Two members of the Cherokee Metro District board are fighting for their seats in a crowded recall election that was sparked by water quality concerns.

The leaders of the recall effort would like to see the high mineral content of the district’s well water addressed because it wears out dishwashers, washing machines and other appliances much faster than softer water.

The metro district serves customers on the eastern edge of Colorado Springs, including Cimarron Hills and Schriever Space Force Base. About 15,000 customers are eligible to vote in the election, making it a community larger than Manitou Springs or Monument.

The board members facing the recall, Linda Keleher and Steve Hasbrouck, have said they do not see a problem with the water hardness levels. The other three board members are interested in exploring water treatment options.

Keleher and Hasbrouck would have served through May 2025. If recalled, their replacements will serve out the remainder of their terms.

The ballots ask residents to vote “Yes” or “No” on whether the two should be recalled. The ballots then ask residents to choose a replacement for the two board members.

Keleher and Hasbrouck are among those options because they are running for each others’ seats. The two races have also drawn 10 other candidates, each running for one seat.

The ballot sets up a scenario where one of the existing board members could sweep the election, retaining their own seat and winning a second seat.

In that case, the person would fill only one seat, likely creating a board vacancy. The second seat would not automatically be filled by the second-highest vote getter, said Wayne Williams, the designated election official and former secretary of state.

The board would fill a vacancy by appointment, he said.

The race has drawn two residents who worked on the recall effort, Kim Wilson and Jeremy Atkinson. They are campaigning together, distributing flyers and holding Zoom meetings for residents to ask questions.

Candidates Dennis Daniels, Jan Cederberg and Dave Mattes have served on the metro district board before.

The other candidates Ginger Weber, Kristin Hunter, Noah Hunter, Clayton Nelson and Laurie Nelson do not have a campaign presence online and did not respond to requests for information from The Gazette.

The recall platform

Atkinson led the recall effort and promised to bring the customers’ perspective and greater transparency to the board. A first step is simply acknowledging the water quality could be better, said Atkinson, who works for FedEx Office, as the southern Colorado solutions consultant in the sales division.

“I would bring to the board a true curiosity for a better quality product,” he said.

He would like to see if it’s possible to pair a project to reduce water hardness with a plant the district must put in to address “forever chemicals” in the water.

The district expects to spend $25 million to $30 million on a water treatment plant to remove forever chemicals from the water because they can have adverse effect on human health over time. Cherokee could receive funding from federal suits against the producers of the chemicals to help offset the cost of the plant.

Wilson said she would bring her expertise in finance working for the Department of Defense over 35 years to the board. She was inspired to run after attending what she called a dysfunctional board meeting.

She is also interested in working on solutions to the water- quality problems and options for funding the work, such as grants.

“You can’t fix everybody’s problem, but you can at least listen,” she said.

Existing board members position

Keleher argued in a statement on the ballot the recall is unnecessary, and so is spending money improving water quality, because the water is safe to drink.

She also stated the recall is costing residents $100,000.

Williams said the board budgeted $100,000 for the election, but he anticipates it will cost $50,000-$60,000.

In his statement, Hasbrouck accused people who worked on recalling him of wanting to raise rates by $50 a month and seeking to award a contract to build a plant to their “big-dollar donor friends.”

Atkinson said the accusations in Hasbrouck’s statements aren’t true and he doesn’t know where the $50 per month estimate came from.

Keleher and Hasbrouck did not respond to requests for comment.

Other competition in the race

Former board member Jan Cederberg said in a statement she oversaw substantial projects while on the board, including the new wastewater treatment plant the district built to come into compliance with a state consent decree to lower the total dissolved solids in the water returning to the ground. Dissolved solids can include organic matter and naturally occurring salt.

“I am a strong believer in doing things the right way, and that in order to properly maintain water quality you must be willing to engage in longer-term projects that will have lasting benefits,” she said in a statement. “That involves looking at all the options to figure out what would work best for our community.”

Former board member Dennis Daniels said he would bring experience working on contracts to the board after working in government for 45 years in both the active duty military and civil service. That experience is important, he said, as the district works on a new water treatment plant .

“I would work diligently for the good of the district,” he said.

He does not believe that water hardness is as big an issue as some residents believe, and says some minerals are inherent to well water. However, he was a member of the board in 2014 when the district lifted a ban on water softeners.

Residents in the district sometimes install whole-home water softeners to help with water hardness.

Atkinson said he believes candidates who are not actively campaigning will dilute the vote.

Ballots should arrive to residents in the mail no later than May 21. The Election Day for the district is June 4.