Firestone’s elected government has been at a standstill for nearly three months.
Trustee Frank Jimenez has not attended a regular Firestone Board of Trustees meeting since May 20, and his extended, unexplained absence has left the town’s elected government unable to conduct official business.
Jimenez notified Mayor Don Conyac in July that he would be unavailable to attend meetings for the foreseeable future but would not resign his seat. Around the same time, according to public records, he listed his Firestone home for sale, further raising questions about when, or whether, he will return.
Jimenez did not agree to go on the record with the Times-Call, and Conyac said privacy laws prevent him from disclosing why the trustee has been absent, insisting the circumstances are legitimate. “I know what’s going on, and we should give the guy a break. I’m praying for him. How’s that?” the mayor said.
The paralysis is the latest chapter in a political quarrel that began with April’s recall election, when voters removed Trustees Raymond Byrd and Lorna Morton. Only one replacement candidate, Bobby Matthews, filed for the two recalled seats, leaving one vacancy on the six-member board.
The mayor is the seventh person on the dais and votes only in the event of a tie.
This spring’s recall effort stemmed largely from frustration over the town’s handling of its dispute with the Central Weld County Water District and opposition to the previous board’s creation of the town’s Downtown Development Authority.
The newly constituted board quickly began reversing decisions made by its predecessors. At its May 20 meeting, trustees directed staff to prepare an ordinance to close remaining DDA professional-service agreements, freeze remaining DDA funds after outstanding obligations were settled, and prepare an ordinance for future board consideration to formally dissolve the DDA.
Matthews said he supported dismantling the DDA because he believes the previous board created it by “selling”’ themselves 10-square-foot parcels of town-owned land under an emergency ordinance so they would qualify as property owners eligible to serve on the authority’s board. He also criticized redevelopment plans that included “a big soccer stadium and all kinds of stuff,” saying residents objected because “nowhere in there was there a park.”
Meeting minutes from March 26, 2025, confirm the 10 square-foot property “conveyances” occurred to the trustees to make them landowners, therefore allowing them to establish a DDA.
Conyac disputes Matthews’ characterization of the situation. He said the trustees pushing to restore a quorum wanted to quickly change the town’s approach to the Central Weld County Water District and move forward with issues involving the Downtown Development Authority before the November election.
“They think they can do a better job talking with Central Weld County Water District than we can,” Conyac said. “They want to ram their agenda through as quickly as possible.”
The proposed ordinance dissolving the DDA remains among the items stalled because the board has been unable to reach a quorum.
The water dispute has since escalated after the in July that it intends to terminate its decades-old service agreement through a three-year transition period, while the board’s plans for the DDA became another major issue during the recall campaign. Critics accused the previous board of taking an unnecessarily combative approach toward the water district and objected to the DDA’s formation and proposed redevelopment plans, including the process used to create the district.
When Trustee Sean Doherty resigned on June 9 without giving a reason, Jimenez’s absence left the board without the four members needed for a quorum. Since then, trustees have been unable to appoint replacements, vote on development proposals and annexations, act on water-related agreements, dissolve the Downtown Development Authority or take other actions requiring board approval.
“This situation has surprised me as much as the rest of the people,” Conyac said. “I had no idea this was even coming.”
Matthews said trustees also were never told why Doherty stepped down. Matthews and Trustee John Damsma said they have no way of knowing why Jimenez has been absent.
The Times Call was unable to reach Doherty for comment.
Matthews and Damsma both said they sympathize if Jimenez is facing legitimate personal circumstances but argue the board remains effectively in limbo without his participation.
“It’s the paralysis that’s caused by it, that’s the problem here,” Damsma said.
Former Trustee Linda Haney has spent weeks documenting the board’s inactivity in lengthy Nextdoor posts that have received significant public interaction. Haney argues that Conyac and Jimenez have allowed Firestone’s government to grind to a halt.
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Conyac rejected that characterization, saying Colorado law leaves him with little choice to comment on Jimenez’s absence and accusing critics of misunderstanding the town’s legal obligations. Conyac also criticized Haney, saying she was being “very hypocritical” because she had previously missed months of meetings herself.
Haney disputed that characterization, telling the Times-Call she underwent emergency heart surgery after doctors discovered what she described as a “widowmaker” blockage in January 2025. She said she missed five meetings over roughly four months, returned to attend one meeting during her recovery, resigned in early May of 2025 because of additional complications and would have participated remotely had she been given the opportunity.
Conyac said he understands residents’ frustration but believes much of the public conversation has overlooked an important point: The town itself is still operating.
“Town staff is doing a very good job of keeping up on things,” he said. “Town bills are being paid.”
Conyac also pushed back on claims that Firestone’s government is approaching a crisis. He said a group of residents has incorrectly suggested the town must first appoint interim trustees before it can hold its November election because they want to advance what he described as an agenda centered on the Central Weld County Water District dispute and the Downtown Development Authority before voters go to the polls.
“There is this group that has an agenda, and they want their agenda pushed forward as quickly as possible before the election,” Conyac said. “But what they’re saying is wrong. We will be able to have an election in November.”
The mayor also argued the town has contingency plans if the board remains unable to meet. While acknowledging the lack of a quorum has delayed work on Firestone’s 2027 budget, which is supposed to be voted on and approved in mid-October, Conyac said the town can temporarily continue operating under its 2026 budget until a newly elected board adopts and amends a 2027 spending plan after the November election.
He also maintained that Colorado statutes and the state’s Open Meetings Law prevent him from convening meetings without a quorum and said the board’s emergency remote participation rules that would allow for Jimenez to attend meetings remotely do not apply because the current situation does not constitute the type of public safety emergency contemplated by town procedures.
Damsma said the Aug. 19 scheduled regular board meeting represents the best opportunity to restore a functioning government by appointing interim trustees to fill the vacant seats.
“The easiest fix to this is that Trustee Jimenez attend the meeting on Aug. 19,” Damsma said. “At that time, we can appoint two new trustees.”
Both trustees also contend the mayor should allow Jimenez to participate remotely under the board’s rules of procedure. Conyac disagrees, saying the rules governing emergency remote participation do not apply because the current situation is political rather than a public safety emergency. He added that he cannot “force” Jimenez to participate, which he said has been suggested by some disgruntled residents.
Matthews estimated roughly 75 residents attended Wednesday night’s Chat with the Trustees — several times the usual turnout — where many questioned whether Firestone would be able to conduct town business, address its ongoing water dispute and hold its November election while the board remains unable to reach a quorum.
Conyac maintains the current situation is the product of the recall election itself, which he said triggered a chain reaction that no one anticipated.
Conyac said that those who pushed for the recall, though he acknowledged that they had every right to do so, “jumped the gun,” setting off a “domino effect” that left the town without a functioning board. He said the recall reduced the board’s numbers, Doherty resigned soon afterward and Jimenez’s absence prevented trustees from appointing replacements. He added that he is just as unhappy with the lack of quorum as others, but his hands are tied.
Matthews sees it differently, saying the responsibility ultimately rests with Jimenez.
“I am frustrated with Jimenez,” he said. “We all take an oath to do our job.”
Whether Firestone’s board can break the stalemate may become clearer Aug. 19, when trustees are next scheduled to meet. If Jimenez does not attend, trustees say they will remain unable to appoint replacements, leaving Firestone’s elected government without a quorum and unable to act on a growing list of unfinished business.
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