Letter to the Editor – The Narrative That Protects the State, Not the People

The story being told publicly about Hartman is one of infighting, resignations, and “keyboard warriors.” The story that is missing is the one that actually matters.

Hartman’s water system did not collapse because we lacked a water operator or because our board resigned. It collapsed because the USDA‑financed water tank was deemed irreparable more than twenty‑five years ago, and state and federal agencies continued to treat it as a functioning asset. We received boil orders even when certified operators were in place because the system itself is non‑viable. No amount of local leadership could have made an irreparable tank compliant—and that is the point I have been trying to get across.

Until August 2025, Hartman had no knowledge that the water tank was irreparable. The town was never notified of its condition prior to the USDA bond, and for more than two decades we operated under the assumption that the system could be repaired. There were several attempts to repair the non‑viable tank, and each attempt failed, putting the Town of Hartman deeper into debt. These repairs were pursued even after CDPHE requested photographic documentation of the interior of the tank, which clearly showed the structural failure that allowed contamination pathways into the system — including bacteria, insects, and fecal contamination. CDPHE had this evidence in hand, yet continued issuing fines and enforcement actions as if the system could be made compliant. The Attorney General threatened legal action, even though the violations stemmed from a failed USDA asset that could not be repaired.

It has been stated that Hartman has “no elected officials to maintain the system or hire an operator,” yet the truth is that the individuals who were sitting as trustees never certified their election, never completed a budget or audit, and never performed the statutory duties required of a functioning government. Their resignation did not create a collapse — it revealed one. The statutory framework provides no mechanism for a town to restore elections once it loses a clerk or quorum, and that is the real crisis the state refuses to acknowledge.

Senator Pelton’s claim that this bill is designed to help other towns “in similar situations” is an admission that other towns are also collapsing — but the bill does not address the cause. It does not restore the right to vote. It does not allow residents to decide whether to dissolve. It does not repair the statutory gap that left Hartman without a path to lawful governance. Instead, it protects the county, the state, and their agencies from liability for decades of inaction, while insulating the Colorado Municipal League’s doctrine of “local control,” which has repeatedly harmed rural communities.

Pelton’s statement that “keyboard warriors are dangerous people” is an attempt to discredit the residents who have been documenting the truth that the state, the county, DOLA, USDA, CDPHE, and CML do not want on record. The danger is not the people telling the truth. The danger is a statutory system that collapses a town and then blames the residents for noticing.

Hartman had a $1 million grant package to replace the tank. The only reason it was not replaced is because the individuals treated as trustees by DOLA, CDPHE and CML could not perform the basic duties required to access it. When residents attempted to use the petition process to restore lawful governance, CML assisted those same individuals in timing out the special election. That is not “infighting.” That is institutional obstruction.

DOLA’s overreach has also contributed to Hartman’s collapse, especially around election time. In 2022, DOLA’s regional manager drafted an ordinance — with assistance from CML’s election specialist — that changed Hartman’s trustee terms from two years to four. This ordinance was written and passed too close to the election to be legally valid, and DOLA and CML withdrew from the process immediately afterward, leaving the town to deal with the fallout. The invalid ordinance split the community, created confusion about terms of office, and deepened divisions that continue today.

For years, DOLA has treated an uncertified, non‑functioning board as legitimate, even after the town issued an emergency declaration and passed an ordinance documenting that our government was nonfunctional and our water system was irreparable. This occurred in the presence of DOLA’s Interim Regional Manager and USDA’s Risk Management team. Instead of acknowledging the collapse, DOLA continued to reinforce a structure that had already failed, and USDA went silent.

This is why I requested that DOLA be audited: because their actions and overreach contributed to Hartman’s collapse, and the state continued to ignore the emergency declaration, the ordinance documenting our government’s failure, and the evidence that our water system was irreparable. CML, as a nonprofit, is immune from state oversight, yet it played a direct role in shaping decisions that affected our elections and our governance.

As you can see, Hartman’s crisis is not new. It is not sudden. It is not the result of social media or family disputes. It is the predictable outcome of a failed federal asset, decades of regulatory neglect, and a statutory framework that provides no path to recovery once a town loses its clerk and quorum.

If the state wants to help Hartman, it should start by acknowledging the truth: our water system failed because the tank failed, and our government failed because the statute failed. SB157 does not fix either problem. It simply makes it easier to declare towns abandoned without ever addressing why they collapsed.

My concern with SB157 is simple: it does not protect the constitutional rights of Hartman’s residents. The Colorado Constitution requires a vote of the electors before a town can be dissolved or its assets transferred, yet SB157 provides no mechanism for that vote. This is part of a larger pattern in which the state continues to pass legislation that offers no pathway for small statutory towns to restore elections, recover lawful governance, or exercise their rights. The bill protects the county, the state, and the agencies that failed Hartman — but it does not protect the people who live here.

Given that SB157 does not restore our ability to hold an election, does not provide the constitutionally required vote on dissolution, and does not address the structural failures that caused Hartman’s collapse, I genuinely do not understand how anyone can tell residents of any small statutory town that this bill is “the best thing for them.” But, Pelton’s message is not meant for the residents of small towns. It is meant to protect local governments and agencies that are understaffed, under‑resourced, and unable to meet their statutory obligations. SB157 shields those institutions from accountability instead of restoring the rights of the people who live in these towns.

The narrative of “infighting” is being used to give the state leverage to erase small towns before anyone is held responsible for the structural failures that caused their collapse. Hartman did not fail because of feuds or social media. It failed because the water system was formally declared irreparable, and multiple agencies refused to acknowledge it even after the town issued an emergency declaration, passed an ordinance documenting the failure, and provided evidence in the presence of DOLA and USDA officials. CDPHE continued issuing fines, and the Attorney General threatened legal action, all while the state ignored the emergency declaration. This information was sent to the Governor, Representative Ty Winter, and Senator Pelton before his drafting of SB157, so the narrative that Hartman collapsed due to “infighting” is simply not supported by the facts.

Rural Colorado deserves better than legislative abandonment disguised as assistance.

Shawna Casey – Hartman Resident