Dec. 27—Editor’s note: The Times-Call is counting down the top 10 news stories of the year, as selected by the newspaper’s editors.

Former Dacono City Manager A.J. Euckert received an award and was abruptly fired, all, during the same City Council meeting in February.

Without offering any explanation as to why, former Dacono Mayor Pro Tem Kathryn Wittman made a motion to fire Euckert, which passed in a 4-2 vote, during the Feb. 13 council meeting.

Several residents and even some city officials questioned how four councilmembers appeared to know, ahead of time, that Euckert’s termination was imminent.

After all, Euckert’s contract was not listed on the Feb. 13 meeting’s pre-published agenda.

Two of the four councilmembers who voted to fire Euckert — Jackie Thomas and Jim Turini — were later recalled by voters and replaced by current councilmembers Tony Cummings and Michelle Rogers.

Wittman did not seek reelection in November.

Dacono city staff members also had to take matters into their own hands and order ballots for the voter-authorized recall after the City Council failed to authorize the purchase itself.

Earlier this year, Thomas, Turini, Wittman and Councilmember Danny Long were captured on home security videos going door to door in the city, encouraging residents to not sign recall petitions, possibly in violation of Colorado’s Open Meetings Law.

The law states that “all meetings of a quorum or three or more members of any local body, whichever is fewer, at which any public business is discussed or at which any formal action may be taken are declared to be public meetings open to the public at all times.”

Thomas, Turini, Wittman and Long have maintained they did nothing wrong.

In October, Euckert was hired by Lochbuie to serve as its town administrator. Dacono, which is still without a permanent city manager, appointed Jennifer Krieger to the interim city manager position.

——

Top 10

No. 10: A dangerous year on the roads

No. 9: Longmont doused with rain as city experiences wettest year since 1923

No. 8: Two convicted in Longmont postal murder case

No. 7: Proposition HH fails; property valuations rise

No. 6: Former state Rep. Tracey Bernett resigns