Faye Griffin returns as Clerk and Recorder

Faye Griffin, county commissioner for district 1, was elected to serve as Jeffco Clerk and Recorder; an initiative by Griffin stemmed from a desire to finish her nearly 40 years with Jeffco in the office in which she first began a career.

“I am going to retire sometime, I just don’t know when,” Griffin said in September. “I am also torn by leaving this office because I enjoy being commissioner.”

Griffin did not comment on her win Tuesday Night.

In the past, she has been criticized for her habit of leaving office early with critics saying it provides a way for her fellow party members to gain access to elected office.

“I hate to think it’s a manipulation of the system,” Griffin said in response to the criticism. “I thought, OK, I started my career in clerk and recorder’s office; I’ll end my career in clerk and recorder.”

Only halfway into her second term as county commissioner, now that she is elected as clerk and recorder, her replacement will be decided by a Republican vacancy committee. It won’t be the first time a replacement will be appointed to fill a position Griffin has vacated in pursuit of other leadership roles. She was elected twice as clerk and recorder from 1998 to 2006 and then ran for county treasurer which she won for a four-year term. Two years into that term she left the position and was elected as county commissioner where Republican Tim Kauffman was selected to fill her remaining term as treasurer.

The Jeffco race for county commissioner produced knowledgeable candidates including incumbent Don Rosier and newcomers John Flerlage and Greg Standley.

Early polling results placed Rosier in the front by 8.41 percent. He is cautiously optimistic about early results but said he hopes to move on for a second term.

“I just feel very humbled by the number of individuals that voted for me a second time,” he said.

In August, Rosier stated that although he can be abrasive at times, he finds the job as county commissioner a privilege he takes seriously.

“I have the highest and best interest of all residents,” Rosier said. “I’m here for them –; I’m not here for me.”

Rosier’s Democratic opponent John Flerlage admits defeat and stated he already called Rosier to congratulate him.

“It looks like the Democrats are getting killed,” Flerlage said. “It’s over.”

Flerlage has been active in Jefferson County’s political scene for over a decade, serving at the precinct level and as treasurer for House District 28. He is more known for his run for congress in 2010 in Colorado’s 6th District, which went to Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman.

Golden Transcript – Latest Stories