Election results announced across the KVNF listening area
Unofficial results are in from Delta County’s local elections, with just over two thousand ballots cast as of Tuesday night. In the Delta City Council at-large race, Robert Huff leads the field with 367 votes. Meanwhile, Janet Rowland and Katie Bowers ran unopposed for District B and District C seats. In Crawford, voters selected Sara Taylor, Jessica Hart, and Timothy Pobirk to serve on the Board of Trustees. Hotchkiss voters chose Patricia Medina as mayor, with 113 votes over Donald Dybala. According to the North Fork Merchant Herald, Medina will be the first female mayor of Hotchkiss. Joel Reed and Daisie Kirk ran unopposed for trustee positions.
In Orchard City, all four trustee candidates are set to take office, with Michael Hanson, Wade Kasman, and Holly Mautz earning full terms. Duff Seaney, receiving the lowest vote total among the four, will serve a two-year term.
And in Paonia, five candidates won trustee seats: Calla Rose Ostrander, Anne Lee Foster, Lucy Hunter, Hector Mejorado, and Sheree Fischer, while current pro-tem mayor Rick Stelter fell short and will depart after one term. All results remain unofficial pending final certification.
And down in Ridgway, unofficial results indicate that voters have chosen to keep their longtime mayor while adding a new face to the town council. According to the Ouray County Plaindealer, Mayor John Clark won reelection, defeating challenger Tia Mihelarakis. It marks the first time Clark has faced an opponent since first being elected in 2012. In town council races, incumbents Kevin Grambley and Josey Scoville will retain their seats. The third open seat will go to newcomer Trish Greenwood. Voter turnout reached 385 ballots cast, up significantly from the only 208 in the town’s last election in 2022.
Montrose Rec District searches for new director
The Montrose Recreation District is beginning the search for a new executive director. The Montrose Daily Press reports that the rec district Board of Directors posted the job opening March 27, following a decision not to renew the contract of longtime director Mari Steinbach, who served in the role for about six years.
Board member Christina Files says the move is part of a broader effort to guide the district’s next phase, adding that Steinbach did an excellent job during her tenure.
During the transition, the district will rely on its existing leadership team to maintain day-to-day operations. The job posting is available on the district’s website and will remain open for 30 days.
Snowpack improves slightly
We received some decent moisture in the mountains last week. KVNF's Brody Wilson has the details on how much snow arrived.
Aspen pilot compost program
The world wastes a lot of food – at least a third of it is never eaten. The greenhouse gas emissions from that wasted food are almost five times the emissions from the entire aviation industry, according to the United Nations. But Aspen is an example of how to address that problem. Aspen Public Radio’s Michael Fanelli reports that the city is the first in the state to require restaurants to compost… and it’s working.
