Ballots for the June 30 primary will begin arriving in mailboxes as soon as June 8.
With the vote merely days away, candidates for the Republican Party made their case before party members Tuesday evening during back-to-back debates at the Auction House in Yellow Jacket.
“On June 8, ballots come out. Regardless of who you are voting for, get out and vote,” said Diane Fox-Spratlen, a candidate for Montezuma County commissioner, during closing remarks.
Candidates running to become GOP nominees for clerk and recorder and county commissioner stood before a crowd of 30, who listened silently from the auction house’s yellow, tiered seats. The candidates, visiting at a new location and voter base in one of the county’s unincorporated communities, answered questions of local importance.
The primary’s countdown enters the last leg, with just a final debate to be hosted by the League of Women Voters on June 3. It will cap the early phase of election season for the local Republican Party, which put on a series of debates, saw six candidates initially enter the county commissioner race, and drew strong participation during precinct caucuses and assembly voting.
For county commissioner candidates, some questions pertained to the pending lawsuit involving the commissioners’ denial of a Dollar General permit, the possibility of data centers in Montezuma County, government transparency or how each candidate defines blight.
“My definition of blight is anything on your property that is lowering the value of the property next to you, whether that’s noxious weeds or blowing trash,” said commissioner candidate Bonnie Anderson on Tuesday evening.
Anderson previously served as director for the noxious weeds program with the county.
Anderson said her background includes experience in federal, state and county governments, along with running a small business and raising a family. She said she enjoyed her time working in county government before seeing changes she disagreed with, adding that while politics is difficult, she feels she is capable of serving in the role.
Commissioner candidate Rodney Cox, a fifth-generation resident, said he is experienced owning and running a general store business for three decades. He said he invested in hiring locally and understands regulatory “hoops” handed down by state legislators. He said he would advocate for small, rural counties at the state Capitol, voicing support not just for small businesses but young entrepreneurs.
“I care about this county deeply, and I just watch people sit on the sidelines. I am not willing to do that. I have 30 years of experience, hiring people, setting budgets. … I could really do a good job as county commissioner,” Cox said during closing statements.
Candidate Fox-Spratlen said she opposes data centers, saying water resources used in the cooling process must be protected for other purposes. A retired police officer and current special witness advocate for the 22nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Fox-Spratlen emphasized her leadership skills, experience as a “consensus builder” and knack for problem-solving.
“I am running to provide steady, transparent leadership and to apply local control to this government,” she said.
Anderson opposed the Dolores River National Conservation Area legislative proposal, while Cox and Fox-Spratlen said they would support it as an only option.
The debate format for Lenetta Shull and Jerri Frizzell, who are seeking the clerk and recorder position, began with questions drafted by the evening’s host, the Republican Central Committee, followed by audience questions.
“The only rules I have for debate this evening is we are all gathered here for peaceful, civil discourse, and those are rules I have for myself, audiences and candidates this evening,” said moderator Sara Broersma, retired American Government schoolteacher from Montezuma-Cortez School District RE-1.
Questions addressed day-to-day efficiency at the Division of Motor Vehicles, managing employees and election security.
Frizzell highlighted her experience and institutional knowledge working in the clerk’s office, saying if elected she believes not much needs to change but can be fine-tuned.
“I feel like I am somebody that has already been in that office and have relationships with the people that work there. I would like to keep it that way,” Frizzell said.
She has worked in the office for 16 years in addition to being a local restaurant owner managing multiple employees and budgets.
“In the office, we do everything ourselves. We know how to budget, we know how to payroll and we know how to get the business done to make a little money,” she said, adding that the office’s strength is its staff.
Shull, who is taking a leave of absence as central committee chair to run her campaign, highlighted experience running a food truck business and participating in local governing boards. She aims to make the DMV office more accessible through restructuring it and adding public awareness around elections.
“I am not running to tear down the office,” Shull said. “I am running to build on that strong foundation that is already in place, with fresh eyes and modern solutions.”
awatson@the-journal.com
