Broomfield Mayor Patrick Quinn resigns
May 18—Broomfield Mayor Patrick Quinn announced he's resigning, effective Sunday.
Quinn is ending his term six months early, calling the decision the right choice for his family, according to a news release from the city and county of Broomfield. This is Quinn's second tenure as mayor. He was first elected in 2007, serving three terms, and he was re-elected to the seat in 2019. Quinn was not running for reelection this November.
After leading the city and county through the coronavirus pandemic and working through other hot-button issues, the 67-year-old said he is tired.
"I took on more than I anticipated with COVID. It just came down to, I was tired, and I just wanted to move on to the next phase of my life," Quinn said in a phone interview Tuesday. "The last year and a half has been tough. Between oil and gas, community diversity, sustainability, every issue nowadays is controversial. ...That's the nature of politics right now. It got physically demanding."
In his resignation letter, Quinn wrote he and his wife "have realized the past two years have extracted a toll on both of us and that it is time for me to resign."
Quinn said he ran for mayor in 2019 with the goal of reuniting a divisive council, which he feels he's achieved. He's leaving office after dedicating nearly four decades to serving Broomfield, including stints with four different City Councils. He stressed Tuesday he is proud of how council has worked together. But he's ready to retire.
"I didn't enjoy being the mayor the last six months, I don't think that's a secret to everybody," he said. "Did I have the obligation to everybody to stay for six months? What it came down to was ... the health of my family."
Quinn said Westminster Mayor Herb Atchison's unexpected resignation for health reasons earlier this month also played into his decision.
Mayor Pro Tem Guyleen Castriotta, who was elected in 2017 to represent Ward 5, will fill in as mayor until a new one is appointed. City Council has 30 days to fill the vacancy by a majority vote, according to the Broomfield Charter. The selected individual will finish out the remainder of Quinn's term, which ends Nov. 9. Should a current councilmember be selected as mayor, then their seat will be filled by a majority vote of City Council for the remainder of their term.
Quinn said Castriotta is "more than capable" of taking over in the interim.
Castriotta is running for Mayor in this November's election, along with Ward 4 Councilwoman Kimberly Groom.
Quinn said he realized he wanted to resign last week. He consulted with his brother and one of his daughters and his wife Carleen. He then called Castriotta on Thursday, he said, to make sure she was OK with it.
Castriotta said in a statement she was surprised by his decision, but that she respects and understands it.
"I can't express my appreciation enough for Mayor Quinn's service to the city, especially his leadership during this very difficult and challenging year with COVID," her statement reads. "Mayor Quinn has consistently put the city and county of Broomfield first and now is the time to celebrate his contributions and leadership. I had the great privilege of working side-by-side with Mayor Quinn since November 2019, which has prepared me to step in and take on the role of mayor.
"It is because of Mayor Quinn's inclusive leadership that I am ready to deliver a seamless transition for Broomfield."
Groom said Quinn's resignation has imposed hardship on the Broomfield community, and as a candidate for mayor she looks forward to speaking with citizens.
"Undoubtedly, Mayor Quinn has had his hands full as he was constantly being pulled from the most extreme members of his party. I will not seek political appointment for mayoral position because this council has history of political paybacks and cronyism," Groom wrote in a statement. "I will put my trust in Broomfield voters. It is not appropriate for any mayoral candidate to seek appointment or to be appointed into this position during an election cycle. A neutral placeholder is the fair approach for our community until the Broomfield voters speak this November."
City and county manager Jennifer Hoffman told the Enterprise that Quinn's commitment to Broomfield has and will continue to be impactful.
"Always putting the community first, even when the decision may be unpopular, he is always offering up a conversation to engage residents in an attempt to understand all points of view," Hoffman sad in an email. "It is admirable that he has put himself and his family first, and on behalf of staff, we want to honor his decision and wish him health and happiness on his next journey. I know that we will be seeing the Quinn name throughout the community for years to come."
Quinn stated in the release he loves Broomfield and will continue to be it's greatest cheerleader.
"This is a unique place, a place we chose to raise our five daughters and the place where we will retire," he said.
Quinn holds a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Colorado State University. He said he's been "a supercharged person" since graduating college in 1975.
And for the first time in his life, Quinn doesn't know what's next.
"I don't want to know what the next thing is going to be. Carleen and I will figure it out together," he said, adding he will definitely spend time with his children and grandchildren.
According to Section 4.6 of the Broomfield Charter, a qualified candidate to fill Quinn's seat has to be a registered elector, a resident of the city, a resident of the ward (if applicable) and cannot be a salaried employee of the city.
All interested candidates must submit a letter of interest to the City Clerk's office at cityclerk@broomfield.org by 5 p.m. June 11. City Council will fill the vacancy at its June 22 meeting.
