Palmer Lake once again has a full Board of Trustees.

Michael Beeson and John Marble were appointed to the two vacant seats on the board during the trustees’ regular meeting on Feb. 12. Denaje Ferguson and John Hartzog were also candidates.

All four candidates were interviewed during a work session that preceded the regular meeting.

“I want everybody to know that all four candidates did very well,” Trustee Roger Moseley said.

Beeson is a retired Air Force officer who was once a squadron commander. He has previously served on the town’s planning commission. He said has had a “lifetime of leadership positions.” he outlined public safety, fire mitigation and pedestrian access as being among his priorities.

“(Palmer Lake is) the quintessential mountain town. We live here for a reason,” he said. “My vision for this town is to have sidewalks, to have people spend time and spend their money here.”

Marble is a political science student who works for a local business. He sees roads, sidewalks and other infrastructure as among the town’s top priorities. He also cited instability and lack of transparency within the town government as problems that need to be addressed.

“I want to see this place be something that’s not just true to its identity but true to its people,” he said. “I think Palmer Lake people are very proud in a good way.”

Town attorney timeline

There was some conflict between town staff and trustees Elizabeth Harris and Moseley over the hiring process of a new town attorney. Interim town administrator Glen Smith and town clerk Erica Romero said that having both interim and full-time attorney positions listed had caused confusion and caused some firms to withhold their applications.

In the end, the RFP (request for proposal) date was extended to Feb. 20 with the results being presented to the trustees at the Feb. 26 meeting. The search for an interim manager will be removed from the listing, which Smith and Romero believed would bring applications from more firms.

Moseley added stipulation that “no further work” would be devoted to the Buc-ee’s annexation effort during the interim.

Buc-ee’s unwind

Speaking of Buc-ee’s, their official letter withdrawing their annexation request has not yet been accepted by the town due to the lack of legal representation. Smith was instructed to try to engage a law firm that said it would take on some “special projects” while the town attorney selection process moves forward.