Glenwood Springs – Embattled District Attorney Colleen Truden will not contest petitions circulated to force a vote recalling her from office, but said today she intends to fight to remain on the job.
“These lies and distortions have no basis in fact,” she said in a press conference this morning on the steps of the Garfield County Courthouse. “They have been concocted by a few individuals who have petty personal agendas against me and the office I lead, a few individuals who have no problem wasting taxpayer money for their selfish vendettas.”
On Sept. 29, the Colorado secretary of state’s office announced 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.
Truden said she had been targeted by the “old guard” who didn’t support her election in the first place. She said that group includes former District Attorney Mac Myers, who was term limited, and Lawson Wills, a former assistant DA whom Truden defeated in the Republican primary election in August.
Seven attorneys and five staff members have resigned since Truden took office. Two were attorneys hired by Truden.
She had no experience as a prosecutor, nor had she ever worked in the Glenwood district attorney’s office, but her vow to get tougher on criminals won her staunch support from the law-enforcement community. She ran unopposed in the general election.
Truden had 15 days to protest the secretary of state’s findings. Previously, she said she would likely take that step.
Two Republicans have already announced their candidacies for the DA’s post should the recall succeed. Glenwood Springs lawyer Chip McCrory and one of Truden’s former deputy DAs, Martin Beeson, have announced plans to run against her.
Truden is the first prosecutor in Colorado to face a recall challenge in 27 years and could be the first to be booted from office. An attempt to recall Joe Losavio of Pueblo in 1978 failed.
An election date has not been set.
