The Montezuma County Republican Central Committee will meet Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Board of County Commissioners meeting room to vote for a successor to the late Commissioner Joel Stevenson.

Stevenson, whose death after a COVID-related illness rocked the community, was a Republican representing District 3 in Mancos. He was elected in November to a four-year commissioner term that began in 2021.

Under Colorado law, the Republican committee is responsible for appointing a successor from the Mancos district.

All 32 members of the vacancy committee may vote, although all may not be in attendance Thursday, said Allen Maez, chairman of the committee.

Nine candidates applied for the position. They will briefly introduce themselves before being called into the meeting one by one to answer the same question from the committee.

They may not join non-voters until after they have spoken, so their answers are not influenced by other candidates’ answers, Maez said.

The committee then will vote privately, and all non-voters will be asked to leave the chamber, Maez said.

A majority consensus must be reached, which might require more than one vote, he said.

“It is a serious decision we’re making,” he said.

Maez said the committee’s main objective is to respect the voters who chose Stevenson and to meet the needs of the county.

“We do appreciate those that stepped up to put their name in,” Maez said.

The committee’s deadline to name a successor is Friday. If the deadline is not met, the decision would fall to the Colorado governor.

The appointee will serve until the next general election in November.

A memorial for Stevenson has been scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds Indoor Arena.