Mayor Pro Tem Guyleen Castriotta sworn in as Broomfield interim mayor

Jun. 23—Mayor Pro Tem Guyleen Castriotta will serve as Broomfield's interim mayor until the November election — when she runs for the mayoral seat.

Voting council members selected Castriotta by a 7-1 tally. She immediately stepped down as Mayor Pro Tem and as a council member and was sworn in by Broomfield Municipal Judge Amy E. Bockman in the council chambers on Tuesday evening.

Castriotta and Councilwoman Elizabeth Law-Evans were the sole applicants for the interim mayoral position following Mayor Pat Quinn's unexpected resignation in May. Law-Evans recused herself from the vote and exited the chambers, and Castriotta recused herself from the vote and remained in the chambers.

Councilwoman Kimberly Groom, who is running for mayor this November alongside Castriotta, was the sole vote for Law-Evans. Groom previously said she would not run for the interim position, stating, "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."

More than 50 community members filled the chambers Tuesday, many leaving after the mayoral vote. The council heard from 15 individuals during public comment each advocating for or against either Castriotta or Law-Evans.

Quinn was given the opportunity to address the council and the crowd at the start of the meeting. He said he was proud of what he and the council accomplished through the past 18 months. Quinn said his decision to resign was the right choice for him and his wife, and they are now fully retired in Broomfield.

He received a standing ovation from the audience and the council.

"And you guys have fun tonight," Quinn said to the crowd with a smile as he walked out of the meeting following public comment.

City and county Attorney Nancy Rodgers acknowledged the council was "in a very, very odd circumstance."

"There are few details in Broomfield's Charter requiring a set process for filling a vacancy," the corresponding Council memo notes.

Since there was no mayor and Castriotta couldn't act as the presiding officer for the voting process since she was a candidate, councilmembers were asked to nominate a presiding officer. Councilwoman Sharon Tessier was the sole nominee and acted as the presiding officer over the process.

Though Castriotta and Law-Evans submitted letters of interest for the mayoral position, they still had to be nominated before the vote.

Groom said she felt there was a clear gain for councilmembers who had endorsed one candidate over the other, and asked Rodgers for more information. Rodgers advised that the councilmembers should still vote, and it wasn't an ethics code violation.

Approximately 10 residents spoke during public comment in favor of Castriotta. They cited wanting a smooth transition, having someone who had worked closely alongside Quinn and advocated for Castriotta's inclusivity and listening ear.

The remaining residents who spoke advocated for Law-Evans, stressing the value in having an interim mayor who is not running for mayor this November.

Law-Evans is term-limited, and told the Broomfield Enterprise after submitting her letter of interest for the position that she wanted to keep things as fair as possible.

After the public comments the council voted, minus Castriotta and Law-Evans. After a 10-minute break, the council worked through backfilling the then vacant Mayor Pro Tem position.

Councilman Deven Shaff nominated Councilman Stan Jezierski for the position, which council passed unanimously.

Rodgers said the council has 30 days to fill the now vacant council seat, and staff will post the vacancy Wednesday. Applicants have to be from Ward 5 and be duly qualified to apply, Rodgers added.

The application must be submitted by 5 p.m. July 6, and applicants will have to then interview through Spark Hire. The position will be filled at the July 13 meeting.