Dolores will hold its first mail-in election this spring, even though there aren\u2019t enough candidates yet for the election to be competitive.<\/p>\n
The election must be held because the deadline for someone to file to be a write-in candidate falls after date for the town to start sending out ballots.<\/p>\n
So it is possible the election could become competitive, said interim Town Manager Lana Hancock.<\/p>\n
The conflicting dates are something the town would like to fix.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat will also be something we will try to rectify between this election and the next election,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The town has budgeted $5,000 for the election, which the town staff hopes will attract more participation, Hancock said.<\/p>\n
The numbers show it is generally the preferred method as well.<\/p>\n
During the last town election, about 120 people voted by mail and only about 60 visited the polling place, she said.<\/p>\n
The field of candidates has a lot of familiar faces.<\/p>\n
Trustees Isabelle Boyce, James Baird, and former mayor Duvall Truelsen are all running for trustee seats, Hancock said. Robert Dobry is the only new-comer running for trustee.<\/p>\n
Trustees Sandy Lauzon and Collette Heeney have opted to not run again. While Ginger McClellan-Swope\u2019s term lasts until 2018.<\/p>\n
Trustee Santiago Lopez is running unopposed for mayor.<\/p>\n
Looking back on six years as mayor, Truelsen said he led fiscally conservative boards, that still built a shop for city equipment and maintenance and upgraded water and sewer lines.<\/p>\n
He said the town is well prepared for the upcoming drop in severance taxes.<\/p>\n
Taxes from C02 extraction contribute between $20,000 to $30,000 to the town\u2019s street fund.<\/p>\n
The town is anticipating a 50 percent drop in their taxes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve budgeted accordingly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Dobry, who will likely be the new face on the board, moved to town a little over a year ago from Philadelphia.<\/p>\n
He is currently on the Planning and Zoning Commission ,and when he joined six months ago it wasn\u2019t active.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone has got to be paying attention,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He would like to see all commercial project go through the commission instead of going through the building administrator.<\/p>\n
He would also like the town to work with businesses to help attract and retain them.<\/p>\n
\u201cEconomic development is a big thing Dolores needs to be focused on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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