Mesa County GOP says Peters won’t listen to call for resignation

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) - The chair of Mesa County’s GOP says indicted Mesa County Court Clerk Tina Peters isn’t listening to his call for her to step down.

Peters faces accusations she tampered with election results. That means she can’t work at the county in her current elected position. But Peters is still on the taxpayer payroll at $93,000 a year, and the scandal has cost Mesa County taxpayers at least $1.3 million.

She ran for Secretary of State and lost in the June GOP primary. But Peters maintains the race was stolen from her. She filed for a state-wide recount and lost that, too.

Mesa County GOP Chairman Kevin McCarney says Peters’ tactics about losing the election are hurting the party’s chances of winning races.

“There’s nothing that that she can do to stop us from supporting who our candidate is. That’s my point all along. Pam Anderson is our candidate for Secretary of State. 43% of the people voted for her. When you add the total between Pam Anderson and Michael Donnell it is 71% of the vote. So, I look at Tina and say 70% of Republicans did not want you in that office, and there’s not anything you can find in the computers, that would change that amount of vote,” said McCarney. “So, she’s she needs to stop. But she’s not going to because now it’s about her ego.”

McCarney is a long-time supporter of Peters. But he says he’s done and admits he made a mistake to continue that support beyond what he calls “a certain point.” He says he heard from Peters after he called for her resignation. But he says she won’t listen. “She has entered that strange phase where she is the story. It is not the story she is pursuing. It is all about keeping Tina on tv so she can raise money,” he said.

Peters raised more than $500,000 by campaigning for a recount. Financial records on file with the Secretary of State indicate the majority came from out of state residents. Peters had to pay $256,000 for the recount.

You can follow this link to see her latest campaign finance report.

In a statement released to KKCO, Peters stated, “I can’t be bothered with unfounded accusations with no basis in truth.”

We also wanted to know what she thinks about his statement she tried to get him to cut out any competition for a possible re-election bid for Mesa County Clerk. Peters stated that it never happened, but did not provide further comment.

But here is the way McCarney puts it, “It’s just a complete breakdown of what she allegedly stands for. You’re either for voter integrity or you’re not. And by asking someone to fix a race for you? That’s not voter integrity. I hate to tell you. There’s no integrity involved in that question.”

McCarney plans to step down as chairman in five months. He explains the Peters controversy is one of the reasons. And he says the entire situation is upsetting. “All the effort that we put in for the last four years of being torn apart. Because this could be our greatest year ever.”