Apparently, no one ever taught U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell how to be a gracious guest. Flying in the face of Colorado’s Sunshine Law, where three or more elected officials are gathered discussing public business, a man believed to be a member of Jewell’s staff kicked out a press member not once but twice Tuesday at a meeting in Craig, Colorado.
As Rachel Sauer at The Grand Junction Sentinel reports:
“A man who didn’t identify himself, but whom [Craig Daily Press Reporter Erin] Fenner said she thought works in the Secretary of the Interior’s office and was acting on Jewell’s behalf, escorted her from the room and told her she couldn’t be there because she was with the press.” [the Peak emphasis]
This flies in the face of not one, not two, but three county commissioners having told Fenner that morning they believed the meeting was open.
Fenner returned to her newspaper’s office wherein her managing editor Noelle Leavitt Riley called one of the commissioners at the meeting who told Leavitt Riley to send Fenner back. Which is when this little gem unfolded:
“Fenner returned to the meeting, she said, and was told to leave once again by the same man. She said she brought up Colorado’s Sunshine Law ‘and he said that we weren’t going to argue about it any more and said I had to get out,’ Fenner said.” [the Peak emphasis]
We here may give the press a hard time every now and then, but we know we would all be poorer for it if we didn’t have them out there working hard every day. It really gets our blood boiling when an outsider comes into Colorado and pushes one of our own around.
We applaud the courage and effort of both Erin Fenner and Noelle Leavitt Riley. And, in fact, we wish Erin Fenner would have made more of a scene out of this preposterousness. With over 12 elected officials there, who certainly know Colorado law better than Secretary Jewell, why didn’t one of them stick up for Fenner? Where were they? Were they all so tongue-tied in front of the great and might Secretary of The Interior? Perhaps they were unaware.
It is becoming clear that my government has forgotten its place. The federal officials didn't seem bothered by the FACT that they work for the people of the USA, not the other way around. They have no authority to "boss around" either the press or any other citizen. I truly fear that my government has forgotten its place.
More proof that as Democrats scurry about, they act more like cockroaches every day
Bob Terry …Don't know how the Cal state thing got there. I'm up here in Cheyenne. You guys are fighting the good fight in Colorado. My son lives up there and kind of fills me in on whats going on. Do not sucome to California libs. I'm a Cal ex-pat and would never go back because of the politics of that state.
My stance on her being a coward is based off of the fact that Fenner said she knew the sunshine law, knew she had a right to be there, but refused to stand up for what is right and walked away. That is our problem, as soon as a situation gets sticky we cowar….and Udall, Bennet, Hickenlooper & the rest of the ilk are in charge.
Laws and Rules are for chumps…Great reply from Cal State at LA..lol Like yer State and State Government is so like together…Colorado is trying hard not to become California..But Liberal thinking is is for you and we'll make you do it and we'll live and do otherwise …Maybe you Brian can tell Jerry ( which the state populace was ignorant to vote in again…) how bout more taxes more Government …
True she was within her rights …but a coward i think not…People like Jewell and the Feds are oblivious to the laws we need to obey…Most likely she would be arrested and or/ escorted out by police or the security officials in charge… Fascism at its finest
Laws/rules are for chumps.
Hey, it is ok. The Dem's don't have to follow the rules. Get your mind right!
This was in Steamboat?? So, Mitsch-Bush was probably there with all of her Constitutional knowledge (joke) and selfish interpretations.
Fenner knew what she was doing was right, but allowed someone to talk her into leaving? what a coward Fenner is.
Time to clean house of the crooked politicians and socialists.
The secretary should be prosecuted under Colorado law