{"id":23405,"date":"2025-02-19T00:22:01","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T07:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/whats-going-on-at-the-montezuma-county-housing-authority\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T22:35:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:35:18","slug":"whats-going-on-at-the-montezuma-county-housing-authority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/whats-going-on-at-the-montezuma-county-housing-authority\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s going on at the Montezuma County Housing Authority?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Calkins
Calkins Commons, a Montezuma County Housing Authority property and its main office building, at 121 E. First St. in Cortez.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Employees at the Housing Authority of Montezuma County have spoken out about what they feel is not only unjust treatment by its governing board, but an overall misalignment of values between it and what the authority stands for.<\/p>\n

On Jan. 28, the board gave Terri Wheeler, its executive director of 37 years, three days\u2019 notice to leave the organization.<\/p>\n

Tammy Samora, who was juggling two other roles, stepped up as interim executive director on May 13, 2023 after Wheeler had a stroke. On Feb. 6, Samora submitted a resignation letter, citing, among other concerns, mistreatment from the Housing Authority\u2019s governing board.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout Tammy, I don\u2019t see a future for this place,\u201d said Breana Collins, a housing authority employee. \u201cAnd Terri made this place so strong. The mission of the housing authority is being washed away and not cared for.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe truth is, every employee is about to walk out of that building,\u201d said Collins.<\/p>\n

What is the Housing Authority?<\/div>\n

The Housing Authority primarily serves low- to moderate-income families and individuals, plus elderly and handicapped people.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe everyone deserves to have a home of their own. When everyone gets an opportunity to succeed, communities are stronger,\u201d its website reads.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are committed to serving eligible applicants with respect, and we will never discriminate against any person.\u201d<\/p>\n

It operates 11 properties \u2013 plus two commercial ones \u2013 in Montezuma, Dolores and La Plata counties.<\/p>\n

It also has three kinds of rental assistance programs.<\/p>\n

One of those programs is called the Housing Choice Voucher Program, which is rental assistance so tenants \u201cmay afford decent, safe and sanitary housing,\u201d according to the Housing Authority website.<\/a><\/p>\n

Countywide, 262 families take advantage of that program alone.<\/p>\n

In Montezuma County \u2013 population 26,500 \u2013 an estimated 1,000 people rely on its services.<\/p>\n

\"Terri
Terri Wheeler, the executive director of the Housing Authority of Montezuma County for the past 37 years.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cWhen I started, we had 130 units,\u201d Wheeler said. \u201cI love my job and what we are able to do for the community, to provide housing for thousands of people. That\u2019s why I\u2019ve stayed all these years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Terri Wheeler has been its executive director for 37 years<\/div>\n

Though Wheeler had a stroke and took time off to recover, she returned to work and was \u201canswering the phone as soon as she could speak again,\u201d Samora said.<\/p>\n

At a special meeting on Saturday, Feb. 8, Housing Commissioner Rebecca Fraley said Wheeler had notified the board of her intent to retire before her stroke, in March 2023.<\/p>\n

The Board of Commissioners of the Housing Authority of the County of Montezuma is composed of Chairman Chris Ludington, Vice Chairman Darlene Floyd, Secretary Orly Lucero, County Commissioner Jim Candelaria and Fraley.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did say that,\u201d Wheeler said. \u201cBut it\u2019s one of those conversations people have all the time when they say, \u2018Oh, I\u2019d like to retire.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

She said she never submitted anything in writing, and made the comment mostly because she was \u201ctired and needed time off.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the board gave her notice anyway, and they barred her from the building except when two board members were present.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt they fired me,\u201d Wheeler said. \u201cThey never used that word, but that\u2019s what it felt like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nothing regarding her resignation is in writing, and all Housing Authority board discussions about her employment status were held in executive session as a \u201cpersonnel matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this point, I cannot definitively say one way or another whether Terri has been separated from the organization,\u201d Fraley said to a group of employees in a private meeting Feb. 3.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the level of, I think, fluctuation that we\u2019re in right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m confused,\u201d said Eric Croke, Wheeler\u2019s brother, at a special board meeting five days later.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was at lunch with two board members on Jan. 24 with Terri (Wheeler). They were praising her, offering her continued employment on her terms basically. On the 28th, out of nowhere, she\u2019s given three days\u2019 notice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Croke called the treatment \u201cemotional abuse\u201d that has caused setbacks in her recovery.<\/p>\n

Plus, since \u201cshe still hasn\u2019t received anything in writing,\u201d she isn\u2019t able to get a Medicare supplemental policy \u201cbecause she hasn\u2019t received anything saying she doesn\u2019t work here anymore,\u201d said Croke.<\/p>\n

Put simply, Wheeler did not choose to leave and had no concrete intentions to retire.<\/p>\n

Interim Executive Director Tammy Samora<\/div>\n

At the beginning of February, Samora took a 10-day mental health leave because of the anxiety and stress that has compounded in the past several months.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey (the board) have bullied Terri and Tammy to no regard,\u201d Collins said. \u201cThey\u2019re both completely broken. After every board meeting, they come out in tears.\u201d<\/p>\n

During her recent leave, Samora submitted a letter of resignation. The time off wasn\u2019t a well-earned break or a vacation, like board members at the authority had suggested.<\/p>\n

\"Tammy
Tammy Samora, the interim executive director, property manager and assistant executive director of the Housing Authority of Montezuma County.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m certainly not on vacation,\u201d Samora said. \u201cI\u2019m broken.\u201d<\/p>\n

That private meeting on Feb. 3 between employees and Fraley was held with an intention to \u201cmake sure everyone is on the same page\u201d about Samora\u2019s absence, Fraley said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know she\u2019s been a major source of support for many of you, so I\u2019d imagine it feels like a really big hole that she\u2019s not here on such short notice,\u201d said Fraley.<\/p>\n

\u201cI fully owe my own culpability in the actions I did not take,\u201d she said. \u201cI think we\u2019re here today because of a lack of board cohesion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later on in that meeting, Fraley asked the employees to \u201cdirect any media inquiries to Chris (Ludington),\u201d the chairman of the Housing Authority board.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want us to keep quiet about how we feel? So that you guys can portray that you\u2019re doing everything you can to ensure that it runs smoothly when we don\u2019t feel that way? We\u2019re the people that run this,\u201d Collins said. \u201cWe are hurt, we\u2019re angry, and you\u2019re asking us to put a rag in our mouth and be quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to speak up. There\u2019s a corrupt board that is pushing against everything we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Special meeting on Feb. 8<\/div>\n

On Saturday, Feb. 8, the board held a special meeting at 3:30 p.m. to have a \u201cdiscussion regarding employment statuses of Executive Director Wheeler and Interim Executive Director Samora,\u201d according to the agenda.<\/p>\n

The board room filled up with employees and tenants, even though the meeting was called almost exactly 24 hours in advance, the minimum time a board must post a meeting notice to comply with Colorado Open Meetings laws.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it came down to the wire, which isn\u2019t my intention,\u201d said Fraley.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven how much hangs in balance in this meeting,\u201d the board worked all day Friday to ensure the \u201cagenda appropriately addressed what would be discussed today,\u201d which is why they posted notice so late, Fraley said.<\/p>\n

A handful of people spoke out during public comment, which kick-started the meeting.<\/p>\n

Collins announced that she wanted to \u201cspeak on behalf of people who are unable to be present today,\u201d namely Wheeler and Samora.<\/p>\n

\u201cTerri was fired despite comments that she was not,\u201d Collins said. \u201cShe was treated like a criminal by this board and told that she was not allowed to walk in the building without two other board members present.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTammy has been bullied relentlessly for the past few months,\u201d Collins said, which led her to put in a resignation notice.<\/p>\n

\"Jim
Jim Candelaria, a member of the Montezuma County Board of County Commissioners and the county Housing Authority.<\/span>du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

A community member brought up a comment made by Candelaria in October that offended employees, but he said was taken out of context.<\/p>\n

At that Oct. 29 board meeting, Samora presented a bid for a vinyl fencing project at one of their properties, a project already established in a five-year capital fund projects plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cCandelaria stated that $175 per linear foot for vinyl fencing was an exorbitant amount of money,\u201d according to meeting minutes.<\/p>\n

The material had already been purchased so that the property would \u201cblend into the community,\u201d the minutes read.<\/p>\n

Samora added, \u201cThe tenants deserve a nice place to call home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCommissioner Candelaria stated that they (tenants) don\u2019t deserve anything,\u201d according to the minutes.<\/p>\n

In response, Housing Authority employee Martika Myers echoed what Samora had said, about how the whole point was to have it match fences at other properties. Plus, the existing fence was falling down. It needed to be replaced.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know what properties are ours, by chance?\u201d Myers asked in an interview with The Journal<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo? See, that\u2019s where we differ from a lot of housing authorities, because of Terri and Tammy. They have made it to where they\u2019re not eyesores, and put their hearts into making them look good and decent and safe for the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

A tenant named Janis spoke during public comment next.<\/p>\n

\u201cTammy spends more time in the Housing Authority offices than she does in her own home,\u201d Janis said. \u201cShe knows each and every person in all of these buildings. You can go to her any time. You couldn\u2019t find better people to run it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another tenant, Ashly Miller, remembered the night her husband died, and how Samora went to her home and stayed with her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was pregnant at the time, living in a camper. She helped me get into new place,\u201d Miller said. \u201cShe\u2019s been there for me in a way I feel humans need to be there for one another.\u201d<\/p>\n

After public comment, the board went into executive session \u201cto receive legal advice on specific legal questions related to personnel policies, compliance with Colorado law and employment law questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The executive session lasted about an hour.<\/p>\n

Post-executive session conclusions<\/div>\n

When the public meeting resumed, Fraley made a motion to rescind the board\u2019s action on Jan. 30 that changed Wheeler\u2019s \u201cemployment status to that of a part-time employee through Feb. 6 and rather consider her a full-time employee till end of day Feb. 9, the end of current pay period.\u201d<\/p>\n

The motion carried, and the board recognized its \u201clack of clear and concise communication\u201d and how it \u201cwould be incredibly unfair to Terri.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t written, it was verbalized, which was a fault of the board,\u201d said Candelaria.<\/p>\n

With that, as of Feb. 10, Fraley made a motion to have Wheeler \u201ccontinue to be employed by the Housing Authority as a part-time employee at an hourly rate equivalent to her current salary, up to 14 hours per week \u2026 (for) up to three months.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m firmly in the opinion that we are here because of incredibly poor communication. It\u2019s incredibly important that she leaves on her own terms,\u201d Fraley added.<\/p>\n

The motion carried.<\/p>\n

As far as Samora goes, Fraley made a motion that the board approach her and \u201centertain conversation about whether she\u2019d be willing to negotiate an employment contract for the executive director role (with) agreeable terms to her and the board.\u201d<\/p>\n

They had been looking to cast a wide net to fill the executive director position for the first time in nearly 40 years.<\/p>\n

Fraley said she had thought Samora would apply for the role, but in the \u201clast six to eight weeks, there was a breakdown in communication between the board and her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was left feeling,\u201d Fraley said, pausing. \u201cThere was a question in her mind as to whether we wanted her to apply for this job.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has become clear to me in the last two weeks that we stand a very real possibility of losing Tammy from this organization,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Samora said the board had been unwilling to offer her job security even while she worked as interim director and as assistant director and property manager.<\/p>\n

Fraley suggested that, in that motion, Samora be given the opportunity to \u201cput her full energy toward the executive director role,\u201d and find other people to staff her other two jobs.<\/p>\n

Because Samora had submitted a resignation letter, it was decided that such an action was \u201cpremature\u201d and Fraley would reach out to Samora to see whether she would consider rescinding her resignation first.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like it\u2019s 100% a cover-up,\u201d Collins said. \u201cThe board is trying to save their own asses and appease the public. I don\u2019t think they expected there\u2019d be such a fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear whether Wheeler or Samora will return, and several employees said they would submit resignation letters.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe board is a big problem,\u201d Samora said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to convey they\u2019re all bad, cause they\u2019re not. But his (Candelaria\u2019s) voice is so loud, it\u2019s like everyone just conforms to what he says.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said she\u2019s \u201cnot interested in working with or for a person that does not align with our mission statement or the purpose we serve.\u201d Several employees expressed that same sentiment, and three resigned Feb. 18.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Employees question its future without its 40-year director and an interim director in the picture<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23406,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[21,28,60,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-23405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-cortez","tag-headlines","tag-montezuma-county","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23405"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78104,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23405\/revisions\/78104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23405"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=23405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}