The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Houck and Smith win; library loses; Mt. CB to get three new councilmembers
By Mark Reaman
Gunnison County remained consistently Democratic in this year’s election as the two winning Gunnison County commissioner candidates were easily returned to office with each garnering more than 60% of the vote. County voters also consistently voted overwhelmingly for Democratic state and national candidates by similar margins. For example, Kamala Harris garnered 63% of the vote in the county.
Local voter turnout was huge for the county as more than 85% of the 12,897 ballots sent out to voters were returned. As of Wednesday, the county reported 11,028 ballots had been counted. Gunnison County clerk Kathy Simillion was pleased with how the process worked out. “The election went very smooth, especially given the huge turnout,” she said. “We are of course still waiting for cross-country and any overseas ballots. I’m super pleased with the election turnout and how the processing went.”
That was due in part to significant early voting where the county election’s office had received 7,801 ballots by Monday evening.
As is normal, the results are unofficial but in the District 1 commissioner’s race, incumbent Liz Smith bested challenger Lisa Henry 6,539 to 3,837. Smith tabulated 63% of the votes. Over in District 2, incumbent Jonathan Houck defeated challenger Steve Bathje 6,501 to 3,944 for 62% of the votes.
“I am once again humbled and honored that the people of Gunnison County have returned me to the commissioner’s table to work on their priorities,” said Houck. “I will continue to be a voice for all the folks of the county and continue to work on creative and durable solutions that reflect our values.”
Smith too is appreciative that the voters returned her to the commissioner’s seat. “I feel grateful to be able to continue serving the community in this capacity,” she said Wednesday. “There are a lot of challenges in the county that aren’t easy, but I remain committed to listening to everyone and will keep plugging away at them. I look forward to focusing on the issues.”
The proposed Gunnison County Library district expansion ballot question was soundly defeated 6,066 to 4,375, a 58% to 42% split.
Library district executive director Drew Brookhart said while not the result the district wanted, he and the board are appreciative of the community feedback. “We are grateful to everyone that supported initiative 6A and we are also grateful to everyone that took the time to share their concerns about property taxes, the timing of 6A and their satisfaction with current public library service,” he said.
In a press release he noted that “the district is working hard to deliver an equal level of service for people throughout Gunnison County. A site for a future library has been purchased in Crested Butte South’s central commercial area. The district also received a $1 million dollar grant from the state to cover the new library’s design costs. Design work will continue in 2025. The district remains committed to improving and expanding public library services for everyone.”
Up in Mt. Crested Butte, the town council will see three new faces after Tuesday’s election. Current mayor Nicholas Kempin was returned to the board and he will be joined by new councilmembers Valeda Scribner, Bobbie Sferra and Bruce Nation. Scribner received the most votes with 380, followed by Kempin with 374, Sferra with 311 and Nation with 280. Candidates Peter Esselstyn received 247 and Dwayne Lehnertz tallied 121, but they did not make the cut.
“I’m honored to have the support of Mt. CB voters and I’m excited for a new term,” said Kempin.
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to contribute to intentional planning of Mt. Crested Butte,” said Scribner. “And after getting to know my fellow candidates and councilors throughout this election process I am proud to serve alongside outstanding citizens Bruce, Bobbie, Nicholas, Alec, Steve and Roman!”
The Mt. Crested Butte ballot issue 2A that raised the tax on short-term rentals to 4.9% to help fund community housing passed comfortably, 466 to 205.
Simillion again emphasized how well elections work in Gunnison County. “Every year we change a few things that help to make the processes go smoother without compromising transparency and accuracy,” she concluded. “The key is having good cooperation with the political parties and let’s face it, Gunnison County’s awesome Election Judges are the very best!”