Settlements in both cases were reached this month but have not been finalized, according to federal court records. More victims stepped forward and in early 2022 two of them filed federal lawsuits against Patterson and the city, alleging sexual harassment and assault and claiming that city officials, including acting city manager Sean Garrett, ignored their complaints. The Oregonian reported that he was required to attend 18 months of counseling in that plea deal. And reports soon followed that Patterson had pleaded guilty in a domestic assault case in Oregon a decade earlier - a background that previous city council members were reportedly aware of when they hired him. Town residents learned of previous accusations of sexual harassment against Patterson and former Police Chief Mike DeLaurentis by a former female employee that resulted in a paid settlement of $55,000 in 2019, according to the Cañon City Daily Record. The details began to spill out and in November Patterson was arrested on suspicion of stalking, unlawful sexual contact and providing alcohol to a minor. The Concerned Citizens of Florence quickly formed to seek transparency instead of rumors, and reporters descended on the tiny town. Initially, demands for answers as to why were met with silence and requests for records were rejected.
31, it didn’t take long for things to unravel. When long-time City Manager Mike Patterson was abruptly fired Aug. That eclectic spirit has made and remade Florence several times during its 150-year history, and it’s what many say they’re counting on as it elects an entirely new city council, hires a city manager, and tries to put a year of bitter upheaval behind it. “I call this place Oz,” said Millie Wintz, archivist with the Florence Historical Archive. It seems more like a town embracing the merchants’ slogan of “Find It In Florence,” whether that be a kitschy knickknack, a haven for remote workers seeking relief from the rat race of large Front Range cities or a place with traffic-free access to hiking, biking and river recreation. Nor like a town that struggled alongside its rural counterparts to keep small businesses alive during the ongoing pandemic. Nor like a town on edge because the most notorious prison in the country is just out of view.
It doesn’t feel like a town where the entire city council resigned, swept up in political turmoil over sordid revelations about the former city manager.
Like most towns of fewer than 4,000 residents, downtown quiets at sundown yet offers a comfortable, welcoming spot for a short stroll. There’s a livelier - though by no means raucous - spot a couple blocks down Pikes Peak Avenue to the south where the Florence Brewing Company and the Special Forces Motorcycle Club sit side-by-side at the edge of downtown. The benches that provide a shady respite during the day are empty. The antique stores, bakery and coffee shops are closed, and the nearly empty dinner spots will soon follow. on a summer weeknight, the setting sun slants its last warm rays through the trees along Main Street in Florence.
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