Loveland council condemns councilor's park confrontation, asks her to resign and suspends her from boards pending sheriff's probe

Loveland City Council on Tuesday voted to send a formal letter to Councilor Erin Black condemning her conduct during a March 29 confrontation in Duane Webster Park, asked that she resign and requested that she not attend council-assigned boards and commissions while the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office investigates the encounter.

The council’s letter, amended by councilors before passage, says the conduct captured in widely shared video footage “does not align with the decorum expected of a city council member” and “undermines public trust.” The council voted 7–1 in favor of the amended letter. The council also voted 7–1 to request that Black refrain from attending board and commission meetings until the sheriff’s office completes its investigation, or she resigns or is otherwise removed.

Council members who spoke at length said the vote responded to months of complaints about Black’s behavior and to a public outcry after the park episode. Several members said the decision is aimed at protecting residents and preserving council integrity.

Councilor Samson described the park incident as “despicable” and moved that Black be limited to remote attendance at meetings while investigated; that motion was handled procedurally and later superseded by the formal letter and the board/commission request. Councilor Foley, who brought the formal motion, said the intent was to “uphold the integrity of city council” and to signal that the council does not condone the behavior shown on the video.

Black, who spoke during council comment and earlier public remarks, acknowledged some people found her actions “offensive” and defended her approach as protection against escalating threats and harassment toward women in the city. She said she would not stop “trying to protect the women in Loveland who have been targeted.”

City staff and the city attorney advised council that while it could request Black not attend the boards and commissions, there is no direct enforcement mechanism in the municipal code to force a council member’s absence from meetings; the action is therefore a request of the council and relies in part on voluntary compliance. The council also directed staff to treat the board/commission request as temporary pending the sheriff’s investigation or other formal resolution.

Council members also voted to pause the separate process that had been proposed earlier to explore formal censure procedures; instead the council asked staff and the city attorney to bring an informational study session later about how censure would work under Robert’s Rules and how other jurisdictions handle similar discipline.

The council’s actions followed about an hour of public comment during which many residents urged Black to resign and described the park confrontation as intimidating. Some public commenters urged council to act immediately; others urged caution and due process. Council members said they weighed the public comments, the video, and legal advice in taking their votes.

The council noted the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the park incident; no criminal findings were announced at the meeting. The council’s actions were limited to internal requests and a public letter; council members emphasized the difference between those steps and formal legal sanctions, which would be handled by law enforcement or through voter action (recall).