Starla Thompson has filed a complaint in Teller County District Court seeking a stay on certification of the election results for the Florissant Fire Protection District Board. Thompson, a former board member, was an unsuccessful candidate for the election May 2.

In the petition, Thompson charges that the winners, David Groat, Allen Schultz, Robert Perry and Paul Del Toro engaged in electioneering misconduct at the voting site, the fire station in Florissant. Thompson alleges that the five were repeatedly observed entering the 100-foot no-electioneering perimeter. She alleges the four were participating in activities specially listed as prohibited.

In the complaint, Thompson further alleges that poll watchers Toni Moore, Jordan Moon, Laura Robledo, Mark Kolhman and Shawn McNulty were observed in person and on closed circuit security footage in violation of state statute.

“It was the intent of this board to work with the old board to do an orderly transition of power and enable them to close outstanding business from their term,” del Toro said in a statement. “Ms. Thompson suggested that transition might be best to occur at the monthly meeting scheduled for today and we agreed in an effort to reflect a willingness to work together to unite the community.

“As Ms. Thompson suggested this process, we were led to believe she would act in good faith to accomplish these goals. Instead, Ms. Thompson played a political game and has taken it upon herself to be judge and jury and presume guilt and arbitrarily attempt to usurp the responsibility of our duly elected positions by cancelling tonight’s meeting. This situation forced us to call this emergency meeting to complete our assumption of office.”

Del Toro pointed out that the law firm that had been working with the district is no longer providing legal services due to Thompson’s complaint which implicates the DEO, who is a paralegal for the firm. The firm cited conflict of interest.

In an informal letter of rebuttal addressed to “Dear Florissant Fire Protection District Community Member,” Schultz writes that “there is no authority for a court or any other governmental entity to issue a ‘stay’ in an election contest under Part 14 of Title 1.

If after a trial, it has been proven that a specific person (the “contestee”) was not “duly elected,” the remedy would be annulment, Schultz said in the letter.

Pat Hill, Doug Fitzgerald and Marianne Mogon all contributed to this report.