Dear readers,
We received a number of letters to the editor in response to “Manitou City administrator backed by mayor and council amidst years of high turnover, complaints” in our June 6 edition. We have printed some of them in this edition; others will be held for print in the future. The letters to the editor are mainly in defense of Manitou Springs City Administrator Denise Howell.
On the flip side, more former employees have come forward with the same concerns about Howell as were expressed in the article and have offered to add their voices to the record.
Nothing in the article or the letters from Howell’s supporters appears false. It is entirely possible – I would say certain – that Howell has notable leadership strengths and accomplishments and there are longstanding, repeating issues with high turnover that can be directly attributed to management.
One common concern in these letters to the editor is that the article did not include a quote from Howell herself. The City of Manitou was aware the Bulletin was working on this article for months, and Howell and Manitou Springs Mayor John Graham both reached out to Pikes Peak Bulletin Publisher Lyn Ettinger-Harwell. Ettinger-Harwell asked Howell and Graham to submit comments and to connect the Bulletin with staff members who would like to say positive things about Howell’s leadership. Howell and Graham did not take Ettinger-Harwell up on the offer.
Another limiting factor on what employee quotes were included was City policy that all media requests go through the Public Information Officer (PIO), which is what we did.
But, getting a true picture of how employees perceive working at City Hall would not be accomplished by the Bulletin simply gathering a range of quotes. However, there was a workplace climate survey recently conducted by a contracted agency, and we submitted a CORA request for the results. As noted in the article, the request was denied.
City council is in charge of Howell’s job performance review, and we included their perspectives to the extent they have publicly shared them, as well as the mayor’s.
Letter writers cited the City’s inability to respond to allegations by former employees directly. While the City has refrained from commenting on specific instances, there have been clear indications that leadership feels the problem lies not with Howell but with the disgruntled former employees.
“The city council concluded that Ms. Howell has very high expectations of City employees and expects them to deliver extremely high quality work,” Graham said, later adding, “After reviewing the independent evaluation, speaking with the individual who conducted the evaluation and discussing the concerns with City Administrator Howell, the City Council determined that the allegations and complaints were generally not warranted.”
As mentioned previously, the Bulletin has not been able to review the workplace evaluation.
Letter writer Rachel Buller wondered about “implicit bias due to Ms. Howell being female.” As a woman who has held leadership positions, I think this is a fair question – certainly that happens. However, if I were the head of an organization experiencing high turnover and receiving resignation letters that pointed to me as a cause, and this went on for years, I’d want to make some changes and not just chalk it up to my “high expectations.”
And to that end there is one easy change to make. Former employees said the human resources department was not able to serve staff interests because it reports directly to the city administrator. The City of Manitou could explore having HR report to the mayor or city council, rather than to the city administrator, removing the reality or perception of a conflict of interest.
One of our letter writers, former chairman of the Manitou Springs Planning Commission and mayoral candidate Alan Delwiche, wrote that “Some of those mentioned have reached out privately to express shock and dismay at how their experiences were portrayed.” We have heard from most if not all of those portrayed, and they have not objected to how their remarks were characterized – quite the opposite. If someone portrayed does have an objection, I encourage them to contact me directly at [email protected] or 719-373-1150.
This letter is in response to “Manitou City administrator backed by mayor and council amidst years of high turnover, complaints” in our June 13 edition. – ed.
City administrator’s assistant supports administrator
To the Editor:
I am writing in response to the recent article regarding City Administrator Denise Howell, which included statements from former employees making serious claims about her leadership style and work environment. As someone who has worked closely with Ms. Howell for over four years as her executive assistant, I feel compelled to provide another perspective – one based on daily experience rather than a single point of view.
In my time with her, I have consistently experienced a supportive, respectful, and balanced working relationship. She has always promoted a “family first” approach and has supported me through the demands of my role with kindness and flexibility.
I’ve never once felt fearful expressing a different opinion to Ms. Howell. When disagreements arise, we talk them through like professionals. And despite the demands of her position, she has never micro-managed my work – perhaps because I meet expectations and handle my responsibilities. Ms. Howell typically becomes involved in the specifics of a project only when challenges emerge as a result of insufficient oversight by the assigned staff member.
Ms. Howell is a firm and decisive leader who holds employees accountable for doing their jobs. At the end of the day, she alone answers to City Council. When they demand results, it’s her responsibility to ensure the work gets done – so yes, she will push staff when necessary. That’s leadership.
While no leader is without imperfections, Ms. Howell consistently demonstrates exceptional dedication and effectiveness in her role. She manages significant responsibilities with professionalism, resilience, and a strong commitment to the best interests of the City residents.
Criticism of public officials is part of public life, but it should be fair, balanced and reflective of the full truth. I hope my experience provides valuable context as our community evaluates the leadership of someone who, in my view, has led with integrity, accountability, and compassion.
Sincerely,
Lesa Fisher
Executive Assistant to the City Administrator
City of Manitou Springs
This letter is in response to “Manitou City administrator backed by mayor and council amidst years of high turnover, complaints” in our June 13 edition. – ed.
City of Manitou employee backs city administrator
Dear Editor:
My name is Rebecca L. Davis, and I have been the finance director for Manitou Springs since January 2012. Prior to becoming finance director, I was the deputy finance director and the utilities clerk and have been with the City for a total of 22 years. I am writing to provide my experience and my opinion of Denise Howell, the city administrator.
There have been several city administrators since I arrived at the City, and most were very good, fair professionals and I have nothing negative to say about any of them. However, Ms. Howell is the best supervisor I have ever had. She is insightful, respectful, listens and values the opinions of her employees. She works extremely hard and expects hard work and dedication from her staff and, yes, she does have high standards. But I believe the citizens we all work for would not want anything less. The criticism of “micromanaging” in my view is sometimes mistaken for one being detail-oriented and insisting on better communication. As the chief financial officer, I appreciate supervision of employees that emphasizes details and striving for perfection. Ms. Howell has always been supportive of my efforts, has been a great mentor and understands that every city position is important, interconnected and deserves respect. I share in her goal to give our very best efforts for our citizens and leaders of this city.
In closing, and in the effort to demonstrate my satisfaction with Ms. Howell and city council leadership, I would like to state that I am blessed and could retire whenever I choose. But I enjoy my job, and I appreciate the working environment here at City Hall. That is mainly due to Ms. Howell’s leadership. I am fortunate to have her as my boss, and I believe the citizens of Manitou Springs are fortunate to have her as their city administrator.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Davis, CPFO
Finance Director
City of Manitou Springs
This letter is in response to the article published in the June 12, 2025 issue of the Pikes Peak Bulletin entitled, “Manitou City administrator backed by mayor and council amidst years of high turnover, complaints.” -ed.
Reader says article is slanted against city administrator
Dear Editor:
This letter is in response to the article published in the June 12, 2025 issue of the Pikes Peak Bulletin entitled, “Manitou City administrator backed by mayor and council amidst years of high turnover, complaints.” I have some serious concerns about this article, which I will outline below.
First of all, in the Associated Press News Values and Principles, it states that, “We must be fair. Whenever we portray someone in a negative light, we must make a real effort to obtain a response from that person.” I didn’t see any mention of the PPB reaching out to Denise Howell for comment in the article. The Bulletin has a duty to publish fair and balanced information; not asking for a comment from Ms. Howell makes it slanted against her. Yes, comments from the mayor were included, but that’s not the same as hearing from the person who is the subject of the article.
Secondly, no interviews with employees who are happy with Ms. Howell were included. Does that mean there aren’t any, or that the PPB wasn’t being thorough and balanced in their approach?
I’m also wondering if there could be some implicit bias due to Ms. Howell being female. In our culture there is still a tendency for strong females to be often criticized for things that strong men are not. A question to ask ourselves is, if there was a man leading the city in the same way Ms. Howell is, would the complaints be the same? Just a thought.
I believe our city has improved in many ways under Denise Howell’s administration. Of course, she didn’t do this single-handedly, but that’s the job of a city administrator- to delegate. When there is room for improvement with any city administrator, then it’s up to the City Council to have that discussion with them. It sounds as if they did have an independent review and many discussions about the allegations and complaints. City Council and the independent reviewer have a much larger picture of what’s going on than we do.
I feel that the Pikes Peak Bulletin didn’t do a fair and balanced job on this article and wrote it in a way that is slanted against Denise Howell. It’s not up to the newspaper, or to any of us, to make a judgment without the whole picture.
Rachel Buller
This letter is in response to “Manitou City administrator backed by mayor and council amidst years of high turnover, complaints” in our June 13 edition. – ed.
Progress under city administrator should be recognized
To the Editor:
Although the recent Pikes Peak Bulletin article on city staff turnover raises valid concerns and reflects real experiences it presents an incomplete narrative. I believe that while former employees’ perspect ives deserve acknowledgment , readers also deserve a fuller picture of the environment in which these departures – and substantial accomplishments – have taken place.
City leadership is bound by legal and ethical restrictions that prevent them from publicly responding to the specific personnel matters highlighted in this article. This creates an imbalance where accusations can circulate freely but replies remain constrained. We are only hearing part of the story. We don’t know the actual details. We have to trust that our elected officials are being true to their oath to work in the best interests of Manitou. There is no doubt in my mind that they are doing just that. The numerous executive and open sessions on employee issues over the past several months are testimony to the fact that they have done their due diligence.
It’s also worth noting that not all former staff share the criticisms quoted in the article. Some of those mentioned have reached out privately to express shock and dismay at how their experiences were portrayed. That alone should encourage a more cautious reading of the narrative.
What we do know is that in the past six years, there have been many challenges for our community, including the response to COVID, critical infrastructure needs and changing budgetary realities due to the end of our monopoly on the local cannabis economy.
Despite these challenges, under Denise Howell’s leadership, Manitou Springs has moved forward in significant ways. The long-delayed library remodel was finally completed. The Incline management system, once a source of intergovernmental complexity, was implemented smoothly. The Beckers Lane bridge project advanced after years of inaction. A fully staffed parking enterprise was created to improve both downtown mobility and city revenues. A modern land use and development code was adopted. These are all huge steps forward for our community.
In addition, working conditions for city staff improved meaningfully. City Hall underwent a full remodel, and the police department was completely renovated. These are two major investments that addressed long-standing facility needs and demonstrated a commitment to supporting city employees with professional, functional spaces.
These achievements took place in a daunting civic environment. Like many small towns, Manitou Springs has seen spirited debate and close votes on major issues, with council members bringing different philosophies and priorities to the table. This diversity of viewpoints reflects democratic engagement, but it can also make long-term planning and internal continuity more difficult to sustain. That Denise continued to move the city forward amid such complexity speaks to her steadiness and effectiveness.
Conversations about workplace culture should absolutely continue. But so should recognition of the real, tangible progress this city has made. Denise Howell has led Manitou through divided governance, complex infrastructure needs, and a pandemic – with steadiness, competence, and care. That deserves to be part of the story, too.
Sincerely,
Alan Delwiche
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Please send your letters to the editor to [email protected] by noon on the Tuesday before publication and include your first and last name as well as contact information. Please cite your sources for any statistics or other factual assertions. Letters under 500 words that do not need extensive fact-checking are more likely to be published. The Pikes Peak Bulletin does not endorse opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor.
