The Mancos Town Board is seeking a new trustee after James Maestas unexpectedly resigned last week.
Maestas, a neighbor to the Western Excelsior mill and advocate for Concerned Residents of Riverside (CROR), was elected to the board in April 2014.
He cited backlash from his stance on Western Excelsior’s dust problem as the main reason for his resignation. But he said the straw that broke the camel’s back occurred on the night of June 26 when he was questioned by the Town Marshal’s office about whether he threw rocks at Western Excelsior’s building.
“They (Western Excelsior employees) just called in saying something about rocks being thrown at Western Excelsior, and he comes right to my house. I spoke with the marshal, and the thing was, they don’t come and investigate when people complain about the dust, but that night it seems like they were right there,” Maestas told the Mancos Times.
“I know I’m kind of like the bad guy on the board because of Western Excelsior, but I felt like they were wanting to pick on me. ... Once all this started happening, I decided that I don’t want to be on a board like that.”
Town Marshal John Cox says his deputies were responding to a complaint from the business, and denied that Maestas was “targeted.”
Cox responded to the Mancos Times request for comment through Town Administrator Andrea Phillips, who handles all media requests. The Mancos Times also requested a marshal’s report of the incident.
“We went out because we got a report,” Cox said. “Someone saw two or three males in the back of 856 Riverside, which is his house, making a throwing motion with his arm, and a rock came across the street. They couldn’t identify which male threw the rock. Yvonne (McClellan, deputy marshal) went over there, spoke to James. ...She said James was unwilling to listen and accused her of not doing her job,” said Cox.
Cox added that when his deputy cleared the scene, he personally responded per Maestas’ request to speak to him.
“We were just responding to a call, and when I spoke to him later because he wanted to talk to me, he said felt he was being targeted,” Cox said. “We were just responding to a call.”
During a lengthy discussion about Western Excelsior at a June 23 town board meeting, Marshal Cox told CROR representatives and town board trustees that he now personally responds to Western Excelsior complaints. He also stated he has the sole discretion to issue citations, a policy he said was made after one of his deputies reported a verbal confrontation with CROR president Chip Tuthill. Tuthill denied the claim.
With Maesta’s resignation made official at the July 8 board meeting, the town is now working to find a new board member.
“It was unexpected. We’re definitely sorry to see him go,” said Mayor Rachael Simbeck on Maestas’ resignation.
Simbeck says the board now has 60 days to fill the empty seat, and has advertised letters of interest from qualified residents.
Applicants must have been residents of Mancos for a least a year and be at least 18 years old.
Letters of interest and applications must be received at Town Hall by noon, Aug. 4, 2015.
Interested individuals should write the Town Board and deliver their application to the Town Hall or mail it to P.O. Box 487, Mancos, CO 81328.
Any application received after the deadline will not be considered.
Selected applicants will then be summoned for an interview during a public meeting in front of the town board.
Questions concerning this vacancy should be directed to the members of the Town Board or town staff as appropriate.