Dolores residents will elect a mayor and three Town Board members in a mail-in vote April 5.
Terms are up for Mayor Chad Wheelus and board members Tracy Murphy, Jen Stark and Melissa Waters. Candidate nomination packets may be picked up at Town Hall and must be turned in by 5 p.m. Jan. 24.
Incumbents are eligible to run for an additional term.
Murphy and Wheelus informed The Journal they do not plan to run for re-election. Murphy was appointed to the board in May 2017 and was elected to a four-year term in 2018. Wheelus was elected mayor in 2018 and reelected in 2020.
The Journal reached out to the other incumbents, but none had responded as of Thursday afternoon.
Open Town Board positions are for four-year terms, and the mayor is elected for a two-year term. Starting this year, elected board members are paid $100 per month, and the mayor is paid $150 per month.
Candidates must be a U.S. citizen and registered voter, 18 years of age or older on Election Day and a resident within Dolores town limits for at least a year preceding the election date.
Nomination petitions must be signed by at least 10 registered electors residing in town limits. Each registered elector who signs a petition shall provide a printed name, signature and place of residence. So far, two candidate packets have been picked up, said Dolores Clerk Tammy Neely.
The town of Dolores allows for two retail marijuana shops, and one permit is still available.
Patrick Labruzzo, co-owner of Canna and Co. High Country Releaf, is securing permits to operate a retail marijuana store at 100 Railroad Ave. It will operate in half the building, and the other half will be Rustic Style Furniture.
The town is accepting applications for one retail and medical marijuana license after a second permittee decided to not seek a license for a location at 102 S. Fourth St.
Interested parties may contact the town clerk at 882-7720 or tammy@townofdolores.com to discuss the licensing process and where marijuana shops are allowed in town.
The Town Board will consider choosing a new municipal judge at its regular board meeting Jan. 10. Judge James Shaner has retired.
William Furse and Beth Padilla are seeking the position. Furse served two terms as district attorney and now serves as assistant district attorney for the 22nd Judicial District.
Padilla is a licensed attorney with a practice in Mancos. She recently was appointed municipal judge for Cortez.
Dolores Municipal Court is in session the last Wednesday of each month at 9 a.m. It typically handles its docket in about an hour, and special sessions may be scheduled as needed.
Furse has requested a fee of $200 per month to serve as judge, and Padilla has requested a fee of $80 per hour. Shaner was paid $250 per month.
