One of the key races in the Nov. 7 election hinges on a three-way battle for the top mayoral position in Cripple Creek.
Three candidates are vying for the position, formerly held by Milford Ashworth, who recently stepped down due to accelerated relocation plans to be close to his extended family in the Midwest.
As a result, Melissa Trenary, the former Ward Five representative and mayor pro tem, was sworn in as the temporary mayor. Councilman Bruce Brown, meanwhile, got the nod as the new mayor pro tem.
Trenary is one of the candidates seeking the permanent, four-year seat. The other two candidates are Annie Durham, the CTE (Career and Technical Education) director for the Cripple Creek/Victor RE-1 School District, and Les Batson, a long-time resident and veteran employee with the casino industry. All three candidates are fairly well-known in the community and need few introductions.
In this week’s issue, TMJ News provides a brief profile of the three mayoral contenders, a race expected to take center stage in the Nov. 7 showdown. We will be providing additional election updates in the next several weeks.
Besides picking a new mayor, Creek voters will be deciding on representatives for Ward 4 and Ward 5. In addition, they will decide the fate of a proposed sales tax hike to benefit the new construction and trade education center, launched by the Cripple Creek/Victor school district. The center opened last summer.
Ballots were recently mailed, but to a vendor error, a hefty portion of these ballots were remailed on Oct. 20. Voters should have received them by now, or within the next few days. This error, though, should not impact voters in southern Teller. For more details on this situation, see related press release submitted by the Teller County Clerk and Recorder’s Office. For election information, or calls about ballot submittals, call 719-689-2951. Also, you can view more detailed mayoral profiles at http://www.mountainjackpot.
