Baker To Have Private Swearing-In Ceremony
Arapahoe Officials Don't Want Him At Official Celebration
POSTED: 7:24 a.m. MST January 14, 2003
LITTLETON, Colo. -- Tracy Baker, the embattled Arapahoe County clerk and recorder, won't be sworn in Tuesday night with the other elected county officials.
Baker (pictured, left) will have his own swearing-in ceremony earlier in the day because he wasn't invited to the official swearing-in ceremony for county officials.
"We don't think it's appropriate," said Lynn Myers, Arapahoe County commission chairwoman. We have asked Mr. Baker to resign in October, and we didn't feel it was part of our celebration to have him with us."
The county will hold a public swearing-in ceremony at 7 p.m. in the East Hearing Room in the Arapahoe County Administration Building, 5334 S. Prince St.
Baker will sworn in at the clerk and recorder's office two hours before. Baker was re-elected last November after a three-month investigation into allegations of sexual harassment within his office.
A private investigative firm, Rick Johnson & Associates, was hired by the county after Baker's former chief deputy, Mary Whitley, complained about Baker's work activities.
After receiving the investigator's report, commissioners accused Baker of "gross mismanagement, sexual misconduct, misuse of public funds and property" and "creating a hostile work environment."
Last week, a judge ordered the complete Johnson report be released, including 570 sexually explicit e-mails that Baker and co-worker, Leesa Sale, sent to each other. Sale is his assistant deputy.
Baker, who is married, thought the e-mails were deleted, but Johnson was able to retrieve them from work computers in Baker's office.
Baker won a stay from the Court of Appeals on Thursday which ordered the county not to not release the information. Portions of the e-mails were leaked to the media and the Rocky Mountain News published edited transcripts last week.
Baker (pictured, left) will have his own swearing-in ceremony earlier in the day because he wasn't invited to the official swearing-in ceremony for county officials.
"We don't think it's appropriate," said Lynn Myers, Arapahoe County commission chairwoman. We have asked Mr. Baker to resign in October, and we didn't feel it was part of our celebration to have him with us."
The county will hold a public swearing-in ceremony at 7 p.m. in the East Hearing Room in the Arapahoe County Administration Building, 5334 S. Prince St.
Baker will sworn in at the clerk and recorder's office two hours before. Baker was re-elected last November after a three-month investigation into allegations of sexual harassment within his office.
A private investigative firm, Rick Johnson & Associates, was hired by the county after Baker's former chief deputy, Mary Whitley, complained about Baker's work activities.
After receiving the investigator's report, commissioners accused Baker of "gross mismanagement, sexual misconduct, misuse of public funds and property" and "creating a hostile work environment."
Last week, a judge ordered the complete Johnson report be released, including 570 sexually explicit e-mails that Baker and co-worker, Leesa Sale, sent to each other. Sale is his assistant deputy.
Baker, who is married, thought the e-mails were deleted, but Johnson was able to retrieve them from work computers in Baker's office.
Baker won a stay from the Court of Appeals on Thursday which ordered the county not to not release the information. Portions of the e-mails were leaked to the media and the Rocky Mountain News published edited transcripts last week.
Previous Stories:
- January 9, 2003: Clerk Tries To Block Release Of Lurid E-Mails
- January 8, 2003: GOP Wants Arapahoe Clerk To Resign
- January 2, 2003: Judge Says Clerk's Sexy E-Mails Can Be Released
- December 23, 2002: Clerk To Defend Himself Against Republicans
- December 3, 2002: Commissioners Demand Married Clerk Fire Girlfriend
- October 22, 2002: Clerk's Case Proves Work E-Mail Isn't Private
- October 22, 2002: Arapahoe County Clerk Investigated
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