The Golden Gate Fire Protection District (GGFPD) serves 1,200 people living in 450 homes in an area of fifty square miles in Golden Gate Canyon. The department is all-volunteer, consisting of full-time, part-time, and volunteer professionals.

President Deb Curlee called the Golden Gate Fire Department Board of Directors Special Board meeting to order at 7 p.m. on Monday, February 27, 2023. In attendance were President Deb Curlee, Vice President Niffy Ovuworie, Secretary Steve Green, Treasurer Chris Creech, and Director David Primmer. Prospective Chief Kyle Kociemba-Benson also attended and opened with a personal introduction and slide presentation on his background, goals, and salary.

There were additions to the agenda, including a personal apology for an email, and a recommendation for the board to seek legal counsel for an abuse of confidential board materials.

Kociemba-Benson explained in his presentation that he was a former paramedic and would like to provide an extra level of care faster for the residents of the district. He is a native of Evergreen and grew up raising horses.

He promised transparency and proposed a $78,000 yearly salary, including a compensation package which he said is on par with fire chiefs in the region and includes a pension, life insurance, and a cell phone stipend but no medical benefits except an FSA.

There was some confusion because the district advertised the position for $2,000-3,000 per month. The position is for 20 hours a week and the district gets about 120 calls a year. Secretary Green expressed concern for the budget and the proposal for the increase in salary.

The prospective Chief explained how the salary package will allow him to focus on the Golden Gate Canyon Fire District, instead of being on long shifts at Nederland Fire Protection District (NFPD). He will remain at NFPD, but not as a captain.

He said that he would seek grant funding for many of the supplies the Department needs in order to thrive.

There was an objection to the minutes presented to the board: Creech objected to the minutes for non-conformity to traditional minutes structure, stating that instead it was “more of a mini transcription which contained bias.”

There were two votes to approve the minutes from January 19, 2023 and three voted against. Motion did not carry.

There was a motion to provide recordings of all the meetings online within a week. Three members voted yes and two voted no. Motion carried.

It was clear that Vice President Ovuworie and Secretary Green have a contentious relationship. Green said he was never offered a part in the hiring process for the Chief, and that falsities have been inserted into the September 1 minutes. There was a motion and a second to approve the minutes from September 1. Motion carried.

Ovuworie proposed that the board not alter the mill levy. Curlee and Creech voted in favor. Primmer and Green abstained from the motion.

There was a motion to approve how the minutes are recorded: minutes will be produced following Robert’s Rule of Order and will be made available to the public. Three were in favor, two voted against. Motion carried.

Green has accused members of inserting falsities into minutes and has requested that Ovuworie and Creech be censored. Creech responded with a transcript of the recording in question, providing a fact check of the minutes.

Green moved to censor Ovuworie for putting his own version of events in the minutes. Green then abstained from the vote. Three voted nay. Motion did not carry.

It seemed that Green did not understand the difference between “censor” and “to censure,” the latter meaning “to severely disapprove of someone or something in a formal statement.” Curlee responded to Green’s motion that no one on the board has the right to “censor” anyone else.

Green also presented a motion for “the censorship of Deb Curlee,” saying that she misrepresented the board to the attorney in trying to communicate information regarding the cost of the ballots for the election. The motion was not seconded.

Creech moved to seek legal counsel to analyze the actions of Steve Green for releasing confidential information from their executive session concerning the proposal of the prospective Fire Chief’s salary. Three directors were in favor with two opposed. Motion carried.

Creech moved to issue a public apology for an incendiary email sent from Steve Green to a neighboring chief, John Arendt, that Creech believes threatens the livelihood of GGFPD. Green said he was not embarrassed about the email.

Curlee seconded, with three nays. Motion did not pass.

Public comment revealed opinions that the email should not have been public and that the language used was highly abrasive and unprofessional. Another resident asked for Green’s resignation. Ovuworie let the public know that the board has adopted rules for public comment and that the board cannot oust a member. Another member of the public asked if there was a process by which the public can gain signatures for a recall in hope of removing Green from the board.

Meeting adjourned at 9:23 p.m.

The next meeting will be on March 16, 2023 at 7 p.m. at the Golden Gate Grange, 25201 Golden Gate Canyon Road, Golden CO 80403.