Douglas County school board President Christy Williams on Tuesday selected Timothy Moore, a former sheriff’s deputy who was disciplined for political campaigning, to fill a vacant seat on the Board of Education.
State law required Williams to decide who would replace President Mike Peterson after board members repeatedly split 3-3 each time they voted on two finalists for the job.
Peterson resigned last year. Moore, who previously worked as a Douglas County Sheriff’s Office deputy, will serve the remainder of Peterson’s term, which was set to expire in November 2025.
During previous board meetings, the three conservative members of the board — Williams, Kaylee Winegar and Becky Myers — favored Moore because of his experience in school safety. Those three members, along with Peterson, served as the board’s majority until the latter’s resignation.
“When I think about a new member, it’s that they can provide something different from any of the six of us provided,” Williams said during a public meeting Tuesday announcing her decision, adding, “Mr. Moore has been a leader in our community for over 30 years.”
Their three other colleagues had favored another candidate, Sandra Lyle Brownrigg, with one member, Brad Geiger, calling her a “safe choice” and expressing concern that Moore’s appointment would be seen as politically divisive.
A 2020 internal investigation determined Moore violated Douglas County Sheriff’s Office policies, including participating in election campaigns, after he sent a statement “pledging his support to help get Republican candidates elected,” according to a disciplinary report obtained by The Denver Post through an open records request.
Moore drafted the statement after a Douglas County Republican Party leader contacted him following then-Sheriff Tony Spurlock’s endorsement of a Democratic candidate for county commissioner and requested statements from command staff pledging to only support Republican candidates in the election, according to the report.
Moore left the sheriff’s office in May 2021 under an agreement with Spurlock, said Deputy Cocha Heyden, spokeswoman for the department.
In an interview, Moore said he resigned after having a political difference with his boss.
“I did what I thought was right for the right reasons and I’m proud I stood up for what I believe in,” he said in an interview.
Williams, when asked prior to Tuesday’s meeting about the internal investigation and how it might affect her decision, said in a statement, “After having the opportunity to both meet Mr. Moore and hearing him interview, I have been very impressed with his safety and security background and previous board experience.”
“People within the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office have spoken very highly of him. Those who have worked with him call him a man of honor and integrity,” she said.
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Moore said that despite his history of being involved in political issues, he has “no hidden agenda” in joining the school board and doesn’t make “decisions based on party-line politics.”
The board has become known for its political divisiveness since 2021, when the conservative members gained the majority of seats and sought to end mask mandates during the height of the pandemic, change the district’s equity policy and oust former Superintendent Corey Wise.
Last year, the board had to fill another vacant seat previously held by Elizabeth Hanson, who resigned because of differences with the conservative majority.
“I believe that school boards should always have been nonpartisan,” Moore said. “I agree with the concerns that it has become too political.”
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