Estes Valley Voice: Until last October, I had never filed a lawsuit. I have given testimony in a few hearings, and I was once a juror in a first-degree murder trial (the defendant was found guilty and is serving the rest of his life in prison), but as for taking anyone to court, I never had a reason to do so.

Over the past several years, I have covered the Estes Park Police Department and the Estes Valley Fire Protection District as a reporter and editor for two publications. I have watched as boards and administrators made decisions to sever relationships with a police chief and a fire chief. These were difficult processes to watch unfold. Controversial things take a toll on staff morale and the community’s confidence.

Last October, I was covering a meeting of the EVFPD’s board of directors when I realized that the board had violated the State’s open meetings law.

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