After months of turmoil surrounding Federal Heights city leadership, the City Council voted Tuesday night to keep City Manager Jacquie Halburnt.
The vote came after council members spent more than two hours behind closed doors discussing Halburnt’s future in an executive session.
One by one, council members publicly stated where they stood on a motion to terminate Halburnt.
The motion failed 4-2, with Mayor Linda Montoya and Councilmember Shari DeVries voting to terminate Halburnt. The other four council members voted against the motion.
The decision came six months after Halburnt abruptly fired Police Chief Robert Grado and Fire Chief Marc Mahoney. Residents have responded by packing council meetings and repeatedly calling for council members to publicly vote on the city manager’s future.
The issues with city leadership first gained attention in January, when the city's police and fire unions issued a vote of no confidence against Halburnt.
Tensions intensified in April when Grado and Mahoney were abruptly fired.
At two subsequent council meetings, efforts to take action against Halburnt ended without a public vote.
The lack of action drew frustration from residents, who continued demanding council members publicly take a position.
“The conversations behind closed doors does not tell us what the city wants to do,” Federal Heights resident Jim Fenimore told Denver7 Investigates before the meeting.
That frustration was also on display at earlier council meetings, where residents addressed the council directly.
"So here's the call of action, clear and direct. Bring the resolution forward, take a vote, make the right decision," a Federal Heights resident said.
By September, that frustration had grown into an effort to potentially recall council members who residents believed had failed to act against Halburnt.
Fenimore, one of several residents who has been vocal at council meetings, began driving around Federal Heights with a large banner on the back of his truck calling for Halburnt to be fired and Councilmember Sonia Jensen to be recalled.
At a Sept. 15 council meeting, Councilman Mike Vallero asked to add an executive session at the next council meeting to discuss the city manager's employment followed by, for the first time, a public vote.
Tuesday night, residents finally got that vote which ended with Halburnt keeping her job as city manager.
Fenimore said its outcome would determine what happens next with the recall effort.
“According to how they vote, we’ll determine how the recall will turn out,” Fenimore said. “If they vote to keep Jackie, we will recall them.”
Following the vote, frustrated residents delivered public comment calling on the city leaders for failing to act and again threatening to recall those who voted against terminating Halburnt.
Fenimore had previously made clear he did not believe the council vote would necessarily end the months-long fight over city leadership.
“Something has to happen,” he said. “So whether it's tonight or whether it's in the future, we're gonna see it through.”
Both former chiefs, Grado and Mahoney are in the process of filing a federal lawsuit against the city, claiming retaliation. The city has disputed those claims.
Denver7 Investigates will continue to follow developments in Federal Heights.
