The Cortez City Council election is Tuesday, April 3. Voters who have signed up for permanent mail-in ballots should have received them this week; the rest will have to visit their polling place to choose among the six candidates competing for four seats.
Two of them are incumbents: Tom Butler was elected in 2010, and Karen Sheek was appointed to fill a vacancy in October 2011. Both have earned re-election. They have proven themselves willing to research complex issues and seek information and opinions from citizens. Butlers perspective from his law-enforcement career and as a retiree who chose to relocate here, and Sheeks as a retired educator who now owns a business, and as a parent who raised her children here, provide valuable depth to the council. Sheek, especially, is very active in the volunteer community.
The other four candidates have much to contribute as well.
Shauna McLaughlin also has business experience. Currently a branch manager for Mancos Valley Bank, she is in a position to understand the economic forces at work in the area. As a native of the area, she also understands the trajectory of Cortez history. She is already a member of the hospital district board.
Dave Chisholm, the owner of Mr. Happys, is a relative newcomer who also has built a successful business in Cortez. In this era of political division, its refreshing to hear him call himself a peacemaker, although the city council is perhaps less likely than some other elected bodies to need those skills.
Both Ty Keel and Richard Solano have served the city government in various ways, Keel on the parks & rec advisory board and Solano on the golf course advisory board and, more recently, on the Planning and Zoning Commission. That service demonstrates both a willingness to work and an understanding of at least some aspects of city government. Keel, a teacher, has spent most of his life in Cortez; Solano, a federal corrections officer, has lived here for three years.
Current council member Donna Foster is term limited, and Betty Swank, although eligible to run again, also is retiring from the council. They deserve the communitys thanks for their time and energies.
So do all the candidates, including the two who will not win election. Recognizing the value of a well-run city government and being willing to contribute to that effort are evidence of good citizenship.
The city has a history of being run very well. Often the issues facing the council arent terribly exciting, and sometimes they seem important only in hindsight, but last years recall effort demonstrated (again) that the decisions made by the council are important to the community. Streets and utilities, parks and recreation, growth and zoning, the ability to attract businesses and new residents to the area all of those roles depend on steering a steady course through dozens of votes that together, shape the future of Cortez. Those are all good reasons for Cortez citizens to vote. Talk to the candidates. Ask hard questions and pay close attention to the answers, and then take responsibility for shaping Cortez .
