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Montrose County commissioners appoint interim manager and attorney amid public uproar over recent resignations
Summary
After accepting the resignations of senior staff, the Montrose County Board named Leslie Kwan interim county manager and Julie Andres interim county attorney; the change and abrupt departures prompted extensive public comment and calls for transparency.
The Montrose County Board of County Commissioners announced interim leadership changes on April 16 after accepting the resignations of County Manager Frank Rodriguez, County Attorney Marty Whitmore and Assistant County Manager Emily Sanchez. Commissioner Scott Majeras, the board chair, said the hires were needed to align county leadership with the board's direction and introduced Leslie Kwan as interim county manager and Julie Andres as interim county attorney.
The move prompted vigorous public comment and a sharp exchange among commissioners. Commissioner Sue Hansen praised Rodriguez and Whitmore for their experience and said she did not support the requested resignations. Several residents urged the board to reconsider the personnel actions, with some calling for recalls and others defending the board’s right to appoint staff. Michael Bodiaco told the board that while some criticism of commissioners is justified, much of it had been manufactured; Ray Langston and other speakers called the environment on the board 'toxic' and said the departures had left a gap in institutional knowledge.
Majeras said the previous board’s late hiring of a county manager shortly before an election created instability and that the new interim appointments were intended to restore cohesion. Facilities staff flagged deferred maintenance at the county’s Health and Human Services building during a recent tour, a concern commissioners said they would address while balancing fiscal constraints. The board did not take additional formal action on personnel at the meeting; officials said some vacancies will be filled through standard hiring processes and that outside counsel will be retained for water-law matters where needed.
The meeting record shows the board encouraged a period of rebuilding and asked the public for patience while interim staff assume responsibilities. The next steps identified at the meeting were to support the interim appointees in the short term and proceed with recruitment or outsourcing for specialized legal needs.
