Golden fires city manager after response to racist fire department incident
GOLDEN, Colo. — Golden City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to terminate City Manager Scott Vargo, citing a loss of trust following the city's handling of a racist incident at the Golden Fire Department.
The council appointed Carly Lorentz as interim city manager effective immediately and directed a subcommittee to negotiate Vargo's separation agreement.
This action comes after a Black "Snoop on a Stoop" doll was found hanging by a rope around its neck inside a fire station in March 2026.
The doll was moved to different locations within the Golden Fire Department for an unspecified but "extended" period during the holiday season.
"The doll should never have been brought into any city facility, and the display evoked a horrific history of racial terror and violence," said Mayor Weinberg when reading a statement at the Golden City Council meeting last month. "The doll was removed immediately upon discovery."
Denver7's Colette Bordelon first learned about the incident from an anonymous …