No interest yet in Re

No interest yet in Re-1 board seats

Aug 4, 2001

by Aspen C. Emmett
Journal Staff Writer

Three seats on the Montezuma-Cortez School Board are up for grabs this November, but it seems there are no takers.

And with the petition deadline approaching, the lack of community interest has become a point of concern for school officials.

"We haven’t had any activity — it scares me," said board President Steve Hinton.

In July, Re-1 published a call for nominations for the three district director seats that will be vacated in November.

Aug. 31 is the last day to file a petition for the director positions, but according to district election official Theresa Maynes, there have been no inquiries.

Hinton said he had expected far more interest from concerned parents and citizens because of recently-released test scores on the Colorado Student Assessment Program. The district scored consistently lower than the state average in every category in every grade level, according to results released July 26.

"Usually, if people are disgruntled and have got a problem with things, then you get a lot of activity (for elections)," he said. "When things seem to be going well, then it’s quiet and calm."

But there has been no sign of concern from the community and parents.

"I would think, as people look at our CSAP test scores, it would spark an interest," Hinton said. "You would expect people would step up, thinking they could possibly make a difference."

School-board members have the opportunity to be involved with issues that affect the community’s youth, Hinton said.

"As you set policy, it takes quite a bit of in-depth head-scratching and thinking to set policies you can live with and that will make a difference to maintain the best system possible," he said. "Enforcing policy is time-consuming and it takes a special kind of wisdom."

Hinton expressed his disappointment at the lack of interest.

"We have an accountability committee and we have zero interest in that too," he said. "People are so involved in their daily lives trying to make a living that they are too overwhelmed to get involved."

In the event that there are no candidates, Hinton said the board will have to actively lobby for candidates and if those efforts fail, then he may have to appoint persons to the positions.

Re-1 is divided into seven districts, with one member from each district. The board carries the burden of setting and enforcing policy for the school district as well as approving finances.

Each term is four years and the maximum number of terms a director can serve is limited to three. The board meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of each month and occasionally meets for special workshops throughout the year.

Vacating their seats in November are Sue Baacke, District D; Peggy Blackmer, District F; and Tina Galyon, District B.

Blackmer and Galyon are being pushed off the board because of term limits and Baacke, who is highly involved with the schools and an employee at both Mesa and Manaugh Elementary schools, has chosen not to run again.

In general, District F encompasses northeast Cortez, District B consists of neighborhoods northwest and north-central in Cortez, and District D is primarily made up of the Ute Mountain Ute reservation south of town. For more specific boundaries, contact the school superintendent’s office.

Interested candidates must live in the district they wish to run for and obtain signatures from 50 eligible electors on their petitions. Electors are only allowed to sign one petition and additionally, District D candidates must have signatures from electors from District D.

Candidates should take the necessary steps to see that their petitions have the required number of verifiable signatures, said Maynes.

Candidates must meet all filing requirements under Colorado’s Campaign Reform Act. They are also required to report contributions on forms included with the petition information which must be filed with the Montezuma County Clerk’s Office.

Write-in candidates must file an affidavit of intent stating that they are seeking the office of director and are qualified to assume the duties. The affidavit must be filed with the designated election official for the school district. No write-in vote for the office will be counted unless the affidavit is filed by Sept. 4.

Petitions can be obtained at the district office. For more information, call 565-3080 ext. 119.

Important dates for 2001 school-board elections are:

• Aug. 31 — Last day to file a petition for director position

• Sept. 4 — Last day to file as a write-in candidate

• Sept. 4 — Election may be canceled if no contest

• Oct. 9 — Last day to register to vote

• Oct. 9 — Mail ballots to be mailed to voters

• Nov. 6 — Election day