it is something any Sheriff should do either way in an official capacity.
As for the reasons given by Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper, I will honestly say that I wholeheartedly disagree with him that a censure is a character flaw and is a firing offense.
A simplified example that I can use, is for instance someone owning a horse that has a certain character flaw, and that anybody with a lick of horse sense knows that a character flaw can easily be taken care of by someone that knows horses.
Apparently after speaking with Sheriff Cooper it seems to me that he doesn't possess that skill-set to handle humans and their imperfect flaws and does not earn my faith in his judgment of human character. He has exhibited a serious error in his judgment of Linda Stanley, along with Park County Sheriff Tom McGraw and Custer County Sheriff Shannon Byerly.
Some of the employees of each of the 3 Sherrif's offices agree that none of the 3 Sherriff's should have endorsed Turner based on her ways of handling various cases and their interactions with both her and the District Attorney's offices. I definitely agree with them.
A censure by the Court is the lowest possible step allowed in several steps possible to being disciplined or disbarred by the Court that they can choose from.
I would compare a censure to something like a first step corrective action that somebody might receive from their employer.
I certainly am not flawless and have had a corrective action administered to me on my employment record in the past.
In closing, I can truly say that after doing my due diligence regarding this matter that Kaitlyn Turner, Shannon Byerly, Tom McGraw and Allen Cooper have demonstrated to me quite clearly that they deserve to be voted out of office for the above stated reasons.
Thank you for everyone's consideration in this matter.
- Signed,
Mark Sullivan
Citizen in JD 11TH District
There are more airplanes in the ocean than submarines in the sky.
Stanley receives endorsement from Fremont County Republican Central Committee
Dear Editor,
Almost two weeks ago, we became aware of an email sent to local law enforcement agencies in the four counties that represent the 11th Judicial District (Chaffee, Park, Fremont, and Custer Counties). Interestingly, the email stated that the four Sheriffs in the 11th JD and Chief Johnson of Salida have agreed to sign an attached (recently released) letter of support for the current Democrat District Attorney, Kaitlin Turner. The email requested that the receiver keep it “for your eyes only” and requested a signature from each indicating their support as well. That, recently released, letter of endorsement outlines 14 various tasks and accomplishments completed by the current District Attorney since her appointment by Governor Polis a year ago. These 14 accomplishments are basic assignments, including better communication and training, as compared to the previous administrations at the District Attorney’s Office. On August 13th that letter was released with only three Sheriffs signatures out of at least 18 separate law enforcement agencies that encompass the 11th Judicial District. Those three Sheriffs are Sheriff Allen Cooper of Fremont County, Sheriff Tom McGraw of Park County, and Sheriff Shannon Byerly (the author of the original email) of Custer County. These three Sheriffs are actively turning their back on their Republican Party and endorsing an appointed Democrat candidate who has been auditioning as District Attorney for a year; (by design) remaining under the public radar and simply doing a better job than the previous District Attorney’s administration. Respectfully, as Chairman of the Fremont County Republican Central Committee, I and my fellow Republican County Chairs in both Chaffee and Park Counties do not approve, endorse, or agree with these three Sheriffs’ decision in this critical Judicial District 11 election. Voters should be aware that their letter of support is not representative of all members of law enforcement in JD11, otherwise they too could have signed the letter of support for the Democrat District Attorney. These three Sheriffs are totally ignoring the Republican candidate Linda Stanley and Linda Stanley’s qualifications to be District Attorney. As Republican County chairmen, we have taken the time to speak with and really get to know Linda Stanley, the Republican candidate for JD11 District Attorney. We have concluded that she has the qualifications, intelligence, background and actual law enforcement experience to be an outstanding District Attorney. Linda has actual experience as a police officer combined with real prosecuting experience thousands of criminal cases is far superior and, quite frankly, needed in this district. Linda earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice, a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, and a Juris Doctorate (law degree). According to her own campaign website, Turner has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science in addition to her law degree. Her prior experience includes eight years with the Federal Bureau of Prisons handling civil cases filed in Federal District Court. Including that experience and to date she has yet to prosecute a single case in court, even though she was appointed as the JD11 District Attorney by Democrat Governor Polis a year ago. In my opinion, it would take years for the present District Attorney to gain the criminal law knowledge and prosecution proficiency that Linda Stanley already possesses. Do the citizens of JD11 want a District Attorney that is a seasoned litigator or one that requires “on-the-job training” at taxpayer’s expense? On Saturday, August 8, 2020, and at the request of Mrs. Turner, FCRCC Vice Chairman Rick Castor and I met with Turner and her husband Lawrence, who is her campaign manager. Prior to the meeting, the information regarding the email and letter of support had been leaked; along confirmation from at least two elected officials that Turner had related her disappointment with the Democratic Party to them along with her statement/promise that she planned on changing her party affiliation after the election. However, at the meeting, Turner adamantly reiterated that she is a registered Democrat and she adheres to the Democrat tenets; a Democrat platform that espouses abortion, dissolution of the 2 nd Amendment and the right to bear arms, is anti-law enforcement and supportive of movements and missions of such organizations including “Black Lives Matters” and “Antifa.” While speaking with us at Republican Headquarters and after being asked about her statements to those two elected officials, Turner backtracked somewhat and stated she is “not far enough left” for the present Colorado Democrat Party and that, if elected, she would consider switching her registration to “Unaffiliated.” Curiously enough, she ardently declared that, even as a Democrat appointed by a Democratic Governor, she would remain independent from orders directed from Democrats Governor Jared Polis and Attorney General Phil Weiser!? (Scores of elected Democrat officials are yet to accomplish that feat.) In direct contrast, in a very recent interview with the Democrat Mayor of Salida, Turner strongly advocated that all Democrats support the entire Democrat ticket in the upcoming November General Election, a ticket that includes both Joe Biden and John Hickenlooper. In the interview, Turner reiterated how important it is to elect a Democrat for the office of District Attorney and continued the Democratic platform of “correcting social injustices.” The entire interview with the Mayor of Salida is available on Mrs. Turner’s Facebook page or the Fremont County Republican Facebook page. For those voters that are familiar with TRACER, you are invited to view on-line exactly how and from where (not locally) Mrs. Turner is receiving many political donations as well as her entire history of donations made to other Democrat candidates. Counties and States turn totally “Blue” when Conservatives, Patriots and Republicans give up their control to the Democrat Party. Look at what is happening in other States: Oregon and Illinois with D.A.’s refusing to prosecute rioters and stand behind law enforcement agencies. The Fremont County Republicans are appealing to the voters of Judicial District 11 (Chaffee, Custer, Fremont and Park Counties) to examine the true qualifications of both District Attorney candidates and determine for themselves which candidate would serve the people of JD11 best as District Attorney. We are confident that after a review of the candidates’ qualifications, voters will come to the conclusion that Linda Stanley would best represent us and be the best District Attorney for JD11.
- Sincerely,
R.A. “Bob” Dewey Chairman, FCRCC
Almost two weeks ago, we became aware of an email sent to local law enforcement agencies in the four counties that represent the 11th Judicial District (Chaffee, Park, Fremont, and Custer Counties). Interestingly, the email stated that the four Sheriffs in the 11th JD and Chief Johnson of Salida have agreed to sign an attached (recently released) letter of support for the current Democrat District Attorney, Kaitlin Turner. The email requested that the receiver keep it “for your eyes only” and requested a signature from each indicating their support as well. That, recently released, letter of endorsement outlines 14 various tasks and accomplishments completed by the current District Attorney since her appointment by Governor Polis a year ago. These 14 accomplishments are basic assignments, including better communication and training, as compared to the previous administrations at the District Attorney’s Office. On August 13th that letter was released with only three Sheriffs signatures out of at least 18 separate law enforcement agencies that encompass the 11th Judicial District. Those three Sheriffs are Sheriff Allen Cooper of Fremont County, Sheriff Tom McGraw of Park County, and Sheriff Shannon Byerly (the author of the original email) of Custer County. These three Sheriffs are actively turning their back on their Republican Party and endorsing an appointed Democrat candidate who has been auditioning as District Attorney for a year; (by design) remaining under the public radar and simply doing a better job than the previous District Attorney’s administration. Respectfully, as Chairman of the Fremont County Republican Central Committee, I and my fellow Republican County Chairs in both Chaffee and Park Counties do not approve, endorse, or agree with these three Sheriffs’ decision in this critical Judicial District 11 election. Voters should be aware that their letter of support is not representative of all members of law enforcement in JD11, otherwise they too could have signed the letter of support for the Democrat District Attorney. These three Sheriffs are totally ignoring the Republican candidate Linda Stanley and Linda Stanley’s qualifications to be District Attorney. As Republican County chairmen, we have taken the time to speak with and really get to know Linda Stanley, the Republican candidate for JD11 District Attorney. We have concluded that she has the qualifications, intelligence, background and actual law enforcement experience to be an outstanding District Attorney. Linda has actual experience as a police officer combined with real prosecuting experience thousands of criminal cases is far superior and, quite frankly, needed in this district. Linda earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice, a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, and a Juris Doctorate (law degree). According to her own campaign website, Turner has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science in addition to her law degree. Her prior experience includes eight years with the Federal Bureau of Prisons handling civil cases filed in Federal District Court. Including that experience and to date she has yet to prosecute a single case in court, even though she was appointed as the JD11 District Attorney by Democrat Governor Polis a year ago. In my opinion, it would take years for the present District Attorney to gain the criminal law knowledge and prosecution proficiency that Linda Stanley already possesses. Do the citizens of JD11 want a District Attorney that is a seasoned litigator or one that requires “on-the-job training” at taxpayer’s expense? On Saturday, August 8, 2020, and at the request of Mrs. Turner, FCRCC Vice Chairman Rick Castor and I met with Turner and her husband Lawrence, who is her campaign manager. Prior to the meeting, the information regarding the email and letter of support had been leaked; along confirmation from at least two elected officials that Turner had related her disappointment with the Democratic Party to them along with her statement/promise that she planned on changing her party affiliation after the election. However, at the meeting, Turner adamantly reiterated that she is a registered Democrat and she adheres to the Democrat tenets; a Democrat platform that espouses abortion, dissolution of the 2 nd Amendment and the right to bear arms, is anti-law enforcement and supportive of movements and missions of such organizations including “Black Lives Matters” and “Antifa.” While speaking with us at Republican Headquarters and after being asked about her statements to those two elected officials, Turner backtracked somewhat and stated she is “not far enough left” for the present Colorado Democrat Party and that, if elected, she would consider switching her registration to “Unaffiliated.” Curiously enough, she ardently declared that, even as a Democrat appointed by a Democratic Governor, she would remain independent from orders directed from Democrats Governor Jared Polis and Attorney General Phil Weiser!? (Scores of elected Democrat officials are yet to accomplish that feat.) In direct contrast, in a very recent interview with the Democrat Mayor of Salida, Turner strongly advocated that all Democrats support the entire Democrat ticket in the upcoming November General Election, a ticket that includes both Joe Biden and John Hickenlooper. In the interview, Turner reiterated how important it is to elect a Democrat for the office of District Attorney and continued the Democratic platform of “correcting social injustices.” The entire interview with the Mayor of Salida is available on Mrs. Turner’s Facebook page or the Fremont County Republican Facebook page. For those voters that are familiar with TRACER, you are invited to view on-line exactly how and from where (not locally) Mrs. Turner is receiving many political donations as well as her entire history of donations made to other Democrat candidates. Counties and States turn totally “Blue” when Conservatives, Patriots and Republicans give up their control to the Democrat Party. Look at what is happening in other States: Oregon and Illinois with D.A.’s refusing to prosecute rioters and stand behind law enforcement agencies. The Fremont County Republicans are appealing to the voters of Judicial District 11 (Chaffee, Custer, Fremont and Park Counties) to examine the true qualifications of both District Attorney candidates and determine for themselves which candidate would serve the people of JD11 best as District Attorney. We are confident that after a review of the candidates’ qualifications, voters will come to the conclusion that Linda Stanley would best represent us and be the best District Attorney for JD11.
- Sincerely,
R.A. “Bob” Dewey Chairman, FCRCC
