C & R appointment

[Justine Tyme]

Greetings Commissioners!

We are a group of current and former employees of the Larimer County Clerk & Recorder's Office, who want to express to you our extreme concerns regarding recent reports that the current Clerk & Recorder, Angela Myers, has persuaded you to appoint the current Deputy Clerk, Tina Harris, to the position of Interim Clerk & Recorder, upon Mrs. Myers' recently-announced retirement.

Recent media reports have attributed comments about Tina to some Commissioners which are contrary to what we have experienced during the time we have known her.  While we acknowledge that she has many years of experience working in the Clerk & Recorder's Office, a majority of that time was spent in Vehicle Licensing and she only gained exposure to the Recording division when she was promoted to Recording Manager in October 2022.  Her experience in Elections came when Angela tabbed her as Deputy a couple of months ago.  It has only been about two months since she completed Clerk & Recorder Certification and less than a month since she attended out-of-state training on Elections procedures.

One of our concerns regarding the proposed appointment is the fact that Tina has been groomed for this position by Angela, who we know to have promoted election conspiracy-laden theories to her staff, such as she did during a staff meeting on May 26, 2021, when she openly encouraged employees to view the film "2000 Mules".  Such action not only damages the integrity of (and confidence in) the voting process, but also creates doubt among staff regarding the validity of the work they so diligently perform.  While it does not rise to the level of felonious behavior, such as that alleged to have been committed by Angela's friend and former Clerk & Recorder colleague in Mesa County, it is extremely damaging.  Tina was present during this meeting and supportive of Angela's message to staff; both during and afterwards.  Her failure to speak out against such harmful actions is why, in part, we feel she is unfit to fulfill the duties of the Larimer County Clerk & Recorder with integrity.  Such inaction is reflective of Angela's obstinance/opposition to appoint a Deputy Clerk during her time in office, despite being required to do so by statute [See Colorado Revised Statute 30-10-403 (2017)].

Also of concern is Tina's poor treatment of staff.  While there are brief moments of "levity", as mentioned in one press release announcing Angela's upcoming retirement, such instances are extremely rare.  Her typical demeanor is to be hard-nosed and oppressive; much like her mentor.  She rarely acknowledges individual staff accomplishments and incessantly admonishes staff for even minor errors.  She does so in a manner that staff do not perceive as a coaching session, but rather opportunities for Tina to berate and diminish the work of her subordinates.

Tina has confided to some staff that every time she meets with Angela, and immediately afterwards, she feels inadequate and that she can never do anything right.  One would surmise that such feelings would result in an individual treating others with dignity and respect, yet Tina models the very behavior she claims to abhor and be subjected to by Angela. One of her direct reports has disclosed that Tina admonished them for nurturing their staff instead of using a domineering style of management.

Several months ago, Tina gave a new employee the option of resigning, in lieu of being fired, because she did not like it when the employee stated they did not want to take on the responsibility of organizing department events; a task normally overseen by a volunteer.  She made such a decision in haste, instead of taking the time to speak with the employee about the reason for their hesitance to engage in such a role.  Had she taken the time to have such a conversation, she would have learned that the employee had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, which can be debilitating.

Upon being promoted to Recording Manager, Tina almost immediately reduced the amount of time new staff are assigned to train in the various functions of the Recording division.  Such action has resulted in a recent new hire to be afforded significantly less time in training than those hired before Tina's promotion.  Due to the reduced opportunity for training, the employee has struggled in a few areas, yet Tina has been unrelenting in holding the employee accountable for their mistakes; preferring to pursue disciplinary action, instead of extended coaching.

Within the last few months, Tina sent a scathing e-mail to an employee, admonishing them for what Tina perceived to be errors on the employee's timesheet.  In the e-mail, which Tina sent the day after the employee underwent major surgery, was in Intensive Care, and on approved FMLA leave, Tina complained about the amount of time it took her to correct the error.  The employee was experiencing major complications from the surgery, but Tina failed to inquire about their recovery; opting instead to berate the employee for "mistakes" they made on a spreadsheet created by Tina.  This spreadsheet is not the official timekeeping mechanism utilized by Larimer County, nor is it required per policy of the Larimer County Clerk & Recorder's Office.

Most recently, on April 8, 2023, (the Saturday before Easter) Tina required all members of the Recording Division to process Passport applications.  Not only were some staff unable to keep plans to travel out of town to be with family during the holiday, all employees worked from 7:45 a.m. until 5:45 p.m. on that date, without being afforded the opportunity to take breaks or have lunch, which is a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Additionally, Tina has a tendency to practice nepotism in her hiring practices; awarding employment to relatives of other managerial staff, despite other candidates being more qualified. 

While these are only a few examples of behavior exhibited toward staff by Tina, they are consistent with what staff have been accustomed to expecting from her.  Needless to say, her behavior toward staff is the antithesis of what you have apparently been led to believe, by Angela, to be Tina's character or what Tina has displayed in your presence.  As you can most assuredly understand, we wish to keep our identities anonymous, for fear of retribution.  In conclusion, we implore each of you to appoint someone other than Tina Harris as Larimer County's Interim Clerk & Recorder; someone who has just as much, if not more, tenure and who is respected by staff for not only the work they perform, but by the example they set in how they treat employees.

We have complete confidence that the Board will take our concerns into consideration and make the decision that is right for not only C & R employees, but the citizens of Larimer County.

Respectfully,