He is instead budgeting for a 1.5 percent end-of-year bonus, if economic conditions allow. The county is on track to give a similar bonus to its own employees next year, lifting a salary freeze that has been in place since 2009.
Beeson’s request for a staff raise was met with varying responses in all three of the counties his office serves — Garfield, Pitkin and Rio Blanco.
Garfield County commissioners had OK’d the 2 percent salary increase. Rio Blanco had opposed a raise or any bonus, because it is poised to continue a salary freeze for its employees through 2012.
“The Rio Blanco County commissioners have declined to participate in this plan as they do not believe they can do so in good conscience while denying their own employees a compensation increase of any sort,” Beeson wrote last week in an updated budget memorandum to the Pitkin County commissioners.
The tri-county DA’s budget has to be approved by all three counties that fund its operations.
“That put the DA’s office in something of an awkward position,” Pitkin County Manager Jon Peacock told the commissioners Tuesday.
Beeson is moving forward with the bonuses, using funding from Garfield and Pitkin counties only. He has pledged to pay for Rio Blanco’s portion — $2,100 — out of his own salary...."
(Andrew Travers)
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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."
7 comments:
Why is Garfield County rewarding the performance of Beeson's staff? Nedlin is facing possible contempt of court from Judge Ely who's looking over all of his cases for violations. Nichols just issued a 29 page suppression of evidence sanction and that's on top of the heavy sanction she did a month or so earlier on another case. We still haven't a straight answer from Beeson on the cost of Lofgren from his end but we know it cost the taxpayers at least a quarter of a million defending against it. To say he'll pump it out of his own salary is big talk but not exactly legal. He's not a private company owner who can do that, he's a public employee. If Rio Blanco county is not stepping up then it's a no go. All three counties have to agree. Not to mention the fact that Pitkin County shouldn't be giving a dime when every problem we've got in prosecution comes down to lawyer error and over zealous mentality.
Who is running for D.A. in 2012?
Chip McCrory is sounding pretty good.
Not big talk at all.
Just another example of foolish talk based on not doing the most simple of homework before attacking. Which seems to be an obvious problem in this DA's regime.
Martin Beeson is a public employee. Not a private businessman. It is not only unethical to speak ill in this way of Rio Blanco county that he works for; to do such a thing out of his own salary to other public employees is illegal.
This problem we have with a district attorney regime that refuses to rein in out of control power is a voter's problem and an administrative problem. Administrative on two levels in the county oversight that governs them and the Judges who sit the courts. The statement on Martin Beeson's website that "Peace is not found in the absence of conflict, it is found in the presence of God" is heart-stopping. And not in a positive way.
All 9th district voters spanning all three counties need to remember back to the mocking and baiting done by Beeson against Truden. All of it was unnecessary because the campaign to oust her was already won. She needed to go. As one that originally voted for Beeson I look back now and wish I would have cast and stood for McCrory. It was cowardice on Martin's part to relentlessly attack a woman when the one he knew he really needed to beat was McCrory. Who he very nearly lost to. And Chip only as a write-in.
Peace is found in the presence of God when one lives a life that is fully worthy of God. It is not found and is in fact the farthest thing there could ever be from God when one stomps over the life of a fellow human being in order to exalt one's self.
If someone does not step up and run in 2012 against this man and remove him from the power he holds in his regime then the time has come to impeach.
No. Enough money has been wasted along with endless resources from other agencies in courts and law enforcement. No more money should be spent ousting this guy with the impeachment process.
The time has come for Beeson to turn in his prosecutor badge or for the courts and law enforcement to sit down with all three BOCC, without Beeson present, and compare notes. Throw in the most respected of our lawyers who defend and include public defenders.
Get a real verdict on his and his staff's performance in the door. Probably, impeachment won't be necessary.
So illegal it could be construed as a private, personal bribe.
Hardly the thing one should even consider under the guise of rewarding public employee staff for their performance.
Performance for whom?
Martin should step down. Just immediately step down. He should have done it and was called upon to do it when he issued his 'The Truth Hurts' manifesto on all defense attorneys.
This is not a political statement in my comment today, it is a statement of fact based on Martin's own words and near eight-year performance.
At this very moment on dockets he has one judge screening all case files for contempt charges. Another is sitting on two appeals, one of them claiming her ruling is a 'statewide' concern. The other forcing a man to stay behind bars for possibly months instead of being able to deport to his homeland.
Today marks an anniversary of tragedy for a family that will see no potential for justice because the most rudimentary law was either unknown to his Chief Deputy or was ignored by his entire staff. Whether agreed upon as grand jury worthy or not the fact remains that indictment passed on through a grand jury. The failures of Lofgren from that point rest squarely on prosecution shoulders.
Performance for whom?
The sad state of our district and county is that we don't have leadership. This problem in our law enforcement community of somebody should do something keeps coming up over and over and over again. It really came to a head when Schrant busted Aspen.
We've got judges who look like they're finally starting to look deeper and pay attention but they still fall back on covering the bench and the law instead of asking hard questions. I keep wondering about all the accused who can't get their voices heard who might not have the money for a legal eagle defense like Hutt or Goldstein. Are the courts just going to sit around forever waiting for the right presentation to get in front of them or are they going to take the precautions they should? The place is a mess and dope runs through the streets. Hear about the violence and gangs yet? Our judges are supposed to be the last stop for the people and as it sits now, they've instead got cops overstepping, prosecutors gone wild and lawyers trying to wade through it all.
What about the cops? Why do we have a DEA bust that's kept quiet? Why do we have lawsuits being filed from the private sector for a cop who's a victim of a district that's a mess? That's what Agon is really all about because we've got rampant abuses of power sitting at high levels in every town on the corridor.
Beeson if he had any of the integrity he says he does should step down now. Let Cheney run it out until election time. This is all just really way, way too much to be laying on the people. His first duty is to all the people he serves not just the ones he feels are morally acceptable to him personally.
Where are the BOCC's and Trustees? They are the ones in oversight of the districts and all agencies. Why isn't there a sit down for Pitkin, Garfield and Rio Blanco?
Concur. Put the commissioners, trustees, judges and cops in a sit down first and compare notes on all things to do with the 9th from prosecution, defense and enforcement angles.
Then bring in the lawyers and start asking some real hard questions.
We can't afford the money being blown all over the map. It's not a question of spending it, it's a question of making sure what we spend is doing the whole job and not just selected parts.
"Beeson is moving forward with the bonuses, using funding from Garfield and Pitkin counties only. He has pledged to pay for Rio Blanco’s portion — $2,100 — out of his own salary"
Has this guy lost his mind?
Why in God's name would he set the people up for such liability?
He can't do this. It's illegal. Go take an anger management course but lay off the voters and the dissing of the counties you work for.
Worthy of an investigation is this declaration from Martin.
To do as he claims would be an illegal act. Martin is not a private businessman, he is a public employee and public servant.
The underlying tone of arrogant disdain and contempt for Rio Blanco County and Pitkin County officials is not something that should be allowed by his employers in those counties to go unchecked and undisciplined.
Most certainly, voters should pay strong heed.
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