Emotions flared on Monday morning this week as the five-member Vacancy Committee of the Hinsdale County Republican Party met to consider endorsing candidates for Hinsdale County Sheriff in this fall’s General Election.
After emotional remarks by several members of the Vacancy Committee and in split three-yes, two-no balloting, the committee voted to approve former Hinsdale County Undersheriff Jordan Kaminski as the Republican Party’s candidate for Hinsdale County Sheriff.
Empowered by Colorado State Statute to name candidates to fill vacancies, the deliberation was described by vacancy committee member Michael Murphy as “winging it” in a “difficult situation.”
Among seated audience at Monday’s vacancy committee meeting was Jordan Kaminski who worked for Hinsdale County Sheriff’s Dept 2012-2014 and again starting 2018 and served as Undersheriff from September, 2020, until his resignation effective June 23 this year.
In his remarks to the vacancy committee members, Kaminski stated that following prayerful consideration he had concluded to ask the committee to approve him as Republican candidate for sheriff in order to give the voters a choice.
“I am at peace with whatever you do,” he told vacancy committee members Diane Bruce, Wes Williams, Becky Weeks, Michael Murphy, and Bobby Kleckner, the latter representing Hinsdale County’s South End.
After 30 minutes discussion, including intense questioning by several members of the vacancy committee, the motion to list Kaminski by name as the Republican Party’s candidate for Hinsdale County Sheriff was made by Wes Williams and Michael Murphy and ultimately passed with Williams, Murphy, and Weeks voting in the affirmative, and Bruce and Kleckner casting no votes.
As Republican candidate in this November’s Election, Kaminski will be one of three candidates for county sheriff; as reported in last week’s WORLD, Hinsdale Sheriff’s Dept. Deputy and now Undersheriff Denim Starnes has submitted sufficient registered voter signatures to seek election as Hinsdale Sheriff as an Unaffiliated candidate; added to the list of candidates for sheriff as of Monday morning this week is Lake City resident J.T. Stratton, registered Unaffiliated with the county, who has filed paper work to seek election as a write-in candidate.
As write-in candidate, Stratton was not required to submit signatures of registered voters.
The successful sheriff’s candidate will take the place of interim Hinsdale County Sheriff Ron Bruce (see separate article, page 1) who on Friday afternoon, July 12, received his oath of office to replace the former sheriff, Chris Kambish, who resigned effective July 12.
Bruce, a past Hinsdale County Sheriff, was selected as interim replacement by Hinsdale County Commissioners and has agree to serve from Friday last week until January 8, 2025, when the newly-elected sheriff is sworn into office. In Monday morning’s vacancy committee meeting, former undersheriff Kaminski was seated and calm as he was closely questioned by several of the committee members. Asked by Wes Williams for his reasoning in resigning as undersheriff last month, Kaminski replied that it was an issue of prayer, stating he felt it was “best to step away for a time” in the midst of turmoil which arose as a result of the resignation of Sheriff Kambish.
South End committee member Bobby Kleckner referenced “interesting times we live in”…….
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