Thursday night, the trustees of Palmer Lake voted to appoint Mayor Pro Tem Dennis Stern to mayor after the sudden resignation of Glant Havenar. 

After months of controversy in the small town north of Colorado Springs most recently stoked by the mayor’s resignation, the promotion was not made with much fanfare. Over a smattering of applause, several audience members walked out of the meeting. 

“I appreciate the confidence the board has put in me, and I do not take this lightly,” said Stern, acknowledging the “hornet’s nest” the position might incur. 

Stern takes the top job in Palmer Lake after Havenar’s resignation late last week amid a controversy over texts posted on encrypted chat platform Signal. The texts, sent in the form of screenshots by former Colorado GOP chair candidate Darcy Schoening, appeared to show the mayor making derogatory remarks about multiple residents and leaders in the Tri-Lakes area. 

The texts have also been added to a lawsuit alleging they showed the former mayor colluding with a consultant involved in the development of a Buc-ee’s travel store in Palmer Lake. The consultant, former El Paso County Commissioner Mark Waller, has denied that the texts were unethical. 

Palmer Lake mayor resigns amid controversy over alleged Signal text leaks, derogatory comments

Stern comes to the the position with marked public opposition from some quarters. He is one of three Palmer Lake trustees who are the subject of a recall campaign that has reached initial signature requirements to move forward to a special election.

Later next week a protest period for the eligibility of the collected signatures will end with a hearing, after which the town may be required to set a date for the recall election. 

Stern, along with trustees Shana Ball and Kevin Dreher, were included in the recall campaign over their decision in a December meeting to approve the eligibility of the Buc-ee’s proposal, which would annex a 30-acre parcel near Interstate 25 into the town. 

The eligibility, withdrawn by developers and then resubmitted this year, was approved again at a meeting last month.

Palmer Lake recall campaign moves forward amid threats

The next stage in the process of evaluating the proposal is a planning commission meeting next week. The board has not made a final decision on the project. 

The board of trustees voted 5-1 to appoint Stern, with trustee Atis Jurka opposing. Amy Hutson was appointed mayor pro tem. 

Ball said during the decision that she felt the new mayor should be apprised of prior board discussions on the Buc-ee’s proposal. 

“There’s a lot of information that has been discussed in executive session that has not been made public yet,” she said. 

Recall committee member Beth Harris said she understood the desire for continuity on the board but felt that the town should have handled the transition with an election. Before the meeting, she posted a “letter of interest” for the mayor role. 

“The decision, even if legal, is of questionable wisdom,” she said during public comment after Stern was appointed.