Local elections are on the horizon for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Montezuma County and Colorado.
On Oct. 11, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe will elect a tribal chairman and three council members.
On Nov. 5, there is a coordinated Montezuma County election. Local and state ballot questions will be decided, and school board members elected in Cortez, Mancos and Dolores.
On the Ute Mountain tribe, seven candidates are running for chairman. Incumbent Harold Cuthair is running for a second three-year term. Challengers include Quinton Jacket, Manuel Heart, DeAnne House, Emeline Casey, Davis Wing and Kenneth Bancroft.
On the Tribal Council, three seats are up for election – two in Towaoc and one in White Mesa. Council members Elaine Cantsee of White Mesa, and Prisllena Nightstarr are seeking re-election. Council member Colleen Cuthair-Root’s term also is up.
Nine candidates are running for two Tribal Council seats in Towaoc. They are Lyndreth Wall, Mara Weeks, Archie House Jr., Prisllena Nightstarr, Patapony Root Sr., Angelita Berry, Brendon Adams, Leland Collins Sr. and Darwin Whiteman Jr. The top two vote-getters will each serve a three-year term.
Candidates for the White Mesa Tribal Council position are Malcolm Lehi, Suzette Morris and incumbent Elaine Cantsee.
On Oct. 11, polling centers are open 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Community Center in Towaoc and in the White Mesa Recreation Center.
“Be very careful who you choose in this election,” outgoing Tribal Councilwoman Colleen Cuthair said during a community meeting in Towaoc. “We need better cooperation between government leaders in order to move forward.”
Montezuma Schools Re-1
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Montezuma County will vote on local and state questions. A sample ballot is available on the county election website.
With ballot issue 4A, Montezuma-Cortez School District Re-1 is seeking a property tax increase to raise teachers’ salaries.
With ballot issue 6A, the Cortez Fire Protection District is asking voter permission to offset revenue losses from changes to the percentage of actual assessed property valuations by increasing its operating mill levy beginning in 2021.
The Mancos Re-6 and Dolores Re-4A school districts have contested board elections. The Montezuma-Cortez school board also has an election, but incumbents won’t face challengers. Incumbents Tammy Hooten from District E, Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk from District D, Lance McDaniel from District A and Sherri Wright from District C will retain their seats.
Kara Suckla, currently representing District G, does not plan to seek reelection, and no candidate has announced plans to run for her seat.
