The resignation of Douglas County Commissioner Lora Thomas comes after years of infighting between Thomas and her fellow commissioners.

Thomas was term-limited and could not run for re-election this year. Her term was scheduled to end Jan. 14 when her successor, Kevin Van Winkle, takes office. But on Friday, Thomas decided to end her term as commissioner nearly six weeks early after she said the other two commissioners tried to “drive” her out of her office.

“I signed this when I was sworn in,” Thomas said, showing her oath of office.

That oath hung over Thomas’ desk during the nearly eight years she served as a Douglas County commissioner.

“I looked at that oath of office every day and it reminded me that I served the people I promised to do my best to uphold the Constitution,” Thomas said.

Today it sits in a box on the floor of her home, along with diplomas, photos and other items hastily collected from her office after she resigned Friday.

“It wasn’t what I wanted to do, but I had no choice,” Thomas said.

For years, the Douglas County Board of Commissioners has been marked by infighting among its three Republican members. In 2022 Thomas was suspended as commission chairman. Months later she accused her colleagues: “Insults and slander.”

“I haven’t had much power to do anything for four years. You blocked me. They have refused to allow me to nominate people to boards and commissions. “Basically, Teal and Laydon choose whoever they want because they’re going to be rubber stamps for whatever Teal and Laydon want,” Thomas said. “They fired me from boards and commissions without evidence. It was just harassment.”

Lora Thomas says she was bullied by commissioners Abe Laydon and George Teal, with whom she often disagreed with when it came to county spending and board appointments. She also accuses the couple of making decisions behind closed doors, something Teal has denied in the past.

“I don’t agree with their wasteful spending,” Thomas said. “I’ve always been very responsible when it comes to finances, but Teal and Laydon were happy to spend as much money as they wanted. I mean, they gave Lockheed Martin half a million dollars so Lockheed Martin could build an incubator. People don’t do that.” I pay property taxes on it, and I’ve been very vocal about their outrageous spending. I think that’s one of the reasons they’re really after me.

The final straw came Wednesday when Thomas said Teal and Laydon told her to move out of her office to make room for her successor.

“Teal and Laydon insisted that I needed to be kicked out and so they told the staff to meet at my office on Monday morning to get me out of my office and I will not be humiliated that way,” Thomas said .

Rather than be forced out, Thomas resigned, to the shock of her former colleagues.

Commissioner George Teal said in a Facebook comment that Thomas should move to a nearby office because her office needed to be repainted.

Abe Laydon posted on Facebook that it is common for transitions to begin after an election. He also suggested that Thomas violated policy, and he was disappointed that she announced her resignation while the county was honoring school shooting victim Kendrick Castillo.

By Monday morning, Thomas’ webpage had been removed from the county commission’s website.

The district attorney shared a statement with CBS News Colorado, citing a state law that “grant[s]the county the authority to regulate the use of real and personal property owned by the county if the board of county commissioners believes so.” “That it is in the best interest of the county.” This would include assigning an office or vacating an office to make improvements for a new commissioner.

The Board of Douglas County Commissioners also shared a statement with CBS Colorado in response to Thomas’ claims:

“Former County Commissioner Lora Thomas repeatedly violated the Board’s policy manual during her tenure and was repeatedly censured for her conduct. Among the reasons the Board gave for the recent criticism were: 1) it publicly states things that are untrue, which negatively impacts public policy decisions; and 2) it undermines the work of the board’s district attorney.”

“I have real concerns about the future of Douglas County,” Thomas said.

When Thomas’ office becomes Van Winkle’s office, she urges citizens to remain involved in county government.

“You have to go to the work meetings. You have to go to the business meetings and the land use meetings. You need to make sure these three elected officials know you’re watching,” Thomas said.

Thomas isn’t retiring yet, she says, but she’s not sure if she’ll stay in politics. For now, she will take a break and spend time with her family.

“While I am sad that I had no choice but to step down last week, I have to tell you that the last two nights I have slept better than I have in months,” Thomas said.

Van Winkle told CBS Colorado he was shocked by Thomas’ resignation. Although he says he never asked for an early move to her office and does not yet hold county authority, he did not believe her move to an office next door would impact her ability to serve the people of Douglas County.

The chairman of the Douglas County Republicans told CBS Colorado that he expects Gov. Jared Polis to appoint Van Winkle as acting commissioner in the coming days.