The League of Women Voters forum for Cortez City Council candidates will continue as scheduled on March 19, although in a more virtual format than was initially intended.
The forum was originally intended to be in a “speed dating” format, with candidates able to rotate among the attendees present and answer questions individually. But in light of the COVID-19 outbreak and after consulting with Montezuma County Public Health Director Bobbi Lock, the League has decided to host a livestreamed forum without an audience, that will be available online.
“This will give citizens the opportunity to be able to see the candidates and get a sense of what their perspective on a variety of issues is,” said Cortez Mayor Karen Sheek. “To help them make a better-informed choice when they fill out their ballot.”
The Cortez municipal election will be April 7.
The forum event is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19, and will take place at City Hall, where equipment is set up with livestreaming capabilities.
All 14 candidates have been invited, and a moderator will ask those in attendance a series of questions that have been generated by the League of Women Voters and sent to candidates ahead of time, Sheek said.
“We want to provide the candidates with those questions ahead of time so that they can provide thoughtful responses,” Sheek said. “The most important thing is to find out what their thoughts are about some of these issues, rather than try to trip them up.”
The livestream will be available on the city of Cortez website, just like other City Council meetings, and will remain online after the event.
Currently, 14 candidates are vying for five seats on the council this spring. Ballots are set to be mailed to all city of Cortez registered voters the week of March 16, and once received, voters have a few options to turn ballots in:
Voters can mail their ballots to City of Cortez, City Hall, 123 Roger Smith Ave., Cortez.Ballots can be dropped off in person at the front desk of City Hall.Ballots can be dropped off in the water drop box, located on the south side of City Hall.All ballots must be received in the City Clerk’s office (located at City Hall) by 7 p.m. on election day, April 7.
“If you are unsure your ballot will make it to the office by that date and time, please drop your ballot by City Hall rather than mailing it,” City Clerk Linda Smith wrote in an election update statement.
The 14 candidates, in the order they will appear on the ballot, are: Stephanie Carver, Jason A. Witt, Arlina Yazzie, Raymond Ralph Goodall, Rafe M. O’Brien, Sue Betts, Justin Vasterling, David N. Rainey, Rachel Medina, Amy Huckins, Geof Byerly, Joe Farley, Bill Banks, and Leroy A. Roberts.
