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<v Speaker 1>Joining me now is a woman who has put up

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<v Speaker 1>with more than most politicians have to put up with.

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<v Speaker 1>She is former Douglas County Commissioner Laura Thomas. But because

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<v Speaker 1>Laura is not one to be cowed into silence or

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<v Speaker 1>shrink quietly into the night, she's back with two. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>I guess we should say bipartisan trip. How do you

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<v Speaker 1>describe this group that you've assembled here, Laura to ask

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<v Speaker 1>for some accountability from the current board.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you for having me on, Mandy. And we are

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<v Speaker 2>three individuals. One is a Republican, one is a Democrat,

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<v Speaker 2>one is an unaffiliated voter, and almost fifty percent of

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<v Speaker 2>voters in Douglas County are unaffiliated today, and so the

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<v Speaker 2>three of us came together because it doesn't matter what

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<v Speaker 2>political strife you are, every person in this county, in

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<v Speaker 2>this country should demand transparency from their government.

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<v Speaker 1>Correct. It's one of the cornerstones. And it's been very

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<v Speaker 1>fresh trading to me to see how that transparency has

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<v Speaker 1>been eroded under the Gold Dome. And we'll talk more

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<v Speaker 1>about that later, but right now, you guys are talking

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<v Speaker 1>specifically about the movement to move Douglas County to a

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<v Speaker 1>home rural county. And I'm not going to pretend that

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<v Speaker 1>I know all of the ins and outs of this,

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<v Speaker 1>but I am already what's the sort I'm looking for?

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<v Speaker 1>Skeptical that this operation is a grassroots movement by the

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<v Speaker 1>people of Douglas County, because the Board of County Commissioners

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<v Speaker 1>announced it as if they'd been chatting about it for

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<v Speaker 1>some time, even though as far as I could tell,

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<v Speaker 1>there'd been no public conversations about it up to the

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<v Speaker 1>point where they announced that they were doing this. What

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<v Speaker 1>did I miss? First of all, were there discussions during

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<v Speaker 1>County commission meetings that I missed? What happened here? How

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<v Speaker 1>did it just spring forth out of whole cloth like this?

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<v Speaker 2>So, Mandy, you didn't miss a thing. I have been

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<v Speaker 2>kind of just out of interest watching what was going

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<v Speaker 2>on with my like I always have done, even before

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<v Speaker 2>I was an elected official. And when I heard on

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<v Speaker 2>March twenty fourth that on March twenty fifth, the three

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<v Speaker 2>commissioners were going to put home rule on the ballot,

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<v Speaker 2>I was stunned because I had not seen or heard

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<v Speaker 2>one word about home rule in the public meetings that

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<v Speaker 2>the county government had been having, not one word.

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<v Speaker 1>So it is my understanding and you can correct me

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<v Speaker 1>if I'm wrong here that not only did they make

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<v Speaker 1>this announcement, they brought forth people that they want on

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<v Speaker 1>the Charter Commission so they could all get their petitions

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<v Speaker 1>signed by each other and be submitted so their names

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<v Speaker 1>could go on the ballot to be on this Charter

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<v Speaker 1>Planning Commission. Is that accurate?

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<v Speaker 2>That is accurate. There were two things that had to happen.

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<v Speaker 2>First of all, on March twenty first, I'm sorry, March

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<v Speaker 2>twenty fifth, the commissioners put on the ballot the question

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<v Speaker 2>do you want to go to home rule? And we

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<v Speaker 2>will see that on June twenty five. Right. The second

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<v Speaker 2>question is to elect twenty one people who will write

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<v Speaker 2>that very precious, complicated charter. But what happened is the

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<v Speaker 2>night before, on Monday night, the chair of the Republican

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<v Speaker 2>Party sent out a letter an email that said, our

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<v Speaker 2>amazing commissioners are going forward with home rule and these

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<v Speaker 2>are the twenty one people they have hand picked to

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<v Speaker 2>be on the Charter Commission.

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<v Speaker 1>So what is your group of people? You're a Republican,

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<v Speaker 1>your Democrat, and you're independent. What are you guys alleging

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<v Speaker 1>and what kind of relief are you seeking?

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<v Speaker 2>So we are alleging that, and we have hard evidence

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<v Speaker 2>of this, that the commissioners have been meeting with the

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<v Speaker 2>county Attorney and the county manager sometimes other people in

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<v Speaker 2>unposted and unrecorded meetings in which they are talking about

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<v Speaker 2>county business, and they are also going into executive session

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<v Speaker 2>with other elected officials, starting with public meetings where they

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<v Speaker 2>vote to go into executive session and tell the public

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<v Speaker 2>what it is they're going to be talking about while

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<v Speaker 2>they are in executive session, and that that leads to

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<v Speaker 2>the meeting that they had on March twenty fifth where

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<v Speaker 2>they put home rule on the ballot. Because there was

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<v Speaker 2>no public meeting before that vote to put home rule

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<v Speaker 2>on the ballot on that March twenty fifth meeting, we

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<v Speaker 2>believe that that March twenty fifth meeting is no good,

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<v Speaker 2>that it needs to be thrown out by the judge,

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<v Speaker 2>and that then the commissioners will then be forced to

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<v Speaker 2>go through a public process. Isn't that an interesting word?

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<v Speaker 2>A public process, so that the citizens of Douglas County

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<v Speaker 2>see what they're talking about home rule, and then the

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<v Speaker 2>commissioners can put it on the ballot again, but they

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<v Speaker 2>need to do it the right way. NNDY not the

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<v Speaker 2>wrong way.

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<v Speaker 1>So let me ask this question because I also understand

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<v Speaker 1>that they have spoken to private groups like Parker Conservatives.

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<v Speaker 1>Those meetings were not open to the public, and more

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<v Speaker 1>than one county commissioner was there. But I want to

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<v Speaker 1>ask you because I know, you know what if parameters

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<v Speaker 1>for going into executive session, they're very limited, aren't they.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh, you're absolutely right, Nandy. Twenty four to sixty four

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<v Speaker 2>to zero two is the open meetings flaw, and it

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<v Speaker 2>has a few exceptions. For example, if the commissioners want

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<v Speaker 2>to buy a piece of real estate and they want

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<v Speaker 2>to go into an executive session to find out from

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<v Speaker 2>their broker what's the right price and how do we

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<v Speaker 2>negotiate to get the best price for the citizens. But

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<v Speaker 2>even those meetings must be recorded and released to the

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<v Speaker 2>public once the deal is complete. Personnel matters are another

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<v Speaker 2>reason that commissioners can go into executive sessions.

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<v Speaker 1>So they've just gone into executive session without having proper cause, correct,

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, that's what it sounds like to me.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, that's what it sounds like to me having been

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<v Speaker 2>a commissioner for eight years and fully well knowing because

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<v Speaker 2>I worked in that process to know what it is

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<v Speaker 2>and what it looks like.

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<v Speaker 1>So let me ask you another question about that specific

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<v Speaker 1>part of it. It also seems to me that this

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<v Speaker 1>entire process, and this is what really gives me pause, Laura,

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<v Speaker 1>as a citizen of Douglas County, this process is being

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<v Speaker 1>rushed along and I'm not sure why, and that makes

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<v Speaker 1>me distrustful of the entire situation. This is much different

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<v Speaker 1>than the way other counties like Weld County and I

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<v Speaker 1>believe it's Pitkin County, have gone to home rule. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>those were true grassroots movements from citizens.

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<v Speaker 2>Correct, You're absolutely right. I've done a lot of research,

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<v Speaker 2>looked up at old newspaper articles, both in Weld and Pitkin.

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<v Speaker 2>A group of citizens got together and they were upset

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<v Speaker 2>by the corrupt nature of their three commissioners because they

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<v Speaker 2>were hiring their buddies, they were spending money like crazy.

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<v Speaker 2>So a group of citizens got together, got it on

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<v Speaker 2>the ballot, wrote the charter, and you know what, they

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<v Speaker 2>went to five commissioners because they felt that was a

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<v Speaker 2>way to break up that power thing that was going

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<v Speaker 2>on with their corrupt commissioners. So it was absolutely driven

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<v Speaker 2>by the citizens in the only two home rule counties

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<v Speaker 2>in the entire state of Colorado.

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<v Speaker 1>It's my understanding that George Teele wants to be on

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<v Speaker 1>the Charter Commission, doesn't he?

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<v Speaker 2>Oh, George Abe and Kevin dan Winkle, all three of

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<v Speaker 2>the commissioners assigned themselves to be the three at large

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<v Speaker 2>people on the Charter.

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<v Speaker 1>Cos they've already assigned themselves to the commission.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, they have assigned themselves to the voting process that

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<v Speaker 2>will happen on June twenty fourth, So that slate of

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<v Speaker 2>twenty one people that the GOP chair sent out the

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<v Speaker 2>night before this became official, the three of them are

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<v Speaker 2>on the handpicked list of the twenty one people. And

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<v Speaker 2>let me tell you what's going to happen, Mandy. In June,

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<v Speaker 2>mailboxes are going to fill up with slash email pieces

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<v Speaker 2>with pictures of crime. Thing. If you want to keep

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<v Speaker 2>crime out of Douglas County, vote for home rule and

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<v Speaker 2>vote for these twenty one people because they are going

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<v Speaker 2>to preserve your rights. That's what's going to happen.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, I am increasingly distrustful of this process. I am

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<v Speaker 1>increasingly distrustful of this County Commission. And the only way

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<v Speaker 1>that I think I would move forward if the charter

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<v Speaker 1>Commission came out with a charter that said none of

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<v Speaker 1>the current board members may run for reelection on the

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<v Speaker 1>county Commission. I think that's the If they're going to

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<v Speaker 1>put themselves on the board, they cannot write a charter

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<v Speaker 1>that allows them to enrich themselves in any way, shape

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<v Speaker 1>or form. So if they want to exclude themselves from

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<v Speaker 1>further service, then maybe I would accept it. But this

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<v Speaker 1>all stinks to high heaven. And Laura, I know that

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<v Speaker 1>you have a lot of animosity towards two of the

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<v Speaker 1>board members who I believe treated you extremely unfairly. And

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<v Speaker 1>I want to say that because there's going to be

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<v Speaker 1>people who are going to say, Laura Thomas is just

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<v Speaker 1>sour grapes. But the reality of what Laura is saying

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<v Speaker 1>is still right. Okay, it's she's not wrong here, So Laura,

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<v Speaker 1>I appreciate this. Now, are you guys filing suit? What

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<v Speaker 1>are you looking for specifically in relief? I'm sorry, I

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<v Speaker 1>know you already said that.

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<v Speaker 2>So this morning we did file a lawsuit in Douglas

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<v Speaker 2>District Court. We're asking that the commissioners start following the law.

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<v Speaker 2>We are asking the judge to provide an injunction that

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<v Speaker 2>requires they follow open meetings laws. If they don't, then

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<v Speaker 2>it becomes a criminal matter, and we're asking that the

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<v Speaker 2>judge do an injunction that invalidates that March twenty fifth

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<v Speaker 2>meeting when they put home rule on the ballot, only

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<v Speaker 2>so that it forces them to do it the right way.

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<v Speaker 2>We're not saying we don't want people to vote. We

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<v Speaker 2>just want the commissioners to put the question on the

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<v Speaker 2>ballot the right way so that there's transparency involved.

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<v Speaker 1>It's that keyword, right and transparency is key. Laura Thomas,

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<v Speaker 1>I appreciate you and all you do to look out

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<v Speaker 1>for the people of Douglas County. We're obviously going to

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<v Speaker 1>be talking about this as it moves forward, and I've

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<v Speaker 1>urged people in Douglas County who want to be on

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<v Speaker 1>this commission you have to have your paperwork in by

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<v Speaker 1>Thursday at five pm, and I put a link on

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<v Speaker 1>yesterday's blog about that. Laura will talk about this as

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<v Speaker 1>the story develops. I appreciate the time today

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you for caring about the citizens of Douglas County

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<v Speaker 2>because you are one of us, exactly exactly right,