MONUMENT, Colo. – Darcy Schoening, candidate for Chair of the Colorado Republican Party, issued the following statement today regarding the retirement of Susan Wheelan, Executive Director for El Paso County Public Health, who departed the agency Feb. 25:

“Susan Wheelan, the last vestige of the dark days of COVID, who forced masking on our county’s children and families and shut down our small businesses, is now gone. When freedom-loving patriots, individual liberty advocates and parents pushed back on government overreach in 2020 and 2021, Wheelan and the Public Health office didn’t just ignore them—they actively worked against them. Instead of listening to the people, Wheelan and her staff partnered with the radical left to spread propaganda, which in many cases, as we now know with President Trump’s election, was funded by our own federal, state and local tax dollars.

As an El Paso County resident myself who lived through the contrived pandemic, our community was crushed by the mandates of Wheelan and the Democrats. Kids were forcefully masked and isolated, small businesses mandated to close while big box stores thrived, our most elderly isolated from loved ones and families torn apart by government overreach. While some may praise her, never forget that Wheelan and her allies used fear to strip away our rights. And while some El Paso County elected officials celebrate her retirement, we remember her legacy for what it truly was—tyranny disguised as “safety” through imposed mandates, all the while refusing to acknowledge the damage she caused.

But in the darkness, the light has shone through. I want to thank and acknowledge Commissioner Carrie Geitner who rightfully and publicly denounced Wheelan’s authoritarian actions during COVID on Tuesday. Geitner has consistently fought for personal freedom and against government tyranny, and just as important, accountability. Thank you.

We must never forget those who masked our kids, forced our elderly to die alone and used government power to harm our community. And we must never stop fighting to elect principled Republicans who uphold our Constitutional rights and fight for a government for the people.”