I read with interest George Harvey’s letter in the Jan. 10 edition of the Telluride Daily Planet regarding the Diamond Ridge fiasco. I could not agree more with the points he raised.
The manner in which our county commissioners, county staff, and town staff created this catastrophe is something I hope to never see repeated in San Miguel County. Now that a highly esteemed judge has reached a ruling and pointed out the unethical manner with which they used the process for their own means, I can only hope that both the county and Town of Telluride will do the right thing and not waste any more taxpayer money on further appeals and legal failures.
Instead, I hope they will acknowledge their behavior and apologize to the people who elected and hired them. The critical parts of the process were conducted essentially behind closed doors. Mike Bordogna, Lance McDonald, and Hilary Cooper knew that a genuine and transparent public process would derail their plans, so they chose to keep them concealed until it was too late for anyone to interfere.
We can all be thankful that Judge J. Steven Patrick saw through the smoke screen and said so in his well-written ruling.
I commend the two (Telluride) Town Council members who refused to participate in this charade. When hired staff reprimands council and commission members for not falling in line, it is an embarrassment to us all and should result in termination. When the county staff chooses to keep their plans quiet for fear that the public will not agree, it is reprehensible and they should apologize, if not resign. Above all, they should accept the outcome of the ruling and not waste any more taxpayer money.
Many people were harmed as a result of their reckless behavior.
Long-standing members of our community were slandered, and lives were put into turmoil. I have always had faith in our community as a whole. Now is the time for us to pull together, put this debacle behind us, and hold our representatives accountable for their actions.
Todd Creel
Telluride
