Meadowlark Herald

COLORADO PRIMARY: BERNIE TRUMPS, DONALD BURNS

Paper Tiger - Hidden Expense. Starring ROBBIN' ROWLAND and JILL DUVALL. Coming soon to Elbert County DISTRICT COURT.

Robert Rowland paid his $1000 fine after assurances that Elbert County would reimburse him. The fine was levied against him for abuse of public funds in a campaign finance violation.
That the bold move appears to defy the Court should be little surprise: Robert Rowland, Tea Party Chairman, encouraged the public to disobey the Courts on his page on September 16, questioning their authority.
The reimbursement was undertaken without the advice of County Attorney Wade Gateley whose standards of acceptable risk could be described as adventurous in terms of how he has navigated the enforcement of questionable zoning and building codes, outrageous violations of labor laws, and deftly clamped down on farmers in the County for selling their farm products. Gateley said he told Rowland that he could get his own attorney.
Rowland and Commissioner Larry Ross both excused themselves from the discussion of the resolution, although Ross later seconded it for a vote. He then excused himself from the vote, as did Rowland.
The resolution passed with Dore being the only vote.
On April 27, a cashier’s check, payable to Elbert County with Rowland identified as the purchaser, was paid to Elbert County. On the same day, Rowland submitted a request for reimbursement from the county for the $1,000 fine, which he received three days later.
Rowland, as chair of the board, signed the check.
The Office of Administrative Courts doesn’t have the authority to hold someone in contempt when that person does something that appears to go against a Judge’s order. However, a contempt of court citation is being sought in Elbert County District Court, together with complaints against Wade Gateley, who appears to have lied when he indicated Robert Rowland paid the fine without expending public money. The contempt complaint is being brought by Colorado Ethics Watch and Jill Duvall, who brought the original complaint.
Duvall ran against Rowland for the Elbert County board in 2012. Rowland won by a better than 2:1 margin in that race, which saw record turn-out and was accompanied by allegations of elections irregularities by Election Watchers.

Rowland and Dore have both asked the Herald to not ever contact them again, and were not sought for comment.

the Meadowlark Herald: Ethics Watch and Duvall pursue Rowland the Meadowlark Herald is a subscriber-supported newspaper that encourages the community to explore their world through citizen journalism. To submit a story or tip, use our contact form, email [email protected], or call (720) 515-NEWS