Republican Women of Montezuma County will host a forum Feb. 12 for Republican candidates running for the open county commissioner seat.
The luncheon will be held at the Baymont Inn at noon Feb. 12. It will feature five candidates who have announced they are seeking the open Montezuma County commissioner seat in this fall’s election: Gerald “Jerry” Whited, Shane Prentice, Brett Likes, Bonnie Anderson and Diane Fox-Spratlen.
Democrat Rebecca Busic, who is also running, will not participate.
Each candidate will have about two or three minutes to introduce themselves, explain why they are running and highlight their priorities. After opening remarks, Republican Women members will ask two or three prepared questions, with each candidate allotted roughly two minutes to respond. Emiko South, treasurer of the Republican Women of Montezuma County, said time permitting, questions will then be taken from the crowd.
“We as a board are going to come up with two or three questions to ask the candidates,” South said, adding questions will focus on local issues. Members of the Republican Women organization will moderate the forum.
The event offers an early opportunity for voters to hear directly from candidates before the Republican caucus and county assembly process in March, which will narrow the field.
“It’s to get started knowing these Republican candidates since the precinct caucus is coming up and the county assembly is coming up, so that people know what the candidates stand for,” South said.
South said the luncheon and forum are open to the public, not exclusively Republican-affiliated voters.
Those who RSVP by Feb. 9 will be included in lunch, which begins at 11:40 a.m. Reservations can be made by emailing mcgopwomen@gmail.com or by texting 970-560-9603.
The Republican county caucuses, scheduled for March 5, are the first step in determining which candidates advance to the June primary ballot. Voters in each of 12 precincts select delegates at the caucuses, and those delegates then participate in the county assembly later in March.
At the county assembly, commissioner candidates who receive a sufficient percentage of delegate support will qualify for the Republican primary ballot.
