Dillon residents voted to recall three town council members and elected three new members to replace them in a special election that concluded Tuesday, March 4.

Council members Dana Christiansen, Renee Imamura and John Woods have been recalled and will be replaced by Linda Oliver, Barbara Richard and Joshua Samuel, according to unofficial results from the Dillon Town Clerk’s Office.

Christiansen was recalled by a vote of 187-143, or about 57% to 43%, Imamura by a vote of 190-139, or about 58% to 42%, and Woods by a vote of 197 to 133, or about 60% to 40%, the unofficial results state. The recall election was held by mail-in ballot.

There were four candidates running to replace the members subject to the recall effort. Oliver and Richard each received 196 votes, and Samuel received 175 votes. Candidate Claudia Pillow received 114 votes, not enough to win one of the three seats on the council that became open through the recall effort.

The election follows hot on the heels of a referendum election held last fall, where Dillon residents voted to overturn the town council’s approval of a structure with three restaurants, 200 condominium units and retail space proposed by Developer Jake Porrit.

Porritt’s development proposals have proved divisive in town, with many residents calling on the town council to slow down as it approved decisions related to his projects and the metropolitan district that the council helped establish to fund infrastructure related to his projects. 

Christiansen, Imamura and Woods had voted to approve Porritt’s project that was overturned by the referendum as well as the service plan for the metro district. The Dillon residents who organized the recall effort claimed that the three now-former council members failed to listen to constituents, showed a lack of decorum and failed to uphold the town charter’s requirements that government be responsive to the needs of citizens.

Just days before the recall election, Porritt’s attorney issued a cease-and-desist letter to then-candidate Richard, stating that she disseminated false and misleading information, among other claims. Richard has said that the cease-and-desist letter was baseless and an attempt to stifle her speech and campaign as a successor candidate.

Recalled members respond to election results

Christiansen said in a statement shared with Summit Daily News that the “real loser” in the election was not the three council members who were recalled but the town of Dillon. He said that those who voted for the recall “fell for the steady stream of lies and misinformation” that came from the recall committee members.

“Recall committee members Laura Johnson and Barb (Richard) did an effective job of painting a grim picture of the future of an almost dystopian Dillon mired in metro district debt with inappropriately sized buildings, some buildings even lying unfinished,” Christiansen said. “(Richard) and Johnson continuously misinformed and outright lied about metro districts in general, our metro district service plan, the developer, and the possible adverse outcomes for Dillon.”

Imamura provided a statement that said, “I would like to thank my supporters, and everyone who came out to vote in this election. While I had hoped for a different result, my focus has always been and will always be on the success of the town of Dillon.”

Woods did not return a request for comment sent via email Wednesday, March 5.

New Dillon Town Council members lay out goals and priorities

In an interview Wednesday, Richard said, “the real work starts now.” 

Richard said that in the run-up to the recall election, she went door to door talking to Dillon residents and voters. She said she heard many different opinions from Dillon residents, including that the public process in recent years has been rushed, especially around redevelopment.

“I think it really shows that the community wants a voice and they really feel like they’ve been locked out of expressing what they want for the future of Dillon,” Richard said of the recall election results. “That’s what I heard over and over again, they want to determine what happens in Dillon, not just allow outside forces to come in and determine what it is going to be. The voters are asking for representation that will listen to them.”

Richard said she heard from voters that “you have to have growth, but you’ve got to have it reflect the community’s values.” She said that a lot of Dillon residents expressed concern about the “complexity” of the current development proposals and the funding mechanisms associated with those proposals.

Dillon residents said that workforce housing is important and that they want small businesses that draw people into town, rather than chains, Richard said. She said, “Dillon has to come up with a true housing plan,” and that the town should be seeking out multiple development proposals for the downtown area.

“For me, as a council member, my big thing is to get public engagement,” Richard said. “The truth is you have to do outreach. You cannot expect people to just come to Town Hall. You’ve got to reach out to them. That’s the thing about doing this grassroots effort. We figured out how to reach people.”

Samuel said that he feels grateful that Dillon voters elected him to the town council but that, “for me, this has always been about the residents and citizens of the town of Dillon. They’re the ones that asked me to step up to begin with. I feel I’m here to listen to them and try to move things forward.”

For decades, Dillon has been “a little bit sleepy, but that’s a good thing as far as I’m concerned,” Samuel said, adding that “we all recognize we need to have development but we need to have development that fits — not something that is transforming everything into something that down the road we maybe don’t want.”

The recall and referendums show that Dillon doesn’t want “massive development” and has to have “input from the community,” Samuel said. The town has to deal with issues, such as housing, in such a way that benefits the “multilayer community members we have,” he said, adding, “We can’t have it run away one-sided where it is just about money and then there’s nothing for anyone else.”

Samuel said Dillon needs plans for workforce housing and short-term rentals. Noting that the “people who live here don’t want to see the character of Dillon disappear,” he said the town should be attempting to recruit multiple developers to propose projects downtown that increase the town’s tax base and “blend with what we have.”

“A little more work on the front end, and we can build a better product on the back end,” Samuel said. “… If we can sit and listen and discuss issues, we can come away with the important things on the table that we can sort out and make a better decision about it. I think that is what I can help bring to the council, I don’t have to be like you to listen.”

Oliver also cited public engagement as her primary goal as a newly-elected Dillon Town Council member. She said she plans to listen to residents and that public comment at meetings shouldn’t be just an “agenda item” but an opportunity for council members to reflect on their citizens’ viewpoints and ideas.

“We have our work cut out for us,” Oliver said. “My personal goal is going to be to work even harder and listen to all and try to address the challenges we face to try to create a more united, forward-thinking town, to work together with the community, to build more trust with our community and our council.”

Oliver said that she heard from voters that previous council meetings were “chaotic,” causing some people to choose not to attend, especially because they didn’t feel that their voice was being heard. She said she and the new council members will “need to do our homework” to learn how the town can advance workforce housing goals, support small businesses and continue to make sound financial decisions.

Oliver added, “I want to thank everyone who supported me and the recall for the election. Their trust and their commitment to the town means the world to me, and I’m hoping that together we will continue to move our community forward in a positive way that is responsible.”