Republican and businessman John Odom was sworn in as Jefferson County commissioner today.
He fills a vacancy created when District 2 commissioner Kevin McCasky, a Republican, took a job as chief executive of the Jefferson Economic Council less than two weeks ago.
The Jefferson County Republican Party Vacancy Committee picked Odom from a “large number of qualified applicants,” according to a release from the Jefferson County Republicans.
By state statute, a county party vacancy committee has 10 days to select a replacement when an office is vacated.
“He is an ethical, fiscal conservative who demonstrated his enthusiasm for the job and earned the unanimous vote of the vacancy committee,” committee chairman Don Ytterberg said in a release. “His business experience will be valuable during these difficult economic times.”
Odom, who now lives in Golden, co-owns a small business in Wheat Ridge that manages and distributes hospital products and services.
His political experience includes unsuccessfully running for a state Senate seat against Democrat Cheri Jahn last year, and previous work as an intern aide to state Sen. John Evans.
Odom will serve the remaining two years of McCasky’s term.
Today, Colorado Ethics Watch filed a complaint against McCasky with the Independent Ethics Commission, alleging that he violated state ethics laws when he voted to increase funding to the economic council when he was reportedly negotiating his own future employment at the organization.
“The board of commissioners increased that funding, it wasn’t just him,” said Kathryn Heider, a spokeswoman for the county. “We’ve always supported the JEC.”
