Board appoints Mark Samelstad to County Board seat; Mike Baker named to Tri Lakes panel amid notice concerns

The Adams County Board of Supervisors appointed Mark Samelstad to represent District 18 and confirmed Supervisor Mike Baker to the Tri Lakes Management District during the Feb. 20 meeting.

Mark Samelstad was appointed to replace Scott Krug. Samelstad introduced himself, described his background in law enforcement and said he moved to the Town of Grama in 2017; he told the board he'd previously served on Tri Lakes and said he is also running for Town of Rome supervisor. The board administered the oath and permitted Samelstad to vote that evening.

The board also voted to appoint Supervisor Mike Baker to the Tri Lakes committee. Supervisor Posdolski raised a procedural objection, saying the vacancy had not been posted to the public for 30 days and asking that the county post a notice before confirming committee appointments. County staff told the board the Tri Lakes Management District bylaws require a supervisor appointment and that the position is not a general public seat; the clerk proceeded to put the appointment to a vote. The motion to appoint Baker passed; Supervisor Posdolski recorded a no vote on the confirmation.

There was no formal motion to require future 30-day public notice for committee appointments at this meeting; supervisors were advised that changes to notice procedures would need to be handled through the appointments committee or by amending board rules.

Both appointments were recorded in the meeting minutes and the new district supervisor was allowed to participate in votes that night per the clerk's administration of oath.