What’s going on in Park County?

Residents can’t remember the last time a Democrat was elected to a countywide office, but an intraparty squabble among Republicans has led to what could be viewed as unthinkable in this conservative county that borders the Front Range: Republicans are flocking to a Democratic candidate for county commissioner.

Robb Green, who serves as president of the Platte Canyon Chamber of Commerce, told Colorado Politics it’s a not-often-seen example of Republicans and Democrats choosing a person over party. 

The story goes back to 2021, when a small but vocal group known as the South Park Outsiders launched a recall of two county commissioners: Dick Elsner and Ray Douglas.

The stated reason was COVID. The recall statement said the two commissioners signed off on a county public health order that the Outsiders claimed violated the 1st and 4th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

While it wasn’t cited in the recall statement, the group also took issue with the commissioners’ continued approved use of Dominion Voting Machine systems.

The recall failed when the group didn’t come up with enough signatures to get it to the ballot.

The 2021 recall effort, however, appears to have formed the underpinnings for the race for county commissioner in District 3. 

Democrats traditionally haven’t made much effort to run for county offices in Park County. State campaign finance records showed that between 2006 and 2016, you could count on one hand the number of Democrats running for commissioner – the only office Democrats tried for in those years. That changed in 2018, when Democrats began vying for other countywide offices. There was even a contested Democratic primary this year for the District 3 county commissioner seat.

The winner of that primary, Ashley Girodo, is facing Republican Dave Wissel, who is backed by the South Park Outsiders, for the general election. Wissel won his primary by 133 votes. Close races are not uncommon in Park County, population 17,720.

Wissel’s win didn’t go over well with Elsner, the other commissioner targeted for the recall. 

Until recently, he was also the treasurer for the Colorado GOP, but he endorsed Girodo and then resigned his state party position.

Wissel has been quite public about his disagreements with Elsner, stating on his campaign website: “I see a lack of leadership at the highest level. We are ‘led’ by a one-person autocrat scheme. The BOCC Chairman, Dick Elsner, has dictated the agenda, the resolutions, and most spending and revenue details – the budget keeps expanding and taxes keeps growing. We have ‘group think’ in every department. I can offer more and do a better job for Park County.”

The South Park Outsiders also went after the chair of the Park County GOP, Deb Elsner, who is Dick’s wife, though she won the fight for her job. 

Those backing Girodo have taken off the gloves in going after Wissel.

In a 2018 race race where the margin of victory was 26 votes, Monica Jones defeated Wissel for county assessor, a job he held for 38 years. Jones is up for re-election next week and in a letter to the Park County Flume accused Wissel of fiscal mismanagement while he was assessor. 

“Your money paid for stays for staff at a hotel and meals, so they could attend his going-away party, classes and license for a staff member so she could start her own fee appraisal business and misrepresenting FMLA so another staff could receive a full-time salary working part-time out of the county while collecting an additional full-time salary from another State agency,” Jones wrote.

“As to Republicans should support Republicans. I wish I would have been afforded that luxury. Instead, I was handed an office in which my predecessor told staff to not perform the jobs they were being paid for and making statements that he was ‘not going to crash the car but going to leave it with four flat tires.’ Best interest of the County?”

In his endorsement letter, Elsner accused Wissel of wanting to defund the sheriff’s office, akin to fighting words in the conservative county. Elsner wrote Girodo talks about what can be done to improve Park County, and understands the problems the county faces with housing, lack of health facilities, economic opportunity, senior health and other issues.

“Her opponent only tears down the county and says he will tear apart the budget…he has repeatedly stated that ‘it is a cushy job and he is in it for the money,'” Elsner continued.

Green, president of the Platte Canyon Chamber of Commerce, is also backing Girodo.

In a recent letter to the Park County Flume, Green wrote the 2022 election “is the most consequential ever” for Park County commissioner.

“We have two candidates who operate in different spheres. Ashley Girodo is a fresh voice with moderate views who has done her homework on voter issues face asking questions, listening, and presenting solutions. She supports Ballot Measure 1A or the Public Safety Initiative. She wants us to be safe. Her opponent, who is a darling of the South Park Outsiders, is against 1A as he believes he ‘alone’ will find $3M in the county budget that other people well versed in the budget cannot find,” Green said.

The fight in Park County includes dueling campaign finance violations: Both candidates stand accused failing to include “paid for by” language on yard signs.

Wissel also filed a complaint in August against 12 respondents, including the Park County Republican Central Committee, the Elsners, Jones, Douglas, the county assessor, sheriff, and several others, alleging they authored a hit piece on Wissel as an attempt to help re-elect Douglas. The Elections Division investigated the complaint, the respondents denied they had anything to do with the letter, and the Elections Division filed a motion to dismiss the complaint for lack of evidence.

Wissel is not taking any of this lying down. 

In an email to Colorado Politics, Wissel quipped that “I lost my mind” and am running as a Republican for Park County Commissioner.

“I won a very hotly smeared primary election…the home team has decided to support my 34-year-old, Alma-residing 5th grade school teacher in the Summit District, [who] has a Master’s degree in Women’s & Gender Studies over my combined 43 year record of serving our citizens.”

He called Republicans backing Girodo “local traitor RINOs,” and of Dick Elsner, “the local dictator of our county since 2017.”

As to next week’s election, Wissel said he has no confidence in the county clerk, who he claimed “was installed by the establishment traitor Elsners.” The previous county clerk resigned just six weeks ago to move to Texas. Milena Kassel, who is running for county clerk and recorder, was appointed to fill out the rest that term, and is likely to win her first term next week.

Wissel added he believes Kassel will do what’s she’s told “by the Elsner gang. It is better / worse than a South Park cartoon episode? Even THEIR imagination could not dream up this stuff!”