Loveland city clerk resigns, to return to same job in Fort Collins

LOVELAND — In the latest in a parade of resignations from Loveland city government, City Clerk Delynn Coldiron will resign as of June 23 to become city clerk in Fort Collins, a position she held for 31 years before taking the Loveland post in 2021.

Coldiron submitted her resignation letter on Wednesday to acting City Manager Rod Wensing. Her last day in Loveland city government will be two days after her third anniversary with the city.

Coldiron will replace Heather Walls, who had been Fort Collins’ deputy city clerk before taking over the top job after the February departure of City Clerk Anissa Hollingshead, who had held the position since January 2022 after serving in the same job in Greeley for two years and Rochester, Minnesota, for three.

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Hollingshead’s appointment in Fort Collins had also been as a replacement for an acting city clerk. Interim City Clerk Tammi Pushek had held the position since Coldiron took the same position with the city of Loveland.

Coldiron’s departure from Loveland is the latest in a string of resignations from Loveland city government since a newly elected City Council made some abrupt changes in the Sweetheart City’s direction last November. The forced ouster of City Manager Steve Adams — who was replaced by Wensing on an interim basis — and City Attorney Moses Garcia was followed by the resignations of Municipal Judge Geri Joneson and Economic Development Director Kelly Jones-Sage.

“It is with very mixed emotions that I give my resignation,” Coldiron wrote in her resignation letter. “The city of Loveland is an amazing organization and I have so enjoyed having the opportunity  to work here.  I was welcomed so graciously and have been shown nothing but kindness and support by city staff over the past three years.”

Kimberly Overholt, Loveland’s manager of communications and engagement, told BizWest in an email that since Coldiron “just submitted her resignation, we haven’t vetted what the recruitment process will look like, however, we are exploring the potential for a contract-based relationship with a temporary city clerk.”

Overholt said Coldiron will have a staff of 10 in Fort Collins, and that “her team will be doing liquor and marijuana licensing, boards and commissions, open records and records management, council agenda and meeting coordination/support, elections, etc.”

While in her Loveland position, Coldiron established the city of Loveland’s first-ever Council Onboarding Handbook, instituted “super-issue” board and commission meetings, and led her team to create efficiencies and improve the customer experience, including navigating through COVID and enhancing the virtual participation process for City Council meetings.

She also introduced the NextRequest software to streamline Colorado Open Records Act requests. The city’s staff members have been using the new system internally, and the public portion of the software will launch later this year.

Coldiron led the city through its first redistricting effort since 2017, improving election-related information and processes through expanding election and voter information available on the city’s website lovgov.org, launching community outreach to encourage voter registration and education, and helping citizens through their petition initiatives during election season.