Brief by Central Staff
Judiciary – July 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine
Ken Plotz of Salida, chief judge of the 11th Judicial District, will not stand for another six-year term this year. (Colorado judges are appointed by the governor, then face public votes on their retention at regular intervals.)
A former public defender, Plotz said he loved being a judge for the past 15 years, but “I felt in my life I needed to make some changes, and the older I get, the harder it is to make changes.” He hopes to attend the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
In the meantime, his retired predecessor wants to emerge from retirement.
That’s John Anderson, who retired as a district judge a few years ago. He appeared before the Westcliffe Town Board on June 8 to apply for the town court’s vacant judgeship, saying that he needed something to do.
The other applicant, Harold Taylor, was also a retired judge, though Taylor served in county court. He was just appointed municipal judge in Silver Cliff.
The positions are vacant on account of the April 7 death of Whitney Sullivan, who conducted municipal court for both Westcliffe and Silver Cliff.
