The mailings from an unknown source criticizing Douglas County Commissioner Lora Thomas continue, according to images Thomas provided Colorado Community Media in mid-February.

The postcard calls out what it says is “conduct unbecoming (of) an elected official.”

Starting in December, an unknown number of Douglas County residents received postcards that accused Thomas of wasting taxpayers' time and money.

One part of the newer mailing references a news story about Thomas threatening to take legal action unless the county agrees to pay for her legal bills stemming from an ongoing dispute that involved investigations of Thomas.

Another part of the newer mailing criticizes other matters involving Thomas, citing older news articles.

An earlier postcard reads “You’re being scrooged by Lora Thomas” and asks voters to support state Sen. Kevin Van Winkle to replace Thomas. Thomas is term limited and can’t run for her commissioner seat again.

Abe Laydon, one of the other two commissioners who make policy decisions for the county, said he does not know who paid for the postcards and that the postcards do not have any connection to him.

He has received at least some of the postcards at his home address, he said.

“I know that our citizens expect good governance and positive upstream work, and negative campaigns undermine the credibility of our work, from my perspective,” Laydon said.

Complaint dismissed

Thomas took the issue to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office, filing a complaint in January because a postcard did not include a paid-for-by disclaimer and doesn’t indicate who sent the mailers outside of the postage license naming Vistaprint, a Nevada printing company.

The secretary of state’s office ruled the postcards did not violate campaign finance laws because there’s no evidence Vistaprint paid for the postcards and the postcards were mailed after the election. The ruling also found no evidence that the mailers cost more than $1,000, which is the threshold for requiring a paid-for-by disclaimer on election materials.

In its response to the complaint, Vistaprint’s attorney said 153 postcards were ordered for a total of $248 but didn’t provide information about who the customer was. 

Though one of the postcards Thomas identified in her complaint encouraged voters to support Van Winkle to replace her, Thomas has said she confirmed with Van Winkle that he is not paying for the mailers.

Asked whether the postcards affect the commissioners’ ability to put personal issues aside, Laydon said the betterment of the county is “always my top priority.”

“I came into 2023 as the board chair asking the board and our staff to focus on upstream, positive, civil discussion,” Laydon said.

He added: “And disagreement is fine. I think it’s normal for a board of county commissioners to disagree, but what’s inappropriate is incivility.”

Commissioner George Teal did not return Colorado Community Media's call for comment regarding the mailings.

Legal layers

The legal dispute referenced by the newer mailing stems from an investigation Teal and Laydon initiated after accusing Thomas of circulating an anonymous letter that criticized specific employees in the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, allegedly creating a hostile work environment. They also accused her of emailing county legal representation with a request not authorized by the full board.

The $17,000 investigation into Thomas by outside legal counsel found that while Thomas had distributed the letter, doing so did not create a hostile work environment. It also found she did direct legal representation to provide her with information the board had determined to keep secret. 

Thomas appeared in a CBS Colorado news story in July discussing the confidential report that showed the results of the investigation, prompting the Douglas County government’s attorney to find that Thomas could have broken the law by doing so.

A second investigation ordered by Laydon and Teal — this time conducted by the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office — did not find probable cause to believe that Thomas committed the crime of first-degree official misconduct.