The Grand Lake Town Manager has officially resigned just 81 days after accepting the position. Guy Patterson tendered his resignation in a letter addressed to Grand Lake Mayor Steve Kudron on Friday, Sept. 20.

Patterson’s letter of resignation is remarkably critical of the town’s administration and detailed two alleged events that damaged Patterson’s trust with the town while working as town manager.

Patterson had been promised employee housing as part of his contract. The agreement stated that “…The Town Manager shall be responsible for $1,750.00 per month to Grand Escape Cottages for housing from July 1st, 2024 through September 30th 2024. On October 1st 2024 The Town Manager shall be responsible for $2000.00 per month for housing at the Town owned Matthew’s Property until May 31st 2025.”

However, Patterson found out that two town employees were already living in the space and would be forced to move out for Patterson. At this revelation, he requested that this clause be struck from his contract.

In the resignation letter, Patterson writes that this entire debacle was a “rough introduction into the culture of the organization” and that “the whole affair was very disturbing.”

He goes on to describe the conditions of the property as being “misrepresented” and even requested that the town repair the property to the level where “trustees would feel comfortable housing their families.”

Patterson then writes that things continued to deteriorate at the Aug. 26 Grand Lake Board of Trustees meeting, when Carl Montoya expressed frustration regarding the burial of his father at the Grand Lake Cemetery.

He writes in the resignation letter that “despite numerous communications, the grave site had not (been) excavated by the Town as promised. (…) I first learned of the debacle while the memorial service for Mr. Montoya was in progress. Simply stated, the administrative structure I inherited was so dysfunctional it literally couldn’t put a hole in the ground. I immediately went to the Board to get accountability for this and a host of other issues. Nothing happened.”

The former town manager then suggested that Grand Lake should seek an administrator “more closely aligned with their culture.”

“The probationary period at the beginning of employment is for both parties to judge if the arrangement is ultimately in their best interest. It has taken me less than three months to realize due to the combination of the irreparable erosion of trust beginning with the housing situation; the Board’s recalcitrance in confronting significant, systemic and well-documented internal issues which have lingered for years (well before I was ever considered for this position) and their explicit demand to continue the status quo that I will resign. This is a work culture that is foreign to me and for which I’m ill-fitted,” the final paragraph of the letter reads.