The Cortez City Council election is around the corner, and ballots are streaming in.
Despite the disruptions of the coronavirus outbreak, the municipal election is on track for Tuesday. City Clerk Linda Smith said the city hopes to receive more than the 1,502 ballots returned in the 2018 election.
As of Thursday, 1,152 ballots had been returned.
Ballots were mailed the week of March 16. This year, 4,843 ballots were mailed, 21 of them overseas, Smith said.
Residents can mail ballots to the City of Cortez, City Hall, 123 Roger Smith Ave., Cortez; drop them off at the front desk of City Hall; or drop them off in the water box on the south side of City Hall.
Smith encouraged voters to drop ballots off at City Hall to meet the deadline of 7 p.m. on April 7.
Fourteen candidates are competing for five seats. They 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.
For information on the candidates’ positions, read Part 1 and Part 2 of The Journal’s questionnaire.Other forums were also held by local groups in Montezuma County, and the League of Women Voters of Montezuma County posed their own questions to candidates, which were published in The Journal March 24.
City staff are also reminding locals to fill out the 2020 Census. Census Day happened April 1, but it will remain open for several months.Other elections
The Dolores Town Board election also is April 7. Five candidates are running for three seats: Cody Folsom, John Andy Lewis, Kirk Swope, Val Truelsen and Sheila Wheeler.
Mancos canceled its election. The town had four uncontested petitions for four open Town Board seats.
