Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has appointed Cañon City Councilwoman Kaitlin Turner as interim District Attorney of the 11th Judicial District. She begins her term immediately.
Turner, 38, is replacing Molly Chilson following Chilson’s May resignation that becomes effective Sat. June 8. That term was set to expire at the end of 2020. The governor’s office has confirmed that Turner will fill the remainder of that term and that there will be a formal election of a new DA in the November 2020 election.
Ark Valley Voice spoke with Turner earlier this week when she attended the governor’s bill-signing Monday in Salida. She followed that with an interview with the governor. Her initial work, said Turner, will be to restore confidence in the position.
“It’s most important that the public does have confidence in the 11th District office,” said Turner. “In part that is about good communications with law enforcement and with the public.”
Turner lives in Cañon City and says that while that will be her primary office, she intends to spend time in the district’s other offices, including here in Salida. “The district has more than one office and I intend to serve in all offices. I want to get to know my staff, so they know me and I know them. She indicated that she is going to rely heavily on the people who have been in the office all along, and hopefully, together, that team will chart a new path with the office.”
Turner, a registered Democrat, says she doesn’t believe the office of DA is a partisan position. Instead, she says, the role has a community service focus; it’s all about public safety no matter where in the district people live, or to which what party they belong.
Asked what she most wants the public to know about her, Turner said “The most important thing for people to know about me is that I am honest. I have integrity. That my first concern in office will be public safety.”
The Governor’s Office released a press statement that highlights Turner’s experience. She has served as a Senior Attorney-Advisor for the United States Federal Bureau of Prisons since 2011. Since 2014 she has also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Colorado, and as an appellate pro bono attorney since 2012.
She previously served as a Senior Appellate Law Clerk for the Honorable Nancy J. Lichtenstein of the Colorado Court of Appeals and earned her J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 2007.
The fact that Turner is also an elected Cañon City Council Member representing District 4 is also a public service reality. She was sworn into her first elected office in April 2018, and Turner says she is getting a legal opinion on whether that role may or may not represent a conflict of interest.
“Come Monday I will be handling this new role along with the council position, both public service positions,” said Turner. “I haven’t figure out how to strike that balance yet and need to be sure it is not a conflict. Council has asked me to stay on. We’re in the midst of such important work – selecting a new city administrator for one thing. I’m going to do my best, and if it is decided that I should not remain on the council, I respect that.”
Turner and her deputies will be sworn into office at 8 a.m. Monday, June 10 in Cañon City. She has indicated that after what she expects to be a whirlwind 18 months as interim DA, she would be interested in a term of her own, but says right now she’s focused on getting started.
“Ultimately that will be up to the electorate and whether they want to keep me,” said Turner.
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