The county coroner moved into a new building about 20 years ago. Unfortunately, it followed the county pattern of not planning for the future. The building was big enough for our needs in the 1980s and 1990s, but is already too small for the volume of autopsies. It lacks room for basement expansion, nor are its walls capable of supporting a second story. It was what I call a “throwaway” building, erected for political expediency. The same defects cursed our 1980s courthouse and metro jail, and the city’s police headquarters (bulldozed after only 35 years).Apart from space limits, other (planned?) obsolescence was built in. The coroner facility lacks ventilation, so a rotting corpse smells up the whole building. There is no private room to counsel relatives of the deceased. One small room has four desks for four investigators.A new structure would cost $3-to-4 million. That money is available but is now squandered by commissioners on wasteful projects, such as a $3 million annual giveaway of county property taxes to the city. The current plan is to add this expansion to a “public safety” tax increase in a future election. Other recipients would be the health department, which spends over $1 million yearly on sexual diseases, and the sheriff’s office for more jail cells. Though five county “public safety” ballot issues have lost in 12 years, for liberals, hope springs eternal.As a temporary fix, the Board just approved, over my objection, up to $200,000 for a metal trailer to sit behind the existing building. That seemed an outrageous price, so I asked about cost estimates. The staff had no figures about rental alternatives, nor had they checked out used structures from school districts or other sources. The figure included $75,000 for utility hookups (about 10 times the likely cost), $35,000 for data transmission links and other super-inflated price tags. I asked what the likely final cost would be, and they said it might be under $100,000.So why approve $200,000? Because a foolish procurement policy manual rule says the Board must authorize a dollar amount before the county can seek requests for proposals. I noted that was insane. This Board loves to go into secret sessions on real estate negotiations (I don’t participate in secret government proceedings), supposedly to avoid signaling their maximum price. Here, they publicly announced to bidders they are willing to pay up to $200,000 on this project. I observed that was like a buyer going to houses for sale and saying “I’m prepared to pay $200,000. How much is this house?” My colleagues don’t care; it’s not their money.Lawyer LauerIn March, over my objection, the Board hired Jay Lauer as the new county attorney. He was paid $120,000 yearly, one-third more than Gov. Ritter. He was given a golden parachute, meaning that if he were fired without good cause (theft, etc.), he would get six months of pay and benefits for NOT working.During the March appointment interviews, I asked all four candidates, “If the plain meaning of the Constitution required one action and a court opinion directed the opposite action, which would you advise we obey-the Constitution or the court?” All four said we should follow the judge, NOT OUR OATHS OF OFFICE! I therefore refused to support any of them. Moral corruption in our fraudulent legal system is the great unreported government scandal. Instead of honoring the rule of law, politicians focus on finding spineless lawyers to predict what politically appointed judges would let us get away with. That’s why I resigned years ago from the California bar; I refuse to sell my soul in support of encroaching judicial tyranny. I half-jokingly call myself a “recovering attorney.”Recently, my colleagues met in secret session. I again objected that the general topic was not even printed in the agenda and refused to participate. After paying an outside lawyer for advice, board members secretly agreed Lawyer Lauer did not please them. They put him on leave for a month, with full pay ($10,000) and benefits. In a month, unless he negotiates an even better deal, he will be fired and receive another $60,000 in cash, plus six months of benefits.There’s about $85,000 in taxpayer costs because of the Board’s illegal and arbitrary covert action. Now we must do another interview process. I will again urge that it be open (not another “good old boy” selection process, with or without superficial competition). I will ask the same question again and vote against any nominee who trashes our beloved Constitution. Of the five commissioners, I alone take seriously my solemn oath made before God and the public and always will.Is it any wonder my four colleagues unanimously oppose my re-election? Do you now understand why I am proud of their scorn and obloquy?Contact me at (719) 520-6412, by e-mail at DouglasBruce@elpasoco.com, or by writing me at 27 E. Vermijo Ave. Colo. Spgs. CO 80903. Audiotapes of all BOCC meetings, both simulcast and in archives, are available at www.elpasoco.com. Comcast cable broadcasts are on Library Channel 17 at 7 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays, and repeated at 10 p.m. Back issues of my monthly reports are at www.DouglasBruce.com. Free reports and notices of quarterly Town Hall meetings can be emailed to you regularly. Just sign up. Thank you.
