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Jeffrey Larson and Lori Dooley recall, Creede, Colorado (2025)

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Mayor and board of trustees recall
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Officeholders
Jeffrey Larson
Lori Dooley
Recall status
Recall approved
Recall election date
September 23, 2025
Signature requirement
25 signatures (Larson)
32 signatures (Dooley)
See also
Recall overview
Political recall efforts, 2025
Recalls in Colorado
Colorado recall laws
Mayoral recalls
City council recalls
Recall reports

An effort to recall Mayor Jeffrey Larson and Trustee Lori Dooley was scheduled for September 23, 2025, in Creede, Colorado.

Both officials were removed from their positions as a result of yes-no recall votes. A concurrent special election was on the ballot to determine replacements for Larson and Dooley in the event that the recalls were approved. Erica Roden and Tom Roden were unopposed for the positions of mayor and trustee, respectively.[1]

Recall vote

Larson recall question

Jeffrey Larson recall, 2025

Jeffrey Larson lost the Mayor of Creede recall election on September 23, 2025.

Recall
 Vote
%
Votes
✖
Yes
 
55.8
 
 82
No
 
44.2
 
 65
Total Votes
 147

It has been certified. Source

Larson replacement question

General election

Special general election for Mayor of Creede

Erica Roden won election in the special general election for Mayor of Creede on September 23, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
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Erica Roden (Nonpartisan)
 
100.0
 
80

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 80
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Dooley recall question

Lori Dooley recall, 2025

Lori Dooley lost the Creede Board of Trustees recall election on September 23, 2025.

Recall
 Vote
%
Votes
✖
Yes
 
62.8
 
 91
No
 
37.2
 
 54
Total Votes
 145

It has been certified. Source

Dooley replacement question

General election

Special general election for Creede Board of Trustees

Tom Roden won election in the special general election for Creede Board of Trustees on September 23, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
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Tom Roden (Nonpartisan)
 
100.0
 
86

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 86
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Recall supporters

The recall effort was organized by Creede residents Jenna Ford Yund, Roger Mann Jr., and Eric Grossman. Petitions listed the following as grounds for recalling Larson:[2]

“
  • Meetings are run so as to discourage public participation;
  • The mayor supported increases in water/sewer rates causing financial harm to citizens;
  • The town manager’s employment agreement contained provisions not in the best interests of the citizens;
  • The mayor failed to hold the town manager accountable for residency requirements and agreed to subsidize housing for him outside the town limits;
  • The mayor supported the reappointment of the town manager with the result of placing the town’s financial stability at risk. [3]
 ”

Grounds for recalling Dooley included the following:[2]

“
  • Trustee Dooley supported increases in water/sewer rates causing financial harm to citizens;
  • She supported the reappointment of the town manager with the result of placing the town’s financial stability at risk;
  • Supported some town ordinances while seemingly ignoring and violating others.[3]
 ”

Recall opponents

On June 13, 2025, the following was recorded as Larson's testimony at an administrative hearing on protests to the recall:[2]

“
  • Mayor Larson disputed the allegation regarding his having supported increases in water/sewer rates causing financial harm to citizens. He stated that a water rate study had been commissioned by the town board and submitted prior to voting on the increases and noted that the vote to adopt the increases had been unanimous.
  • Mayor Larson noted that no town employees lived in town due to its lack of housing, thus, housing for the town manager outside of town limits was necessary.
  • Mayor Larson further noted that the evidence he submitted, i.e., a copy of the water rate study, the minutes adopting the study, and a resolution adopting the new water rates, were factual and not subjective. He stated he was going to stick to the facts.
  • Mayor Larson stated that one person who had signed the recall petition thought he was signing to recall the town manager.[3]
 ”

The following was recorded as Dooley's testimony at the administrative hearing:[2]

“
  • Trustee Dooley made preliminary remarks regarding the form of the petition. She stated she had gone to the state website, typed in the word 'recall' and found that petitions needed to contain 'no less' than 200 words—this petition contained approximately 150 words—and that the cost of the election needed to be included in the petition. Upon questioning from the hearing officer, Trustee Dooley said she could not remember the specific location of this information, just that it was on the state website.
  • Trustee Dooley made similar comments regarding her role in adopting new water rates, that the town had paid for the rate study, and that it had been voted on affirmatively by the entire board.
  • Trustee Dooley noted that she believed what triggered her recall was a situation in which there was a life/safety issue that took 4.5 years to resolve, causing the town to pay a substantial amount of money. However, she stated that the town could not ignore the issue.
  • Trustee Dooley stated that since their terms of office would be up next April, the town could not hold two elections in a short period of time.[3]
 ”

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing recall in Colorado

No specific grounds are required for recall in Colorado. The number of signatures required for a recall to qualify for the ballot in Colorado depends on the office type.[4][5] After the petition is approved by the relevant election office, petitioners have 60 days to gather signatures.[6]

Town Clerk Josie Bielenberg found that 37 signatures were valid in the recall against Larson. Petitioners were required to submit at least 25 valid signatures to put the recall on the ballot. Bielenberg certified 41 signatures in the recall against Dooley, which needed 32 valid signatures to move the recall forward. Following the administrative hearing, both recalls were sent to the town board with instructions to set a date for an election.[2]

Recall context

See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report

Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.

The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2024 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Creede Colorado, "Special Election Unofficial Results," September 23, 2025
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 The Del Norte Prospector, "Recall Petitions for City of Creede deemed sufficient," June 27, 2025
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  4. ↑ Colorado Revised Statutes, "Section 1-12-105 - Signatures required for school district officers," accessed March 11, 2024
  5. ↑ Colorado Revised Statutes, "Section 1-12-104 - Signatures required for state and county officers," accessed March 11, 2024
  6. ↑ Colorado Revised Statutes, "Section 1-12-108 - Petition requirements - approval as to form - determination of sufficiency - protest - offenses," accessed October 13, 2023
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