History was made last week in Ouray County, when longtime Ouray resident and former title company owner Kristi Westfall was appointed to fill the vacant District 2 seat of former county commissioner Tom Hollenbeck, becoming the second woman ever to serve on the board. Westfall joins Heidi Albritton, who defeated Bill Ferguson last November, becoming the first female to serve on the board in Ouray County's 128 year history.

Hollenbeck tendered his written resignation on Tuesday, June 28, following a probe of his allegedly unauthorized use of a county credit card. Hollenbeck had 18 months remaining in his term when the joint Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Ouray County Sheriff's probe led by Undersheriff Matt Carrington revealed that Hollenbeck had charged at least $4,000 to the card for personal use, including cash advances through ATM machines and the purchase of fuel and car parts; women's shoes; a painting at an art auction fund-raiser and eBay purchases on the internet, according to a front-page story in the Ridgway Sun on June 29.

The investigation was triggered when county officials were notified that the account was 60 days past due. A request for prosecution has been forwarded to the 7th Judicial District under District Attorney Thomas Raynes. When contacted Sunday evening by telephone, Hollenbeck declined to comment on the matter, but disclosed that he has retained Montrose attorney John Overholser to represent him in court August 4.

In his resignation letter to the county, Hollenbeck wrote: "I am wholly responsible for my actions and regret any inconvenience my resignation may bring to the county." Hollenbeck admitted that he had changed the credit card's billing address to his home last January, but he did pay back $1,500 of the money by personal check in early June, according to Harrington.

The Ouray County Republican party's Vacancy Committee was saddled with the responsibility of replacing Hollenbeck within 10 days of the resignation. Westfall was appointed last Wednesday, the eighth day following the resignation, from a pool of 25 candidates. The announcement was made on the courthouse steps by Republican Party Chairman Ralph Walchle, followed by the swearing in on Friday by her husband, Judge David Westfall.

After 21 years as owner of the Attorneys Title Agency, Westfall sold the business in November 2004. Westfall continues to serve as vice president of San Miguel Power Association, where she has been a member since 1991; she has also served on the Board of Directors of Tri-State Generation and Transmission from 1993-2003.

Westfall is a graduate of Colorado State University and Regis University. She was in the banking business from 1978 to 1982 in Ouray and sat on the City of Ouray's Planning Commission from 1980-1994 and the Board of Variances from 1990-94 and 1999-2003.