Latest News – October 23

“Candidate’s Night” Speaks to a Small Local Audience

“Candidate’s Night” for Leadville City Council and local ballot issues was held Monday night, Oct. 21 at the Mining Museum’s Longyear Auditorium. About 20 people gathered for the opportunity to get to know the candidates, and hear from representatives regarding several ballot issues.

Moderator Bill Bland (l) listens to responses from Leadville City Council, Ward Two candidates, Mike Canty (m) and Steve Prestash (r) during ” Candidate’s Night”.

This Nov. 5 election, Leadville city voters will see more on their ballots than residents who live in the county. For city voters, decisions will be made on four ballot issues and two Leadville City Council seats, one of those is an uncontested race, in addition to an uncontested City Treasurer race.

Candidates for Leadville City Council, Ward One are Mike Canty and Steve Prestash, whose names will appear on the ballot. There is also one write-in candidate for that seat: David Lee. This council seat will be vacated by Mayor Pro Tem Betty Benson who is term limited. Thanks for all your years of service, Betty!

Gwen Shepherd will begin serving on the Leadville City Council, Ward Two beginning in 2014.

Ultimately, representation in Ward One will turn over completely with the recent resignation of Councilmember Diane Smith. That seat will be appointed by council after the election to serve out the remainder of Smith’s term.

Other Leadville City Council changes will include the addition of Gwen Shepherd, running an uncontested race for Ward Two, a seat open by outgoing Councilmember Becca Brandau. 

Leadville city voters will also weigh in on four ballot issues. Two – 2B & 2C – address tax increases for street repairs and upgrades. One is the measure and the other is the TABOR initiative necessary to implement the first. Ballot issue 2D also involves streets and asks voters to establish a Special Improvement District to address these concerns. 

The fourth city ballot issue – 2A – asks permission from voters for the Leadville City Council to sell the historic Tabor Home.

Zoom out a bit on the 2013 Election, and education comes into focus.

Amy Frykholm (l) and Shoshanah Ferguson (r) address questions concerning the Lake County School District Ballot Issue 3A.

There are two seats open on the local school board, both positions are uncontested. The two new school board members will be Amy Frykholm and Harmony Jump. Coming off the school board will be long-standing members Deb McCall and Keith Moffett. Thanks for all your commitment to the schools over the years!

Several Colorado Mountain College District seats are also up for grabs. Two of those three districts are uncontested races.

At the state level, there are two ballot issues before voters: Amendment 66, a tax-increase measure for schools, and Proposition AA, a recreational marijuana tax issue, part of which is earmarked for education.

View the complete Leadville Ballot:    FRONT.    BACK.

For readers who could not attend, Leadville Today was there to record the evening’s program. Those video are now available for viewing on the Leadville Today You Tube Channel:

• Candidates for Leadville City Council, Ward One: LINK
• Leadville Ballot Issues 2 B & 2C: Link
• Lake County School District Ballot Issue 3A

“Candidate’s Night” was sponsored by the Leadville/Lake County Chamber of Commerce, LeadvilleToday.com, Herald Democrat, National Mining Hall of Fame & Mining Museum, and Colorado Mountain College.

Leadville City Clerk Joe Swyers (m) and Mayor Jaime Stuevers (r) prepare to asnwer questions regarding the city ballot issues presented by Moderator Bill Bland (l).

HB 1303 – What It Means to You And Me This Election

With Colorado House Billl 1303 (HB1303) in place as of July 1, 2013, voters will have more options than ever before to have their voices heard during fall’s election. But what may be good for voters, may be placing an additional burden on local voting centers. And in these parts, that’s the Lake County Clerk and Recorder’s Office.

“The state has mandated that every county in the state send every registered voter a mail-in ballot,” explained Kathleen Owens, Asst. Deputy Clerk for the Lake County Clerk and Recorder Office. “Voters can bring those mail-in ballots to the polls if they choose to do that,” stated Owens.

In the past only those voters requesting a mail-in ballot would receive one. “There are just so many changes with this new legislation,” Owens concluded.

Regardless, Owens stated that the Lake County Clerk and Recorder Office should still have election results available on the night of the Nov. 5 election, providing there are no issues brought on by the new HB 1303 mandate. Leadville Today will report those results when they are available.

So there is no excuse to make your voice heard. Here are the details about how you can do that:

1. Mail-in Ballots have already been delivered to ALL registered Lake County voters and are due in the Lake County Clerk and Recorders Office by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5. Voters may mail them back, or drop them at two drop box locations available at the courthouse. One box is located by the Sheriff’s “buzz-in” door and will be available to voters 24 hours a day. The second drop box is in the Clerk’s Office.
2. Early Voting will open next Monday, October 28 and run through Saturday, Nov. 2. Hours for voting on Monday thru Friday are 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. and on Saturday from  9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Part of HB 1303’s new provisions is the Saturday option.
3. Election Day Voting on Tuesday, November 5 from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. in the courthouse lobby. Please bring proper ID to vote.

This year’s local election place will be in the lobby of the Lake County Courthouse, 505 Harrison Ave. in downtown Leadville, Colorado.

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