Forty-five Years ago this week: After pleading not guilty to a Denver federal grand jury indictment of five counts of bank embezzlement, Eve Lynn Lincoln, a Colorado Republican Party employee, decided to plead guilty to one count: using bank credit cards to purchase more than $12,700 in goods and services for her own personal use. 

The other four counts, embezzling cash totaling $20,609, were expected to be dismissed by Denver U.S. District Court Judge Fred Winner, as part of a plea bargain with the court and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Judge Winner read a long list of purchases that Lincoln had made in stores across Colorado, Texas and New Jersey as well as from restaurants and of gasoline and automobile products for Lincoln’s personal use. Fred Skillern, Lincoln’s attorney, said that some restitution had already been made for the card charges.

Lincoln had been a key part of Colorado Secretary of State Mary Estill Buchanan’s 1980 petition drive for the Republican primary ballot for the U.S. Senate. During that time she had been employed at the Central Bank for Cooperatives at the Denver Tech Center. The CBC lent money to farm cooperatives under the authority of the Farm Credit Administration. 

But confusion still remained as to the nature of the charges because Lincoln had said that the purchases were for Buchanan’s petition drive. Under federal election laws, because the bank was a corporation, it was legally prevented from contributing to a political campaign. Records from the secretary of state’s office showed that more than $2,591 was repaid to the bank one week before the November general election for charges that appeared to be campaign-related.

“Ms. Lincoln’s illegal activities, using bank credit cards for her own purchases took place before I knew her,” Buchanan said in an interview. “Everyone involved in the petition drive was a volunteer and were not paid. Eve was never authorized to spend money. We had one authorized campaign committee, and anything else we spent money for was required to be disclosed.”

Lincoln repeatedly insisted that she was authorized to manage Buchanan’s campaign funds while Buchanan’s campaign manager, Curt Uhre, had issued repeated denials.

At sentencing, Lincoln faced a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Twenty-Five Years Ago: “Growth is the biggest political issue on the Western Slope right now,” said chairwoman of the Delta County Republican Party Carol Morrell. “I’m in agriculture, and I think the issue is preserving agricultural land.”

Morrell questioned how the five major areas in the county would even manage the sprawl, as each area had its own separate groups and meetings.

“The latest thing that happened was a subdivision in Paonia,” Morrell said. “We had a special election a week ago to see if it should continue, but it wasn’t going to have water, so it was defeated. I don’t know what that says about our county.”

Growth in Delta County had also put stress on the roads and Morrell was hopeful that the expansion of U.S. Highway 50 from Grand Junction to Delta would give some much-needed relief. 

Delta County was also drifting away from its traditional mainstay of agriculture, Morrell explained, as tourism became increasingly important and local groups were working diligently on promotion.

Morrell maintained strong relationships with the state Republican Party leadership and was particularly close to Sen. Ken Chlouber, R-Leadville, as well as with U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard. Morrell said she was looking forward to a visit from Gov. Bill Owens and hoped he’d get closer to Delta County locals.

“At least the ones who represent us,” Morrell said, “we’d like to see them occasionally. We’d like to visit with them and have them come over here and see what we need. That’s what I hear a lot.” 

Rachael Wright is the author of several novels, including The Twins of Strathnaver, with degrees in political science and History from Colorado Mesa University, and is a contributing columnist to Colorado Politics, the Colorado Springs Gazette, and The Denver Gazette.