Brighton City Council suspended City Attorney Jack Bajorek without any public discussion at a Jan. 5 meeting.

Council unanimously approved the motion to suspend Bajorek after an hourlong executive session. Assistant City Attorney Lena McClelland became the acting city attorney for the Jan. 5 meeting.

The context for Bajorek's suspension is almost completely unknown. In July, council unanimously voted to renew his contract after he underwent an annual performance evaluation.

Prior to Bajorek's contract renewal, Mayor Pro Tem Matt Johnston publicly expressed dissatisfaction with Bajorek's legal advice, first, with issues pertaining to the 2019 controversy that resulted in a mayoral recall election.

Johnston was also upset with Bajorek about a city agreement regarding development of streets in Johnston's neighborhood. At a June 2 meeting, Bajorek said to Johnston at one point, “So, I'm really interested in your legal analysis, mayor pro tem,” to which Johnston responded, “Well, we aren't that interested in yours.” Bajorek followed with, “That's obvious … if you aren't satisfied with the legal services you're getting, there's a process to go through.”

The city attorney's office also received negative publicity in May when an employee in the office leaked sealed court documents about a homicide case in El Paso County. Sheri Farstveet, the employee, plead guilty to attempted official misconduct in December. When Farstveet leaked the documents in early May, the city fired her on May 27, according to city spokesperson Kristen Chernosky.

However, since council renewed Bajorek's contract in July, there have been no public discussions about his performance. There have been three executive sessions, one in October and two in December, about a deputy municipal judge.

The city, or Bajorek, could not be immediately reached for comment. It's currently unknown if council will vote in a subsequent meeting to terminate Bajorek.