Letter to the Editor – “Hartman Deserves Transparency, not a Pre‑Written Outcome”

The recent “Hartman Update” from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs is not an update at all. It is a coordinated sales pitch for abandoning the Town of Hartman, written to make a state‑engineered process look like a resident‑initiated choice.

The letter uses soft, reassuring language — “Hartman would still be Hartman,” “nothing else would change” — while avoiding every real question residents have asked for months: Why didn’t the state intervene when the water tank failed? Why did they allow an unlawful government to operate for years? Why was the emergency declaration ignored? Why were residents shut out of meetings? Why was no emergency water support provided until now?

Instead of answering, the state manufactured urgency. We are told to file “as soon as possible” and warned that the option “closes in 2028,” as if the deadline is about public safety. If this were truly about health and safety, the state would have acted long before now.

The messaging across all documents is coordinated:

“Don’t worry, nothing will change.”

“Your water is unsafe, and we won’t fix it unless you
dissolve.”

“Here is the exact script to file for abandonment — use
our words and send it quickly.”

The abandonment instructions literally tell residents what to say, how to say it, what statute to cite, and who to email. That is not guidance. That is the state ghost‑writing the petition so they can later claim, “Hartman asked for this.”

Meanwhile, the water notice highlights bacteria, lack of testing, and risks to infants and the elderly — conditions that have existed for months or years — because fear accelerates compliance. And even now, the temporary operator they are sending is not allowed to fix anything. This is not emergency response; it is the bare minimum needed to limit liability while pushing dissolution.

This process is not transparent governance, community engagement, or responsible emergency management. It is a state‑engineered abandonment designed to protect the Colorado government from
accountability for decades of neglect.

Hartman deserves honesty, not a scripted outcome.

Shawna Casey – Hartman Resident