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Two main stories were the focus of this week’s edition of the Herald Democrat: the appointment of Ken Chavez as interim chief of police and the swearing in of Lake County’s newly elected public officials.
The latter is nothing new. Every four years or so, a new batch of county leaders is elected and sworn in. It’s a formality, but it’s also meant to inspire confidence in these leaders as they take office.
Swearing-in ceremonies are a celebrated part of every election process, but Tuesday’s event, which took place outside the Lake County Courthouse, was clouded by recent news that Miguel Martinez is currently banned from county property, the place where he was elected by the public to work.
This situation, which the Herald initially reported on in early December, does not inspire confidence in the office of Lake County assessor – particularly after the resignation of Deputy Assessor Stephanie McBride last month – and it is perhaps the first instance in Lake County of an elected official being sworn into an office they are barred from entering.
The Board of County Commissioners has confirmed that the ban is still in place, which is why Tuesday’s ceremony took place outside, but there are still looming questions to be answered.
Certainly the assessor’s office cannot operate with a leader who is not present behind their desk, and Martinez’s absence might also detract from efforts to replace McBride. Going forward, the Herald is ready to cover county work sessions regarding this issue and we hope to share information about a solution soon.
The second story that stood out this week is the appointment of Chavez as interim chief of police for Leadville, despite the fact that Hal Edwards is still being paid to serve in the role.
The appointment of Chavez cements the city’s decision to withhold information about Edwards from the public.
Even members of City Council agree that the appointment of Chavez was done without the public’s interest in mind: Council member Christian Luna-Leal admitted that the city was moving “too fast” with the appointment and questioned whether withholding information about Edwards is the right move.
Just like the assessor’s office, the uncertainty surrounding the chief of police does not inspire confidence in the police department. Even if there are more officers working in the city than in the past, the public still needs to be able to trust the person in charge.
Patrick Bilow
Herald Editor
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