After nine tumultuous months in office, 9th Judicial District Attorney Colleen Truden has been officially targeted for a recall election.
The Colorado secretary of state’s office announced Thursday that enough registered voters signed petitions to hold a recall election for Truden.
More than 9,000 residents of Pitkin, Garfield and Rio Blanco counties signed petitions calling for Truden’s ouster, and 6,626 were found to be valid. That is 1,171 more signatures than required.
The petitions stated that Truden should be recalled for a host of problems in her office, ranging from allegations of lying to other county officials to mismanaging her office. Seven attorneys and five staff members have resigned since Truden took office.
Truden has 15 days to protest the secretary of state’s findings.
On Wednesday, Truden said she will likely take that step.
She said she had heard that some signatures were obtained by children passing petitions and that some people have told her they were pressured to sign by peers at churches and social clubs. “They (the recall backers) don’t want to let me run my office,” she said.
Sherry Caloia, a Glenwood Springs attorney who has spearheaded the recall effort, said she has not heard those complaints and doesn’t believe they are true.
Truden took office in January after former DA Mac Myers was forced out of office by term limits and Truden defeated Assistant District Attorney Lawson Wills in a Republican primary election. She ran unopposed in the general election.
She will face two Republicans in the recall election, which will be held in December at the earliest. Glenwood Springs lawyer Chip McCrory and one of Truden’s former deputy DAs, Martin Beeson, have announced plans to run against her.
