Disciplinary hearing for Center Trustee rescheduled

McClure used a racial slur toward a city employee

By MARIE MCCOLM
Posted 1/31/25

CENTER – A disciplinary hearing for Center Town Trustee Bill McClure for using a racial slur toward a city employee was rescheduled to Feb. 4 after the charges filed against him were amended. The hearing was originally scheduled for Jan. 28. 

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Disciplinary hearing for Center Trustee rescheduled

McClure used a racial slur toward a city employee

Posted

CENTER – A disciplinary hearing for Center Town Trustee Bill McClure for using a racial slur toward a city employee was rescheduled to Feb. 4 after the charges filed against him were amended. The hearing was originally scheduled for Jan. 28. 

City Attorney Michael Trujillo read aloud the amended charges against Trustee McClure stemming from an incident that occurred at McClure’s home in November of 2024 between McClure and Code Enforcement Officer Orlando Rascon. 

In November, McClure was asked by Rascon if his permit for the building of a shed on his property was up to date. Rascon found that his permit was expired, and stated to McClure that he would have to stop his build until he renewed his permit. 

McClure told Rascon that he could shove the permit up his (expletive), and to go back to his wetback friends. The incident was reported to town management and although McClure has apologized for the incident, the Center Town Board of Trustees decided to file charges against him, for acting in an unethical manner as sworn elected official of Center. 

The new hearing is scheduled to take place on Tuesday Feb. 4, at 6 p.m. in the old Pharmacy Building located across the street from Town Hall in Center.  

City attorney Trujillo read off the amended charges, that now included a charge for intimidation, stating that McClure has since the vote for possible removal, engaged in retaliatory conduct, by harassing Rascon and his boss Jaime Hurtado in their workplace, and by discussing the employees at the town board budget meetings, and by using other acts of intimidation. 

Trujillo stated that according to Colorado Constitution, 13 section 3 CRS Section 314307 that this rule provides that the town board of trustees can remove McClure due to his misconduct. 

Trujillo also spoke about McClure becoming verbally aggressive toward Rascon and using a racial ethnic slur toward him. Trujillo stated that Rascon provided the complaint in November of 2024 to the board verbally and written, and that McClure admitted to the ethnic slur and defended its use, at a public meeting.  

A motion was carried to proceed with the amended charges, all were in favor but McClure.  

At the Jan. 28 meeting, Mayor Archie Gallegos made the board and McClure aware of the amended charges that had been filed against McClure. 

Trustee McClure started a discussion and stated that he did not think it was right that the board was having Trujillo present him with charges in front of everyone at the meeting including the board and town residents, as he had not been formally served a copy of the amended charges before the meeting. 

“I never received anything like that, and you are going to read something like that in this meeting. I don’t think you can read something like that in this meeting without me receiving prior notice. I object strongly on the record that I did not receive this prior to this meeting and it’s the first time that it has come out to me,” McClure said. 

Attorney Trujillo said that he was receiving the notice at the meeting.  

McClure argued and asked what if he had not been at the meeting. He also addressed the board and stated that they were not following proper procedures or policy. He said there was no policy written and he should have had 10 days to respond to something like this. 

“I am only asking that you follow the rules and regulations. If you say that there is a policy on this OK, recite it please. Don’t let accusations be made, because the accusations being made are the same that have been made before. If the town manager would have done his job like he should be doing, like he is not doing, he would have certainly checked on this. I had signs stating, ‘No Trespassing,’ the town has no policy about the Code Enforcement Officer being able to trespass. The next statement that the permit expired on Oct. 31 was also false. I had three permits in my window, and he couldn’t have seen these permits, standing 10 feet from the property, but these permits indicated that I was trying to abide by the rules,” McClure said. 

McClure said that he felt that the Code Enforcement Officer entered his property only to annoy him. He said that if the board should look at other people that the Code Enforcement Officer visited before him, no others had been informed that they had to cease and desist on their property. He also said that it appeared that the officer had someone sitting in the car with him. 

McClure said that he felt targeted, and he did apologize for the statement that he made that included the racial slur in it, but his apology had not been accepted. 

McClure said to Trustee Paul Lopez that he was the one that brought the issue out more, and asked Lopez why he would not accept his apology.  

Trustee Lopez said that he felt his apology lacked sincerity. 

“You mentioned that you text (Town Manager) Cole (Webb) and apologized via text. In my personal opinion, you have the blatant disregard to say what you said with no remorse, I would imagine you did the same with the apology. I don’t believe you did that with the sincerity that was there. It was more of I did it, I got caught, and this is how it’s going to play out,” Lopez said.  

Lopez also told McClure that even though he had a “No Trespassing” sign up that the code enforcement officer still had to do his job, and if everyone had a no trespassing sign up that this would leave a big door open with that rule. 

“The other thing is that the issue was never with him, the issue was how you handled yourself as a representative of the town. You were within your home, and I understand that first amendment constitutional right, but the issue was with the civil rights act,” Lopez said. 

Lopez said that although he believes McClure has done a good job for the town, all his good deeds could not excuse the one that was not.