Windsor Town Board appoints mayor after election dustup

After a month of discord, the town of Windsor has a mayor.

The Windsor Town Board on Monday, June 10, appointed mayor pro-tem Julie Cline to the mayoral seat until the next regular election cycle in 2026, at which time, the term would be up for re-election.

The board appointed Cline as mayor pro-tem after members voted unanimously against appealing a Weld District Court ruling that effectively ousted their elected mayor. Judge Shannon Lyons ruled that the elected mayor, Barry Wilson, could not serve, as he would be effectively serving a third term on the board, which is prohibited by Windsor’s term limits.

Wilson, executive director of Poudre River Trail Corridor Inc., was elected to four-year terms on the Windsor Town Board in 2018 and 2022. Halfway through his second term, he decided to run for mayor this spring and defeated fellow town board member Jason Hallett, 4,176 votes to 3,622, in the April 2 municipal election.

Instead, the board appointed Cline to serve as mayor pro-tem

“Two weeks ago, I was emphatic that mayor pro-tem was short term,” Cline told the board Monday night. “I went back and checked with my family, and my full-time employment, and they were all in support that this would be something I could do.”

Cline has been a Windsor resident for 13 years. She served on the town’s water and sewer board for seven years and was appointed to the town board when Paul Rennemeyer was elected mayor. She was re-elected to the seat two years ago. She has been employed at Hewlett-Packard Co. for 22 years.

“You guys have been really great to work with and it has been wonderful working with staff,” Cline told the group. “I do have the leadership skills. It’s going to take me a little bit to get into the groove of having that seat.”

The board opted to officially swear her in as mayor at its next meeting on June 17, at which time the group also will discuss the District 2 seat, and the now vacant District 4 seat. Prior to Monday’s regular meeting, the board held interviews for the District 2 seat.

The candidates were Bob Jonckowski, a retired Windsor resident; Brian Jones, a restaurant owner; Gregg Meisinger, a construction company owner; and Karen Jacobsen, a longtime Windsor resident.

After some discussion, the board narrowed their choices down to Jones and Jacobsen, learning more toward Jacobsen as their District 2 representative.

Jacobsen graduated from Windsor High School, and she has advanced degrees in business and international management. Her main concerns are developing affordable-housing programs and options for housing, and maintaining financial vigilance within the town. Jones is an owner of Fuzzy’s Taco Shops throughout Northern Colorado, and his ownership group recently purchased the Mash Lab Brewing in Windsor.

The group will have to continue to deliberate their choice at a special meeting on June 17 before making it official, according to Town Attorney Dan Money.

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