Commissioner Amy Mitchell on the mule hunters.
Published in The Flume – December 30, 2022
“They did not see what they thought they see [sic].” Commissioner Amy Mitchell, December 20, 2022.
On election day, November 8, 2022, a frantic alert hit Park County’s social media. It read verbatim: “Someone just posted that Monica Jones [Park County Assessor] has carried a bag of ballots to count herself? What is this all about? Someone posted a video of her with more than ten to count herself.”
The hair-on-fire alarm spread far and wide, probably via the telephonic network the Big Lie believers had set up. Maybe they utilized walkie-talkies or even sentries strategically posted, waving signal flags. Who knows.
I assume this hue and cry went out from the South Park Outsiders and their fellow travelers, Commissioners Dave Wissel’s and Amy Mitchell’s most rabid supporters. And, of course, I base my assumption on the fact I wasn’t born on a turnip truck yesterday.
The Outsiders and their cohorts had been planning for the November 8 general election for some time. Predictably, an “Action Call” from the Outsider’s honchos was broadcast in late October. It asked that all fellow travelers “…keep praying over this election and these watchers and clerks and judges and especially the machines – BIND them in Christ’s protection from any fraud or evil.” It told them to “Get loud” with Mel Kassel, the Park County Clerk. It suggested they rewatch the Big Lie productions “Selection Code” and “2000 Mules.” It impelled them to wave signs for Wissel and Erik Aadland. It urged them to re-post Wissel’s “interviews/podcasts & radio ads…. …No matter what the response,” it read, “post on all social media you can….”
No surprise then, as described in this newspaper by a poll watcher, Truman Esmond, that the Outsiders, who intimidated volunteers and county staff, disrupted the ballot counting process.
I saw the November 8 frantic alert on social media almost immediately after it was posted. Without a second thought, I asked the hair-on-fire poster if Jones had been riding a mule when she was caught on video hauling ballots into her office. Then, knowing what I knew about the Outsiders and their fellow travelers, I realized, Oh, my goodness, these folks actually believe this crap.
But, wouldn’t you know it, Commissioner Amy Mitchell bought it hook, line and sinker. Even to the extent of filing a CORA (Colorado Open Records Act) request. Mitchell sought video evidence of all activities directly focused on Assessor Jone’s office during the alleged ballot caper. Video of the approach, the getaway, the northwest corner, the southwest corner, and that’s not to mention the aerial photography. (Apologies to Arlo Guthrie.)
A call was even made to Sheriff McGraw on the day of the alleged crime, demanding Jones be cuffed and jailed.
During public comment at the December 20 Board of County Commissioners meeting, Assessor Monica Jones stepped to the mic. She said she wanted to address an accusation against her and her office regarding the November election.
“I had hoped,” she said, “that since Commissioner Mitchell had taken it upon herself to conduct the investigation, she would have brought forth the conclusion, but since she has had the truth for several weeks and has not made any such statement or had her group put anything out on social media, I am using this public comment time to answer the charges.”
Jones then provided a narrative of what the video evidence revealed, which proved the accusations false. “…this could have been resolved quickly and efficiently if proper procedures had been followed. …I hope in the future that you, Commissioner Mitchell, and your group of accusers will look for the truth and make sure they have proof of wrongdoing before you go off half-cocked and accuse people of illegal activities….”
Commissioner Mitchell, of course, wasn’t happy about this. She doesn’t like to be “attacked,” “slammed,” or “hammered” in a public forum.
This is a curiosity for me. When confronted with truths they disagree with, I’ve heard the exact characterization from the Outsiders. They call those truths “attacks” or “slams.” Additionally, I’ve watched numerous Commission meetings where public comments devolved into the acerbic debasement of Commissioners Elsner and Douglas. Outrageous insults directed at those two commissioners brought not a word from Mitchell. Why? Did they come from her base? Were they from Outsiders and their fellow travelers? Was it unthinkable for Mitchell to attempt to preserve a smidgen of dignity and decorum at a public meeting and say, “Now, now… Be nice. Be civil.” But she didn’t. She probably never will. Is complacency with the outrageousness of her base witness to her ideology?
Mitchell also emphatically insisted she is not part of any group. She meant the South Park Outsiders but didn’t say it. I doubt she’s a card-carrying member. But a fellow traveler?
Mitchell said she represents all citizens of Park County. But why, then, didn’t she advise all citizens of Park County that the serious accusations against Assessor Jones were untrue? In explanation, she reported she let the people know who’d brought it up, i.e., her base, the Outsiders. She told them they saw something they didn’t see.
Mitchell said she gave credence to those who’d brought up the allegations, and that Jones’s integrity was naturally in question because she supported the Democrat over the Outsiders’ poster boy candidate, Dave Wissel, for District 3 Commissioner in the last election. That’s interesting because nearly half of the Park County vote, including a slew of Republicans, supported the Democrat in that election. So yeah, it begs the question: Does Mitchell, as she says, represent all Park County citizens?
Or just the ones who see what they don’t see?
