During the last decades of the 20th century, Morrison’s mayors faced complex, and sometimes controversial, issues. A few of them left reports of some of the key happenings during their respective tenures, taking time to summarize their terms in office, saving us from wading through years of minute detail in Town Board minutes and other records. This post, of course, only scratches the surface.
Note: Some of the dates of service are subject to change. We’re still trying to sort it out as sources disagree.
Rolf Paul, Mayor 1980-1984; Trustee, 1974-1980, 1984-2000
Rolf Paul was a central figure in Morrison’s civic life from 1974 to 2000, dedicated to the Town’s well being and progress, but rarely without criticism or controversy. At the end of 1981 and again after 1982, he wrote summaries of significant events and progress in those years. Some of the projects he highlighted were:
- Assumed operations of the town’s wastewater facility [previously managed by a special district], eliminating separate septic systems
- Completed a Planning and Design Study by University of Colorado at Denver (UCD) students
- Gave the Town Hall “a facelift” and oversaw its use by several civic groups, as well as the new Morrison Opera Company
- Completed a $700M water project, replacing water mains and an old water tank and completing a raw water operational reservoir on Open Space near town
- Looked forward to development of the Mitel Corporation’s $20 million facilities and employment boost to the area [this project did not materialize]
- Entered into an agreement with the Mount Carbon Metropolitan District to treat water and wastewater in exchange for facilities improvements [an amended agreement dated 7/31/2025 is still in effect]
- Worked with the town businesses and new Morrison Chamber of Commerce to sponsor parades, ‘big tent’ antique shows, art shows, pumpkin fests, etc.
In the 1981 summary, Paul wrote:
To the east of us within the next few years there will be a C-470 corridor, and the way in which the land just east of that corridor is utilized is of great concern both to Morrison and to the City of Lakewood. We are working with the City of Lakewood within the capabilities of both municipalities to do what we can to assure development that will prove to be an asset to both communities.
Sometimes it all seems somewhat overwhelming— so few people and so much to consider but we’ve been incorporated since 1906 and feel we really have something very “special” here, and I guess that’s what does keep us going.
Mary Gaylord, Mayor 1984-1990
The efforts Rolf Paul, Dick Scott, and others made to secure Morrison’s future in the preceding years led to a contentious election in 1984. Mary Gaylord ran against Paul, and won the mayor’s role by only 8 votes. After the election, the Rocky Mountain News reported that Gaylord ran on a campaign of making the town’s government ‘more open and less confrontational’:
“We’ll build bridges and get on with the business of the town,” she said. “I never really felt that what Rolf and I wanted for the town was that much different. The difference was in how we delivered the services.” Gaylord praised Paul’s role in putting together a $4.7 million water and sewer project, saying it gives the town some “bargaining chips it never had before.”
Gaylord inherited the job of carrying out the Mount Carbon agreement. Paul and Scott remained on the Board and, along with other Board members, continued to deal with the complexities it brought for years afterward.
Jim Jordan, Mayor 1990-1992; Trustee
During Jordan’s single term, the Town recruited new staff and hired outside bookkeeping services and a back-up sewer and water company. The latter was intended to relieve hard-working DeWayne Rhodig, who was Morrison’s jack-of-all-trades for many many years, from snowplowing to construction. In his resignation letter, Jordan wrote:
My primary effort as Mayor was to introduce a more business-like approach to governing Morrison. The Town now has a conscientious staff that not only maintains regular hours but also keeps compensation time to a minimum. …. I am proud of the fact that the Town Board has managed Morrison well.
Mary Poe, Mayor 1992-1998; Trustee, 1990-1992
In 1998, Mary Poe provided a three-page bullet list of key events and accomplishments (with dates) of the previous eight years, including:
- Nixed the gambling proposal to bring casinos to Morrison (1992)
- Negotiated with Bancroft Fire Dept. the land swap east of the Hogback for 321 Highway 8 property (new fire station for them, new town office for Morrison, 1992-1994)
- Supported the efforts of volunteers… in getting MNHM [Morrison Natural History Museum] off the ground (1992 on)
- Changed the image of Morrison from being a “Biker Town” to being a “Family Friendly Town” (1993)
- Put Morrison businesses and attractions on the internet [first town website, 1997]
- Annexed Cooley Gravel (1.5 years of intense negotiations, 1994-95) [to secure water storage]
- Successfully completed the Town Hall Renovation, turning a ho-hum, rundown building into a building with style (1996)
She wrapped up the challenges of the job:
Most of these accomplishments required hours and hours of hard work and hard thought, even the one liners. Believe it or don’t, these are what I consider just the highlights of the past 8 years. Maintaining the charm of our small town as a great place to live, while keeping it economically viable is an incredible balancing act and requires constant attention. The Board has strived to do that in a responsible, careful, and yes, frugal manner.
Morrison History 