"Why Hasn't My CORA Request Been Answered" Otero County Women Asks La Junta City Council

Southeast Colorado citizen Murisa Jackson has been patient for a response she made to La Junta City Council many months ago. She filed a CORA, Colorado Open Records Act.

Fowler resident Murisa Jackson stands up to tell La Junta City Council her request has not been granted at Monday night's meeting.

It’s the state law that gives the public the right to access most records held by government agencies—things like emails, documents, reports, and other official materials. In general, it requires that these public records be available for inspection unless a specific exemption applies. CORA is essentially Colorado’s version of a “freedom of information” law.

Jackson distributed copies of a letter to council explaining she had been requesting information, felt it had been ignored so she was now prepared to seek legal action against the city. (posted below)

It came on the heels of several email threads asking for the information.

The first request asked the city of La Junta's HR department or records custodian to respond to complaints made by staff of the La Junta Police department concerning Police Chief Todd Quick. it also requested any complaints internal and external made to the department about Chief Quick and any information such as internal affair reports or investigations. Jackson provided us with the email thread when she first made this request May 15, 2026.

Jackson received an email back dated May 26th stating that upon advice of their legal counsel, the City of La Junta would not be releasing any of the documents and information that Jackson had requested through the CORA process.

Jackson told us that she was surprised at the response considering at that moment, Jackson said the city of La Junta did not have an attorney. Attorney Erin Harris had resigned as counsel on May 13th, 2026 and another attorney had yet to be named. An email chain obtained by Jackson shows that City Manager Michael Hart announced Harris' resignation and advised that all legal matters would go through his office until a replacement can be found.

Jackson said she received no answers as to whether her request would be answered so she tried again. In an email to the City of La Junta she asked that she Colorado Open Records Act request be honored. She challenged the earlier email that stated her request would not be granted on the advice of legal counsel and said she was aware they were currently without an attorney. (email thread posted below)

At Monday night's city Council meeting, Jackson once again stated her records request had not been honored.

Mayor Joe Ayala replied that the City Clerk would not be responding to her.

Ayala stated in the public meeting to Jackson that he wasn't going to get into the weeds on the matter and said that the city attorney Clay Buchner would be happy to address it as council would direct him.

An email chain from Jackson to Buchner shows a correspondence dated July 14, 2026 with a follow up from Jackson on July 28, 2026. A response from Buchner came seven days later.

Jackson showed frustration as she recounted the communication.

"After I filed my Notice of Intent to Sue, I contacted the City's new Interim City Attorney, Clayton M. Buchner, in an effort to resolve the matter before filing litigation. His response was: "Ms. Jackson, Sorry for the delay. Please let me inquire with the city clerk and get back to you. V/r, Clay Clayton M. Buchner Interim City Attorney La Junta, Colorado." Since receiving that response, I have been waiting for a follow-up. My intent has been to resolve these issues through communication before asking the court to intervene. As of now, I have not received the promised update, and it appears my attempts to resolve the matter outside of litigation have not yet resulted in further communication."

Jackson felt so passionately about the journey to obtain public records that she's continuing to move forward.

"Public records do not belong to government officials—they belong to the people. Government agencies are entrusted with maintaining these records on behalf of the public, not controlling access to them. Transparency is a cornerstone of democracy, and access to public records allows citizens to hold their government accountable, monitor the use of public funds, and ensure decisions are made honestly and lawfully. When access to public records is delayed, denied without legal justification, or withheld from the public, it undermines trust in government and weakens the principles of openness and accountability that public service is meant to uphold,"

Jackson added that people will question decisions that impact their communities when not given the public information they deserve. She feels that public records are the history of what happened, the decisions that were made, and the actions taken by the people we trust to serve us.

"These records belong to the people because the government exists to serve the people. My pursuit of transparency is not about creating conflict or tearing down those in public service. It is about seeking the truth, asking questions, and making sure that accountability remains a part of our system. Every citizen deserves the ability to understand what their government is doing and why. "

She added that she understands many people don't seek answers because it isn't easy.

"I believe many people never obtain the public records they are entitled to because the process of holding government accountable often requires time, persistence, and sometimes even going to court."

Jackson believes a healthy community is built on trust. She finished that trust is only there when we are honest, open, and eager to be accountable. That includes a government that is transparent.

"Transparency gives people a voice, and that voice is what keeps government working for the people it represents."

There was no clear answer given at Monday night's meeting on granting Jackson's CORA request but attorney Buchner did mention they should adopt a process.

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(letter to the city of la junta)