The Denver American Indian Commission voted to expel two of its members Thursday night following a conflict over an upcoming Indigenous Peoples Day event, but the final decision rests with Mayor Mike Johnston’s office.
The commission is an advisory board under the city’s Office of Human Rights and Community Partnerships. Heidi Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the office, confirmed its vote Friday and said the result was a recommendation submitted to the mayor’s office, which was still pending.
The commission’s co-chairs, Trennie Burch and Deserea Richards, organized the virtual meeting to expel Teddy McCullough and Brendan Morrison.
The recommendation came one week after Burch and Richards accused McCullough and Morrison of creating “an unsafe and unsustainable environment for commissioners and for the Native community we represent” in a letter to the mayor that also criticized City Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore for interference with the commission.
They didn’t provide specifics about the allegations and didn’t respond to a request for comment from The Denver Post this week.
McCullough and Morrison have both denied any wrongdoing and said it’s actually Burch and Richards who have caused harm to the commission.
The commission’s members are appointed by the mayor and approved by the council, with up to 21 allowed, according to its bylaws.
In a prior statement, a spokesman for Johnston said the mayor “supports the ability of independent commissions to operate with autonomy — and expects those commissions to be civil and held in a respectful manner.”
The council voted earlier this year to make Indigenous Peoples Day a city holiday, with paid time off for city employees, for the first time after years of advocacy by the commission. It previously was a commemorative holiday.
In the letter last week, the co-chairs wrote that the commission had canceled the Indigenous Peoples Day event. But Gilmore, McCullough and other advocates say there will still be an event. This year’s holiday will fall on Oct. 13.
