Durango’s city government does not often produce genuine surprises. Its annual selection of mayor and mayor pro tem is typically one of the least controversial actions it takes – a largely ceremonial rotation grounded in precedent, predictability and respect among councilors.

Call it what it resembled: a procedural “coup” – a coordinated effort by a small group, carried out abruptly and without broader participation (Herald, April 24).

In a move that unfolded in seconds, Mayor Gilda Yazzie nominated Dave Woodruff as mayor, consistent with the decades-long traditional rotation, and Councilor Jessika Loyer as mayor pro tem, bypassing both Kip Koso, the top vote-getter in the April 2025 election with 3,571 votes, and Shirley Gonzales, who followed with 2,725. Loyer, who received 2,698 votes and has already served as mayor, was elevated instead.

The roles are largely procedural – the mayor runs meetings and represents the city, and the mayor pro tem steps in when needed, with no additional authority.

The charter allows this. What matters is how decisions are made – and whether they build or erode trust.

By that measure, this failed.

No one spoke with Koso about the possibility of him being passed over. No one spoke with Gonzales either. That is not collaboration.

It is, to many, an insult – not just to Koso and Gonzales but to the community they represent.

Would any of them accept being treated this way – excluded from conversations, then publicly judged without warning?

Calls for professionalism and trust carry little weight when they are not practiced.

Loyer argued the decision was about leadership – running effective meetings, building consensus and maintaining trust within the council-manager system.

Those expectations are reasonable. The way this was handled was not.

Concerns about Koso’s approach were not absent. Councilors and the city manager had raised issues over time, particularly around formal and informal communication with staff and adherence to the council-manager system, which requires all staff requests to go through the city manager’s office. Koso acknowledges the learning curve, says onboarding could be improved and has worked to follow the rules as he’s come to understand them.

His approach has emphasized direct engagement with residents, nonprofits and business owners, surfacing issues that may not originate within City Hall.

That approach may challenge the system. It is also the job he was elected to do.

If there were serious concerns about his readiness for a leadership role, they required clear, direct conversations well before the meeting.

A year into his term, expectations around process are fair.

Those expectations were communicated. But the consequence was not.

Woodruff suggested Koso consider waiting a year, but that is not the same as stating his nomination could be withheld.

Gonzales, next in line and an experienced councilor, was not consulted either.

Instead, Yazzie, Woodruff and Loyer made their case – after the decision had effectively already been made.

The consequences extend beyond one appointment. The two highest vote-getters were sidelined without discussion, sending a message not just to them but to the voters who put them there.

All of this comes as the city faces significant decisions – from major capital projects to housing and infrastructure challenges. The community had reason to believe council had moved past the dysfunction of recent years. This suggests otherwise.

City Council will meet for a retreat May 6. Koso and Gonzales are expected to be there. Showing up – despite the circumstances – is the first step toward repair and to rebuild trust.

Council can revisit this vote as soon as its next meeting and restore both the order and spirit of its long-standing practice by appointing Koso as mayor pro tem. Reversing the decision would not erase the concerns raised, but it would correct how this was handled and restore faith in the electorate.

Koso should continue working within the council-manager system and collaborating with colleagues and staff. The same expectation applies to the rest of the council – even where that has proven difficult.

A longtime Durango resident with a background in business leadership and nonprofit work, Koso is not a rebel without a cause. He has many, grounded in the concerns of his constituents, and is working to do the job 3,571 residents elected him to do.

Traditions can be broken. Sometimes they should be.

But blindsiding colleagues, sidelining voters and calling it leadership is something else entirely.