ALAMOSA ? The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office has until Tuesday to respond to a statement of grounds for a recall of 12th Judicial District Attorney Alonzo Payne, who has been the top law enforcement officer for the San Luis Valley area for 14 months.

For weeks, Payne has been the focus of Alamosa City Council meetings, during which citizens and even the  police chief have complained that the area is less safe because Payne is too soft on criminals.

“This is a very early step,” said City Attorney Erich Schwiesow, who filed the documents on behalf of Alamosa Mayor Ty Coleman. Schwiesow explained that if Secretary of State Jena Griswold’s office approves the city’s statement, the recall effort will be put into a petition format and the city then has 60 days to gather the required number of signatures.

If that happens, then there will be a recall election. 

Alamosa City Manager Heather Brooks told The Denver Gazette that they will need 4,000 signatures from throughout the district to start a recall election, but their goal is to collect 6,000 signatures.

“The concerns we have are so grave, we felt the need to take action,” Brooks said.

The grassroots Facebook group Recall Payne, which was started by a domestic abuse victim who feels Payne has been too lenient on criminals, has already printed out flyers and yard signs to advertise the movement to oust him.

Police Chief Kenny Anderson broke down during one City Council meeting as he described an Alamosa middle-schooler who committed suicide after being bullied while charging documents “sat without action on the DA’s desk.”

A statement on the city’s website outlined several grievances against Payne: “As of February 9th, the Colorado Crime Victim Advisory Board has received 8 complaints under the VRA. For the first time ever since the existence of the Board (30 years), the Board found that the DA’s Office was non-compliant in regards to four of the complaints and voted to refer the matter to the Governor’s Office.”

Last month, the Alamosa City Council voted 4-1 to spend $10,000 on the effort to recall Payne, who took office in 2021 and has just under three years left on his term. The one “no” vote came from Charlie Griego, the longest-sitting Alamosa City Council member, who has represented his district for 39 years.

“Those meetings were very emotional,” Griego said of public comment against Payne. “I feel using taxpayer money for a recall is wrong. We should use the $10,000 to help the district attorney get the job done. When he took office, he got handed a plate with a bunch of crap on it.”

The 12th Judicial District is composed of six counties: Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande and Saguache. Alamosa County Commissioner Michael Yahn told The Denver Gazette that his board has no official position on the recall and is prohibited from spending taxpayer dollars to support it.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Colorado is one of 19 states that allow recall elections of statewide elected officials. Payne has not responded to numerous requests for comment from The Denver Gazette.