After 12 years holding various positions with the Town of Palmer Lake, Mayor Glant Havenar abruptly stepped down from her position Wednesday, saying in a letter to the community that she made the decision to resign with a “full heart and deep reflection.”
“I leave this position with every confidence in the integrity and strength of the current Town Board. They are good people with sincere intentions, and I ask you to continue supporting them. Fight for them when necessary. Stand by them when it matters most,” she wrote.
The town of 2,600 has been riven by discord for months, as the Board of Trustees considers a proposal from the Texas travel center chain Buc-ee’s to build its second Colorado outpost on land it wants the town to annex. Last week, the board voted 6-1 to allow the annexation request to move forward, after hours of passionate public comment.
The Buc-ee’s proposal has led to multiple lawsuits alleging fraud and intimidation. Opponents are also pursuing recalls against three trustees.
Havenar’s resignation comes just days after a filing in one of the lawsuits, led by the group Integrity Matters, disclosing what it purports are a series of Signal messages between the former mayor, local GOP official Darcy Schoening, Buc-ee’s consultant Mark Waller, some sent during meetings on the annexation proposal. The group asserts in its filing that Schoening provided it with the screenshots.
Without mentioning the Buc-ee’s controversy directly, Havenar did appear to allude to it in her resignation letter.
“To the community— my neighbors, friends and fellow citizens - keep standing up for what is right and just. Don’t let the bullies win. Your voice, your courage, your unity are what makes Palmer Lake a place worth believing in,” she wrote.
“It is with sadness that I acknowledge and agree with Glant’s decision to step down,” Mayor Pro Tem Dennis Stern said in a statement released Thursday by the city. “During her tenure serving as Mayor, and prior as Trustee, Glant made many contributions to our Town, and it’s clear she loves Palmer Lake.”
The Board of Trustees will consider how to fill the position of mayor at its June 12 meeting.
