Ballots for the crowded City Council election will be mailed this week, giving Cortez residents about three weeks to make their decision.
Fourteen candidates are vying for five seats on the council – compared with eight candidates in 2018 and six in 2016.
The municipal election is set for April 7, and all ballots must be received in the City Clerk’s Office by 7 p.m. that Tuesday.
The council race kicked off in February. The 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.
Several forums have offered candidates a chance to share their platforms. The Four Corners 912 group and Montezuma County Republicans led candidate forums in February, both available on the Mesa Media Productions’ YouTube channel, and the Four Corners Board of Realtors held a forum March 5, where candidates were asked questions related to citizen outreach in decision-making, candidates’ availability to serve, and the role of non-city residents in Cortez decisions.
The League of Women Voters of Montezuma County will host a virtual forum Thursday. All candidates have been invited, and a moderator will ask a series of questions that have been generated by the group and sent to candidates ahead of time, said Mayor Karen Sheek.
The livestream will be available on the city of Cortez website, just like other City Council meetings, and will remain online after the event.
Ballots are set to be mailed starting March 16.
Ballots can be mailed to City of Cortez, City Hall, 123 Roger Smith Ave., Cortez.Ballots can be dropped off st the front desk of City Hall.Ballots can be dropped off in the water drop box on the south side of City Hall.Elected candidates will be sworn in at the council meeting April 28 at 7:30 p.m. A goodbye party – open to the public – will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall training room to thank outgoing councilors for their service.
ealvero@the-journal.com
