Red County, Blue State

Emily Suyat
  • 4.8 (25)
  • Politics
  • Updated Semiweekly

The thrill of living in progressive Colorado, the agony of being represented by Lauren Boebert: life and politics for people who lean left in Douglas County. esuyat.substack.com

  1. 66. Champagne Taste on a County Commission Budget, Part 3: the Reimbursement Request

    Jun 3

    66. Champagne Taste on a County Commission Budget, Part 3: the Reimbursement Request

    Oh boy there are a lot of dates in here so HANG WITH ME because it comes together in the end. This is Part 3 of 3, where we discuss the county approaching an outside organization to pay for George’s luxury travel. This org, which is a nonprofit, says “great!” without asking any questions. So many ethical problems, not to mention the potential fraud when a county official buys a refundable ticket. It all needs to be investigated and George Teal needs to be held accountable. County staff, if you have information you want to share, I will keep your information confidential and your identity private. https://www.3to5dougco.com/ Contact me anytime: email: emilysuyat@gmail.com on signal: @emilysuyat.87 Text or leave a message at 720-288-0147 Sources: Email chain between the deputy county manager, assistant budget director, and Ellie Reynolds of the EDC. Invoice to EDC included in that link too. Douglas County Economic Development Corporation’s vague-ass website Million dollar budget request for 2025 from the EDC (thanks and credit to Lora Thomas, who put this in her newsletter) EDC’s 2024 contract and 2025 contract. Checks from the county to the EDC: $150k and $100k, $937,500k (page 4) EDC document telling Dubai airshow attendees to book early, and giving airfare estimates (page 15-16) EDC itinerary with all of the Dubai activities (page 5) EDC’s check to county for $19,211.08 Commissioner Code of Conduct (page 8). We know they are proud of it because they put a half page pic of themselves on page 3. Colorado’s Standards of Conduct starts at Colo. Rev Stat §24-18-101 Independent Ethics Commission Get full access to Red County, Blue State at esuyat.substack.com/subscribe

    24 min
  2. 65. Champagne Taste on a County Commissioner Budget, Part 2: the Refundable Ticket

    Jun 2

    65. Champagne Taste on a County Commissioner Budget, Part 2: the Refundable Ticket

    As we learned in Part 1 of this series, Douglas County Commissioner George Teal doubled his VIP ticket to Dubai by making it refundable just days before his trip. This is a problem. Did George actually fly the tickets that he booked, or did her get a refund? It’s should be an easy question to answer, but George won’t reply. Things just aren’t adding up. Listen to find out why. Contact me anytime: email me at emilysuyat@gmail.com message me @emilysuyat.87 on signal NEW: Leave a message at 720-288-0147 Receipt for the $17k refundable ticket purchased with taxpayer dollars If you want to look at my CORA requests and how I worded them, please contact me and I’ll provide it. Happy Clam receipt in Newark $50 United Club Access purchased on 11/11/25 for Newark Wifi receipt for the flight that was not originally booked, see page 2 Car service receipt Hotel receipt Accepting gifts as a local official George Teal’s calendar entries. Ellie Reynold’s itinerary (someone knows their way around Canva!) I can’t find the exhibitor list for the 2025 Dubai Air Show, it looks like it’s been taken down on the website. You can see on Ellie’s itinerary above that they don’t meet with Sodern. We also CORA’d any correspondence or communication between the board of county commissioners and Sodern. There was none. Governor Polis Announces Sodern America Aerospace Expansion in Douglas County “George Teal fell asleep during public testimony” Colorado Times Recorder Get full access to Red County, Blue State at esuyat.substack.com/subscribe

    15 min
  3. 64. Champagne Taste on a County Commission Budget, Part 1: The Receipt George Teal Doesn’t Want Us to See

    Jun 1

    64. Champagne Taste on a County Commission Budget, Part 1: The Receipt George Teal Doesn’t Want Us to See

    What we suspected has been confirmed, and the price of George Teal’s plane ticket to Dubai is so inflated that feels like a middle finger to taxpayers. In this episode, we’re getting very detailed: we’re talking about the extravagant flight that no normal business would allow, let alone a county government; the rules/policies Commissioner Teal broke, and the twist that I didn’t see coming (but should have). This is part 1 of 3. *Correction - I said Teal spent $17,010 on the flight, it was $17,091. I usually just say $17,000 to make it less of a mouthful. Thank you to my fellow sleuths on this case! Contact me anytime: email me at emilysuyat@gmail.com message me @emilysuyat.87 on signal NEW: Leave message at 720-288-0147 Commissioner Teal’s full United receipt Description of United’s seating options County Travel Policy County Purchasing Card Policy Purchasing Card Agreement signed by George Teal Douglas County Commissioner Policy Manual which includes the Code of Conduct Get full access to Red County, Blue State at esuyat.substack.com/subscribe

    16 min
  4. 63. Your Handy Dandy Guide to the 3 to 5 Effort

    May 15

    63. Your Handy Dandy Guide to the 3 to 5 Effort

    The petitions to expand the county commission are out and about! Community organizer Angela Thomas is back to talk about what it means, why it matters, where to find a petition, and how to volunteer. I also tie this to a topic that’s been on everyone’s minds—data centers and their voracious water and energy needs. Last, a local podcast you’ll want to hear if you have a kid who’s struggling in school: SpecialEd, IEPs, 504s, Oh my! SHOW NOTES: Contact me anytime at emilysuyat@gmail.com or anonymously on signal at @emilysuyat.87 Find FAQs, signing events, and ways to volunteer: https://www.3to5dougco.com Complete circulator training On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3to5dougco Contact Angela at angthomas2025@gmail.com Want to know more about what the county commission does? County Commission 101 NPR piece on data centers Town of Parker’s Q&A on the new data center. Petition language: This petition is to place a measure on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot to increase the size of Douglas County Board of County commissioners from 3 to 5 members and, if passed, for voters to choose between two methods of electing, the five member board. Shall the membership of the Douglas County Board of commissioners be increased from a three member board to a five member board. If the membership of the Douglas County Board of commissioners is increased from a three member board to a five member board, by what method shall the Douglas County Board of commissioners be elected. * Five commissioners resident in districts to be elected by the voters only by the voters resident in the district, or * Three commissioners resident in districts to be elected by the voters only by the voters resident in that district and two commissioners to be elected by the voters of the whole county. Get full access to Red County, Blue State at esuyat.substack.com/subscribe

    20 min
  5. 62. Pride in Douglas County

    May 8

    62. Pride in Douglas County

    Brooke Bernstein, president of Douglas County Pride, joins me today to talk about Pridefest on May 17 in Parker’s Salisbury Park. We talk about what Pridefest looks like in Douglas County, why there was no Pridefest in 2025, and how allies can support Douglas County Pride (hint: show up to Pridefest!). I take a short trip to bummer town to talk about how anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric is still alive here. Let’s show the rest of the county and state that we are not embarrassing bigots. SHOW NOTES: Contact me anytime, I’d love to hear from you: emilysuyat@gmail.com and @emilysuyat.87 on signal Right-wing extremist and white supremacist groups protests Pridefest in 2023. Also here and here and here. Pridefest 2026! Register for your FREE tickets here. Code of Conduct here. DONATE to Douglas County Pride. You can use Apple Pay! Follow Douglas County Pride on Facebook and Instagram https://www.3to5dougco.com/ to learn more about the effort to expand our county commission to 5 commissioners. You can also find out where to sign a petition and volunteer! Check out the Douglas County Lantern for hyper local in-depth reporting you can’t get anywhere else!If you like this podcast, sharing it is the best way to support me! Get full access to Red County, Blue State at esuyat.substack.com/subscribe

    31 min
  6. 61. CORA 101: The Transparency Tool They Can’t Ignore

    May 2

    61. CORA 101: The Transparency Tool They Can’t Ignore

    CORA class is in session! The Colorado Open Records Act is a critical law when it comes to ensuring transparent government, and it’s accessible to all of us. In this episode, my guest Jeff Roberts from the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition (CFOIC) explains the basics of CORA to us. What’s a public record? When can a government withhold a public record from us? Are government officials allowed to delete records? All of this and more in this episode. Share and subscribe if you like this episode. Contact me anytime with questions or feedback: emilysuyat@gmail.com or on signal: emilysuyat.87 SHOW NOTES: Visit the sunshine laws guide at https://coloradofoic.org/ to live your sunshine law dreams and/or find out more about the hotline. From the CFOIC blog, the piece on the Douglas County open meetings law case: Court of Appeals: Disputed Douglas County commissioners’ meetings ‘clearly concerned public business or policymaking’ Get full access to Red County, Blue State at esuyat.substack.com/subscribe

    36 min
  7. 60. The Bluffs, the Ballot, and the future of Lone Tree

    Apr 24

    60. The Bluffs, the Ballot, and the future of Lone Tree

    Ever received a local ballot and wondered what it meant and if it mattered? Tara Meekma, candidate for Lone Tree city council, joins me to talk about the election on May 5. We talk about what city councils do and why voting in these races have an outsized impact on daily life, particularly in regard to development and growth. We also hear about the status and concerns around Hillcamp, the proposed residential development near the Bluffs, a regional park with a hilly 2 mile hiking loop in the middle of the Lone Tree. Show notes: Contact me anytime with feedback or ideas, I’d love to hear from you: emilysuyat@gmail.com or emilysuyat.87 on signal. All info on Lone Tree elections: https://cityoflonetree.com/city-clerk/elections/ Thank you to Tara Meekma for speaking with me. Find her at https://www.taraforlonetree.com or email her at taraforlonetree@gmail.com and ask her how to get involved in what’s going on with Hillcamp. The Douglas County Lantern’s piece on Hillcamp from Nov 2025 where you can see a map of the proposed development. Get full access to Red County, Blue State at esuyat.substack.com/subscribe

    22 min

  8. Apr 19

    59. It’s not just Dubai

    Douglas County Commissioner George Teal’s luxury trip to Dubai isn’t the whole story, it’s the starting point. The fact that I can’t get a straight answer on something so specific and standard is a part of a bigger story of the commissioners’ disregard for rules and for the public it serves. It’s not abstract harm; it has a real cost. A pattern is there and in this episode, we connect the dots. Show notes: Contact me any time with tips or feedback. emilysuyat@gmail or on signal: emilysuyat.87 You are fully anonymous to me on signal if your screen name isn’t your real name. County employees, please know that I will protect your identity. Home rule cost $700k Commissioner Teal’s conspiracy theory that the Chinese Communist Party took down the home rule effort. Commissioner Abe Laydon defended the statement in the commission business meeting after the home rule loss. Commissioner Kevin Van Winkle hasn’t said a word. Colorado Open Meetings Law case: news coverage, actual opinion. Read paragraphs 37-45 of the actual opinion for details on the county attorney’s mistakes. The CO Supreme Court will almost certainly not take the case on appeal because 1) the CO Court of Appeals opinion was unpublished, which means the court thinks it has insufficient precedential value and 2) all three appeals court judges agreed (i.e. there was no split decision). The Court “typically limits its discretionary review to cases raising novel or unsettled legal questions having broad impact throughout Colorado. Three votes are required to grant a certiorari petition.” Detention Center case: news coverage, actual opinion. Read footnotes 1 and 3, which highlight bad lawyering and would haunt me forever as an attorney. County attorney Jeff Garcia’s salary CORA requests per year. This is from a CORA request to the county. I’m just now noticing that they gave me incomplete info, stay tuned. Still, there’s a noticeable jump in CORA requests since home rule. Type of law enforcement at the commissioner business meetings: Zebulon $100 million price tag. Comments in regard to Zebulon at this meeting: 20 speakers in support and 10 speakers against. I was there and I think it’s common knowledge that Teal didn’t call everyone and skipped around the list, showing preference to certain speakers. But the sign up lists that prove this were not retained despite a regular practice of retaining them. Read more about CO’s sunshine laws (CORA and Colorado Open Meetings Laws) here. Get full access to Red County, Blue State at esuyat.substack.com/subscribe

    16 min
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About

The thrill of living in progressive Colorado, the agony of being represented by Lauren Boebert: life and politics for people who lean left in Douglas County. esuyat.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Emily Suyat
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    66
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Emily
  • Show Website
    Red County, Blue State

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