Charles Hernandez resigning from Pueblo City Council less than 3 months after appointment

Pueblo City Council will have to fill a vacancy on the dais for the second time in less than three months.

Charles “Chuck” Hernandez, whom council appointed to replace Mayor Heather Graham as one of the three at-large representatives on council, sent a letter of resignation to Council President Mark Aliff on Saturday.

Hernandez is leaving city council in part to spend more time with his family and grandchildren, he said in an interview Tuesday with the Chieftain.

Hernandez was selected as the top candidate of 36 who applied for the position earlier this year. He was not present at Monday’s work session and council entered a last-minute executive session closed to the public, which was not originally listed on the agenda, to receive legal advice on the “replacement seat of Councilor Hernandez.”

Why Hernandez is leaving city council

Hernandez was born and raised and Pueblo but lived and worked outside of the Steel City for much of his career as a financial expert in the energy industry.

He also worked as the city’s director of finance under former Mayor Nick Gradisar between 2019 and 2021 — his financial background and experience with the city were several of the reasons councilors cited for supporting him earlier this year.

Hernandez said that many Puebloans told him he would make a good city councilor when the vacancy opened up after Graham won the mayoral election in late January, which is why he decided to apply. A majority of councilors, all but Joe Latino and Roger Gomez, voted to appoint him in the fifth round of voting.

Serving on city council entails more than the weekly public meetings: Hernandez had been serving on two boards and had many meetings throughout the week, which was more than he expected.

“Nearly seven days a week I was on the phone with someone or meeting with somebody — and I enjoyed that. It’s really so fulfilling when you have vibrant conversations with individuals, with Puebloans,” Hernandez said.

He and his wife would like to spend more time with their grandkids, ages 9 and 3, in Kansas City. They had originally planned to move there after the end of Hernandez's two-year term in early 2026 but opted to expedite the timeline.

Hernandez and his wife won’t be leaving Pueblo immediately but are starting the process of moving “to be able to be with them as they’re growing up," he said.

The timing seems “abrupt,” Hernandez said, but he decided now is the best time to step away amid the upcoming budget season.

“I knew in my heart, that I wasn't going to be able to continue to commit," he said.

Hernandez isn’t the first local elected official in recent years to leave public office early to spend more time with family. Former Pueblo County Commissioner Chris Wiseman opted not to run for re-election in 2022 after serving a single term, and longtime District Attorney Jeff Chostner, also a Democrat, announced in January he wasn’t going to run for a fourth term.

The role of politics on city council

Hernandez is currently a registered Democrat, but he identifies as a Conservative and a capitalist from his financial background.

He said from his perspective, the dynamics of city council did not seem politicized during his tenure on the dais.

“I think that things get embellished when someone is an outsider looking at us and thinking, 'that's political,' but I didn't see the same type of dynamics,” Hernandez said. “Am I blind or naïve to it? I hope not. But I certainly wasn't motivated or trying to be persuaded to go to a political perspective or agenda.”

Municipal government in Colorado is nonpartisan by nature: candidates do not run as affiliates of any political parties. However, the mayor and majority of city councilors are now either affiliated with the Republican party or have affinities with local Conservative groups.

Sarah Martinez and Dennis Flores are the only current councilors registered as Democrats.

How will Hernandez be replaced?

Council acted swiftly to replace Graham and selected Hernandez at a special meeting less than three weeks after she was sworn in.

City Council President Mark Aliff told the Chieftain that council will need to formally accept Hernandez’s resignation at their meeting next week the day after Memorial Day and then will decide the process for finding a replacement councilor.

“On Tuesday night, we'll discuss it, we'll develop a plan of action and then we'll implement it,” Aliff said. “And we'll do that in a public meeting.”

Aliff sent an email to staff the day after Graham was sworn in to start accepting applications, the Chieftain previously reported, but he said Tuesday that he had sent that “erroneously” as there is a “legal process that has to take place.”

Haley Sue Robinson, a city spokesperson, said that the mayor’s office heard from Hernandez about his departure on Monday.

The process for selecting a replacement will go through city council and the city clerk’s office. “So we’ll just take direction from city council on how they would like to proceed,” Robinson said.

The city had not yet announced Hernandez's departure in a press release or a social media post as of Tuesday afternoon.

Council could also be short-handed this summer if Councilor Sarah Martinez opts to take temporary parental leave after giving birth. A new six-week leave policy for councilors was passed unanimously in March.

Hernandez’s advice for the next city councilor

Although he’s leaving the dais, Hernandez said that he would still be willing to meet with any of the current council members to share his financial perspective.

Hernandez advised that whoever replaces him on council should focus on “doing your homework, first and foremost," researching what’s going to come before council and considering multiple factors.

Also important is being aware of “internal innate biases” and justifying thought processes.

“When you're answering to the people, whether it's in chambers or as they're viewing it on TV, that as a representative of the city, that people believe you — and even though they may not agree with you, they understand that at least you got to give it a fair chance,” Hernandez said.

The seven city councilors, as well as the mayor, are the eight officers of the municipal corporation of Pueblo and that’s a significant obligation, he said.

“That's quite a responsibility and don't take it lightly if you're going to pursue it,” Hernandez said. “Understand what that commitment really entails. It is a commitment and a responsibility because you do impact and affect lives directly.”

Anna Lynn Winfrey covers politics for the Pueblo Chieftain. She can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com. Please support local news at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Why Charles 'Chuck' Hernandez is resigning from Pueblo City Council