Cooling selected as GOP’s district attorney nominee

The 7th Judicial District, which contains Gunnison County, inched closer to selecting a new district attorney (DA) last week when the Republican Party’s Vacancy Committee selected Anna Cooling as its nominee. Cooling, a Montrose-based attorney, will now take DA Seth Ryan’s place on the ballot this November. 

Ryan announced his resignation last month, citing high turnover, caseloads and the toll of his physical and mental well-being. He was running unopposed, and announced his resignation after ballots were certified. So, he will still appear on voters’ ballots this fall but all votes cast for him will count toward Cooling. The Secretary of State’s office has been notified of Cooling’s nomination, but ultimately, each county’s clerk’s office is responsible for informing voters of the change.

The GOP’s nomination committee included representatives from the district’s six counties (Gunnison, Montrose, Delta, Ouray, San Miguel and Hinsdale) and elected officials from the Republican General Assembly who live within district boundaries. Gunnison-based Assistant District Attorney Jessica Waggoner was also considered for the role. 

To be eligible, the candidate has to be registered with the party, in this case, Republican. According to publicly-available voter profiles, Cooling switched her affiliation to Republican in August 2023. Waggoner did so on Sept. 26, 2024, three days after Ryan announced his resignation. 

Cooling, a Colorado native, is currently a partner at Fleming, Lowenberg & Cooling in Montrose, a firm that handles bankruptcy, divorce, business transactions, estates and criminal defense across the Western Slope. She practices mostly in family law, and has served as a deputy district attorney (DDA) in the 7th for over seven years. Cooling also taught incoming law enforcement officers at Technical College of the Rockies’ Law Enforcement Academy for more than 15 years.

“One of my first commitments stepping into this role is meeting with every law enforcement agency in the 7th Judicial District’s counties, and asking them, ‘What problems do you see?’ … Because the bottom line is, police officers are risking their lives for community members, and I believe part of a DA job is honoring their work,” she said

Cooling said her goal has always been to serve as the DA, and the time was right when Ryan announced his resignation. Upon taking office, the Montrose attorney will face the same slate of issues that contributed to Ryan’s resignation: high turnover and caseloads in a mentally and physically taxing job. 

The revolving wheel of staff shortages may start as early as law school, Cooling said. According to Ryan, the office has had few, or no, applicants from the University of Colorado or the University of Denver in recent years. To fill vacancies, the district has had to recruit out-of-state attorneys.

But the task can be daunting, she said, as the Colorado bar exam is notoriously one of the most challenging in the nation, she said. And, all licensed attorneys within the state must pass Colorado’s bar. In recent years, the office has been forced to hire attorneys directly out of law school, who have yet to pass the bar. If they don’t pass — as has been the case in recent years — the office has to let them go, Ryan told the Times.

And for most incoming workers to western Colorado, the cost of living is a continual hurdle. Ryan requested a 3% increase in wages and salaries for all staff in his 2025 budget request to the district’s six counties, an effort to keep qualified staff in the office.

In the months leading up to Ryan’s resignation, three deputy district attorneys (DDA) left the Montrose office, leaving the already short-staffed district in a tighter spot. The district is set to interview three possible candidates before the start of 2025, but recent years have shown there’s no guarantees.

Gov. Jared Polis’ office is responsible for appointing Ryan’s replacement to fulfill the rest of his term, before Cooling steps in at the start of the year. The governor’s panel includes current and former district attorneys in Colorado, such as former Gov. Bill Ritter, former 7th DA Dan Hotsenpiller and Polis’ chief legal counsel Kara Veitch, among others. The panel began interviews last week, and will soon make a recommendation to  Polis, who will finalize the selection.

Eric Maruyama, a spokesperson for Gov. Polis’ office declined to comment on whether or not the committee is considering Cooling. If Polis doesn’t appoint a replacement before Ryan resigns on Oct. 31, the Attorney General’s Office will take over. 

For now, Cooling is reaching out to law enforcement, county commissioners and other attorneys in the 7th to get a sense of what can be done about the labor shortages, she said. She will honor her last commitments in private practice, before transitioning out of Fleming, Lowenberg & Cooling to her new role as DA in January of 2025.

(Abby Harrison can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or abby@gunnisontimes.com.)