DENVER — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis' husband, Marlon Reis, deactivated his "first gentleman" branded social media accounts after getting into an argument about wolves on Facebook on Saturday.
"In recent weeks, the volume of negative commentary on his posts increased to such a degree that he felt his pages were no longer serving the goal of fostering compassion, appreciation, and respect for animals," said a spokesperson for Polis.
The first gentleman posted about grants the state was giving for nonlethal wolf conflict deterrents. He responded to comments, and he got into an exchange with a Walden rancher named David Gittleson.
The issues the Gittlesons have had with wolves predates Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) formally reintroducing them in December; however, the issues have continued. 9NEWS has covered the impact the Gittlesons have felt for years.
Initially, Reis responded to one rancher and then began responding directly to Gittleson. Here are Reis' comments, in screen shots obtained by 9NEWS Investigates:
"Your industry is no more important to the economy of Colorado than any other industry," Reis wrote.
"The truth is I don't care ... I don't care why your family seems to love the limelight and never misses an opportunity to trash talk the Front Range. If you're proud of being a rancher, act like it. All this complaining is leading nowhere fast," Reis wrote.
"You've abused the media by stoking fear of wolves. An entire agency is at your disposal for solving disputes. The interference you think is happening is made-up. David, I want you to do well. But you have to use the system that's been set up. No one gets special treatment. The law applies equally to all parties," he wrote.
Why the first gentleman deactivated his social media
On Monday, 9NEWS Investigates noticed the "First Gentleman Marlon Reis" page was no longer on Facebook. 9NEWS asked the governor's office what happened. Here is the full response from a spokesperson for Polis:
“The First Gentleman views social media as a tool for celebrating animals and sharing the many ways in which the Polis Administration is proactively working to protect them. In recent weeks, the volume of negative commentary on his posts increased to such a degree that he felt his pages were no longer serving the goal of fostering compassion, appreciation, and respect for animals. Rather than allow his social media channels to become forums for misinformation, he decided to deactivate them for the time being.”
