Brief by Ken Jessen
Rural Politics – June 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine
IN APRIL, small towns throughout Colorado elected new mayors. Despite the popular image of small towns as harmonious places, these positions can come with some controversy.
For instance, some years back former stripper Koleen Kae Brooks was elected to the office of Georgetown mayor. According to the Rocky Mountain News, she was accused of flashing her ample breasts in a Georgetown bar. She then allegedly staged an assault on herself and was subsequently charged with filing a false police report. Ousted by a recall election, she temporarily hosted a show on KBPI.
Certainly Brooks added color to Georgetown, but tarnished its dignified reputation and angered many residents. However, not all was a loss. Tourists started visiting her tanning saloon to be photographed with Georgetown’s famous ex-mayor.
Kathy “Cargo” Rodeman was elected in 2002 by a 64% margin as mayor of Oak Creek, an old coal-mining town north of Steamboat Springs.
According to the Denver Post, Rodeman had previously been arrested for cocaine possession. She claimed that no cocaine was found, only marijuana. There were, however, her two DUI convictions and one for resisting arrest. Rodeman freely admitted to past cocaine use and defended her purchase of marijuana saying that she had bought it for a friend with cancer.
The chief of police resigned the day Rodeman took office, and one of the two police officers was soon fired. The one remaining officer quit. The sign on the trunk of Rodeman’s car said it all, “Well-behaved women rarely make history.”
The remote South Park town of Guffey, located about 4 miles north of the Frémont/Park county line, provides some insight on how a well-oiled political machine should operate. Although shy at first, it is possible for a stranger to spend quality time with the town’s mayor. The mayor often greets visitors, even in the rain. The mayor’s office is on a tattered sofa in the dark interior of the Guffey Garage, one of the town’s antique shops. Curled up in front of a potbelly stove, Guffey’s mayor has a disarming way about him, and visits are always pleasant.
For those not versed in Colorado politics, the mayor is a friendly black cat named Monster. Park County officials wanted some sort of central government in this outpost, and its 35 residents first elected a golden retriever. In a succeeding election, Monster became mayor.
Guffey may appear to be politically more advanced than many other Colorado mountain towns, but a controversy looms.
[Bill Soux and Guffey’s mayor, Monster]
By tradition, the mayor is the pet of the owner of the general store. Monster got the honor when the general store became a saloon several years ago.
However, Guffey resident Tom Elliott reports that the bar has new owners who plan to make the building a general store again. And they have a dog.
“We may have to decide,” Elliott said. “Or perhaps we could have one mayor for West Guffey and another for East Guffey.”
Ken Jessen of Loveland is the author of Ghost Towns: Colorado Style, as well as many other books about Colorado.