Chairman Steve Peck’s failure to convene a vacancy meeting

My Fellow Republicans,

As members of the Central Committee of the Douglas County Republican Party, we are committed to upholding the principles of local control, accountability, and preserving our party’s influence in shaping the leadership of our county. Unfortunately, recent events in Douglas County raise serious concerns about whether these values are being protected within our own ranks. Therefore, It is my duty to inform all of you as the elected 2nd Vice Chair for the Douglas County Republicans that our Chairman, Steve Peck, has decided to forego holding a vacancy meeting to appoint a new Republican Commissioner who is to fill the remainder of former Commissioner Lora Thomas' term. Instead he will intentionally allow the Democratic Governor Jared Polis to appoint this commissioner in our stead, this is a violation of our bylaws that require us to hold a meeting if there is a vacancy.

By now many of you have seen the attached letter from Colorado GOP Chair Dave Williams addressing this issue. I want to assure you that I implored Chairman Peck to reconsider this action.

Chairman Steve Peck’s failure to convene a vacancy meeting, and refusal to send an official call to fill the vacant county commissioner position is not merely a misstep—it is a blatant abdication of our party’s power and responsibility. This dereliction of duty will allow the Democratic governor from Boulder to appoint a commissioner to a vacancy that should have been filled by you, our party’s dedicated activists. Such inaction accelerates the erosion of our party’s influence and diminishes the role of the Republican Party in shaping our county’s leadership.

By failing to seize this critical opportunity, Chairman Peck has disregarded the voices of all of you. His inaction undermines the purpose of our continued involvement in county party activism: ensuring that Republican principles and policies are represented at every level of government. He has ceded your authority to name a replacement to Democrats in Denver and weakened the influence of our county party, effectively silencing all of us on a matter of significant importance. This also sets a dangerous precedent that our chair may, at their discretion, simply decide not to hold a meeting required by our bylaws. It signals to our opponents that our own chairman is either unwilling or unable to protect our party’s rightful voice or comply with the requirement to hold a vacancy meeting within the mandated 10-day timeframe as mandated by our bylaws.

This pattern of neglect cannot continue, especially as we approach future election cycles, where every decision, every seat, and every effort will be crucial. I urge you to join me in demanding accountability from Chairman Peck. His primary duty is to represent and defend the interests of our party and its members. If he is unwilling or unable to fulfill this responsibility under our bylaws, we must act to ensure that our leadership reflects the strength and determination of Douglas County’s Republican values, rather than ceding authority to the Radical Democrats in the state house who seek to marginalize Republican principles and influence.

I publicly ask for Chairman Pecks immediate resignation. In Lieu of that, I have attached a proposed resolution of censure against Chairman Peck, which I plan to present at the next Executive Committee meeting on January 21, 2025. This failure and direct violation of our bylaws are included in the censure.

Please let Chairman Peck know that, regardless of his justifications, it is unacceptable for him to refuse to hold a vacancy meeting and directly violate our bylaws. Allowing Democrats in Denver to decide for us because holding a meeting is inconvenient or he misunderstands the relevant statutes are not valid excuses to neglect his duty.

Together, we can reaffirm our commitment to local control and a strong, principled, and proactive Republican Party in Douglas County.

In Liberty,

Edward Hairfield

2nd Vice Chair

Douglas County Republican Party