Dear Rocky Flats Stewardship Council,

I am reaching out as a stakeholder interested in Rocky Flats issues. Please include this message on the RFSC website as my public comment for the June 5th 2023 meeting as I will be unable to attend the meeting at 8:30am Monday morning to read it in person. The subject of my comment is concerning public accessibility to RFSC meetings and a conflict of interest with DOE funding for the executive director, David Abelson.

The Rocky Flats Stewardship Council is currently failing in it’s mission by not providing an accessible forum for the public to attend. For years now, voices from the community have consistently requested that the meetings be accessible to the public and have held the Stewardship Council accountable to their stated mission and Federal mandate. Public participation would be greatly improved by implementing the following:

Accessible Meeting Time: The June 5th RFSC meeting will be held at 8:30am Monday morning. For years, members of the public have identified this time as problematic because it is not accessible to anyone working Mon-Fri 9am-5pm.

Change the meeting time to Wednesday evening when the public can attend.

Accessible Location: The Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport is an obscure location that is difficult to find. The Mount Evans conference room gets routinely disrupted by noise from planes passing overhead and is inaccessible to the hearing impaired.

Change the location to a city or county building hosted by one of the local governments. I suggest Broomfield or Jefferson County if they are willing to host. This will provide ADA accessibility and meeting recording equipment.

Record Meetings for the Public Record: This is a basic duty of public access to meetings that has been neglected for far too long. David Abelson refused to take responsibility for this duty at the upcoming June 5th 2023 meeting when asked by the public.

All meetings must be recorded and made available promptly for the public record like any other Colorado municipality.

Stop DOE Funding for the Executive Director: This is a severe conflict of interest which has greatly hindered public participation. It is a mechanism of regulatory capture by the Department of Energy. The majority of the Rocky Flats Stewardship Council budget, approximately $100,000 per year, benefits one individual, David Abelson, while neglecting to address the needs for public accessibility.

End David Abelson’s contract.

I demand that the Stewardship Council take responsibility for it’s duty to the public. It is the federal mandate of the Rocky Flats Stewardship Council to “solicit and encourage public involvement”. Mr. Abelson’s failure to meet this federal mandate has gone on far too long.

I urge the Rocky Flats Stewardship Council to hold an executive session on June 5th regarding personnel contracts for 2023. The Rocky Flats Stewardship Council must hold their personnel accountable. Please vote to end David Abelson’s contract.

Sincerely,