No Recounts Mandated by County Officials
Rick Langenberg
The chapter is finally closing on Election 2023 in Teller County, with mixed results rendered for a slew of contested seats and local and state ballot results.
And despite the razor-edge closeness of two races for the Woodland Park RE-2 District School Board, no recounts will be mandated by the county. And unless formal challenges are filed, the conclusions declared late Nov. 7 stand. According to officials from the Teller County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, some ballots still need to be cured (meaning a problem occurred with ballot signatures, or the failure to sign the ballot envelope or certain ID requirements for first-time voters) but these won’t be enough to overturn the races in question. Also, the military ballots won’t play a role in changing any of the preliminary winner numbers.
As a result, the following are the main conclusions reached by voters in Election 2023, one of the strangest and most contentious off-year elections, and one that will go down in the history books.
*Two of the three incumbent officeholders, in the races for board positions on the Woodland Park RE-2 District Board will retain their seats, but only by extremely thin margins of 55 and 43 tallies respectfully. The sole challenger winner, though, beat one of the more outspoken board veterans.
*Cripple Creek now will have a new mayor, and a head leader outside of the current council ranks for the first time in recent memory in a race among three well-known contenders.
*The Cripple Creek/Victor RE-1 School District overcame tough fiscal odds and gained strong approval by Cripple Creek voters of a sales tax hike to assist the district’s new career, construction and vocational center. But at the same time, Teller voters rejected a plea for a sales tax hike to help out the local ambulance district, which serves much of the northern section of the county.
Woodland Park RE2 Board Races
Probably the most watched race dealt with the battle for three seats on the Woodland Park RE-2 School Board with two slates of candidates that presented vastly different views.
As a result, Barkley still emerged as the victor in her race against Illingworth, regarded as probably the most outspoken and controversial member of the current board. But Bryant fell short in the battle against Bates by a mere 43 tallies, while Knott lost by 55 votes. These numbers may change, but they aren’t close enough to force a mandated recount, according to clerk officials. Plus, officials have indicated that the some remaining “cure” ballots, which still have to be reviewed, aren’t enough to change the outcomes.
Still, the board races show a definite split in the community, a factor showcased by the barrage of signage displayed throughout the county. And the win recorded by Barkley could have implications on the current board and administration. Out of all the challenger candidates, Barkley is the most critical of the American Birthright curriculum, a plan proposed by Superintendent Ken Witt that has sparked mixed views.
Cripple Creek/Victor Races
The races in Cripple Creek and Victor and much of southern Teller weren’t quite as heated.
Probably the biggest surprise occurred with the overwhelming victory of Annie Durham, the CTE coordinator for the CC/V school district, in her bid to become the town’s next mayor. Durham snagged nearly 66 percent of the tallies, easily surpassing challengers Melissa Trenary, who actually serves as the current acting mayor; and Les Batson, a long-time resident, who has run for council on several previous occasions. Following her Nov. 7 victory, Durham, in a prepared statement, said, “I am overwhelmed by the Cripple Creek community’s support in my run for mayor. I am fully committed to serving Cripple Creek to the best of my ability over the next four years.”
Durham had mulled a mayoral run for months, and got into the race officially last summer. She faced formidable opposition from Trenary, a veteran council member, who touted her experience and long-time roots in the community. Meanwhile, Batson emphasized his commitment towards local workers.
Even by falling short in her bid for mayor, Trenary will remain as a member of the city council, serving as the Ward 5 representative for the next two years. In other non-contested seats, Cody Schwab won as a write-in contender for Ward 4 and Jared Bowman retained his seat as an incumbent for Ward 5.
The current council and new mayor will have their hands full in addressing a slew of issues, pertaining to hotel development, housing, infrastructure and future events.
In Victor, voters picked Barbara Manning as mayor, who edged past Autumn Wallace by an 85 to 68 margin. In the town’s other contested seat, Joshua Mestas won the Ward 1 position, beating Mark Gregory by a 53 to 24 margin.
The district’s school board races weren’t quite as exciting as those in Woodland Park. But in a tight race for the District A seat, former Cripple Creek councilman Mark Green edged Katharine Kaelin by a 94 to 89 tally. This is another race that featured different results, as the reporting process developed throughout the Nov. 7 ballot counting process.
