<\/p>\n
GOP challenger Steve Nowlin defeated incumbent Dennis Spruell by more than 700 votes in Tuesday\u2019s Montezuma County sheriff\u2019s race.<\/p>\n
The unofficial results from the Republican primary were released about 70 minutes after the polls closed Tuesday. Nowlin earned 2,284 votes to Spruell\u2019s 1,580 votes in Tuesday\u2019s primary.<\/p>\n
Upon receiving the news, a cheer went up from a crowd of Nowlin\u2019s supporters at J Fargo\u2019s microbrewery.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one more step closer, it\u2019s a big step,\u201d said the Dolores resident.<\/p>\n
If elected in November, Nowlin said he would work to get the sheriff\u2019s office \u201cback on track.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to start building the public\u2019s trust from day one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Nowlin will face write in candidate Mike Steele in November\u2019s general election.<\/p>\n
Asked in the spring by The Cortez Journal to list measures their administrations would take to uphold the First Amendment and guarantee the people\u2019s right to know, Nowlin said he would meet with all media outlets to develop easy two-way communications.<\/p>\n
Spruell said he would remain transparent with the media through his agency\u2019s Facebook page.<\/p>\n
He lived up to his campaign promise on Tuesday, informing the Journal he would post his reaction to the election results on his social media site.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe election results came in, and I, Sheriff Spruell, was not re-elected,\u201d he posted just after 8 p.m. Tuesday. \u201cI would like to thank all my supporters, and wish the new sheriff who takes office in January the best of luck.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spruell also lost the GOP nod during the Republican caucus, but he garnered enough signatures to petition onto the ballot. Nowlin received 76 caucus votes compared with Spruell\u2019s 36.<\/p>\n
About 3,800 total ballots were cast in Tuesday\u2019s election. In the last hour before the polls closed, about two dozen sealed primary ballots were dropped into a locked metal box at the Montezuma County Annex.<\/p>\n
Montezuma County resident Adolph Gallegous was one of the last-minute voters. He went for Nowlin.<\/p>\n
\u201cSpruell should be out,\u201d he said. \u201cSpruell is spending too much money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg Koenig, another county resident, was also one of the last to cast a ballot on Monday. He made some last-minute changes, so he had to get a new ballot.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s my civic duty to go out and vote,\u201d said Koenig.<\/p>\n
County commissioner<\/p>\n
In the Montezuma County commissioner\u2019s primary, residents chose James Lambert over Jim Candelaria, 2,028 to 1,740. Lambert also had to petition onto the ballot after losing the Republican caucus to Candelaria.<\/p>\n
After the election, Lambert said he expected the race to be close.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not done yet by any means,\u201d he said at Shiloh\u2019s, surrounded by other GOP members.<\/p>\n
Lambert joked at a Cortez Young Professional\u2019s candidate forum earlier this year that he might not be the best-looking candidate, but he did have the time and experience required to serve.<\/p>\n
Addressing the same forum, Candelaria said he would support economic development if elected, and cautioned residents that revenues from oil and gas exploration could one day be depleted.<\/p>\n
Candelaria called the campaign a good and clean race.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a winner and a loser in every race,\u201d he said at Shiloh\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Lambert will face write-in candidate Bill Utrup in November\u2019s general election.<\/p>\n
Tax assessor<\/p>\n
In the Montezuma County tax assessor\u2019s race, Scott Davis received the nod over Cynthia Claytor, 2,195 to 1,302. Davis said he was relieved.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was pretty confident,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Leading up to Tuesday\u2019s primary, both GOP candidates for tax assessor indicated they would not afford oil and gas giants, like Kinder Morgan, with any special tax treatment. The company is responsible for more than half the county\u2019s total annual revenue.<\/p>\n
An investigation and audit into Kinder Morgan\u2019s self-reported assets in 2008 found the energy company underestimated its assets by $50 million. The company later paid an additional $2 million in taxes after losing an appeal with the Colorado Board of Assessment Appeals (CBAA).<\/p>\n
County coroner<\/p>\n
In the Montezuma County coroner\u2019s race, George Deavers defeated Michael Hall 2,423 to 1,232.<\/p>\n
During the campaign, Deavers was the only candidate to support an initiative requiring coroners to hold accredited medical or scientific credentials, but added such a directive was unlikely because of limited funding.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the case in Montezuma County,\u201d said the county\u2019s chief deputy coroner, a post he\u2019s held for the past 11 years.<\/p>\n
County clerk<\/p>\n
In the Montezuma County clerk\u2019s race, Kim Percell ran unopposed in the GOP primary. She will face Judy Marquez in November\u2019s general election.<\/p>\n
Last year, the clerk\u2019s office conducted more than 50,000 motor vehicle transactions, issued 840 birth and 1,794 death certificates and recorded 186 marriage licenses and eight civil unions.<\/p>\n
County surveyor<\/p>\n
Ernest Maness was the lone candidate who qualified in the Montezuma County surveyor\u2019s race, and Sherry Dyess was the lone candidate for Montezuma County treasurer.<\/p>\n
Candidate Office Contributions Expenditures
\n Cynthia Claytor Assessor $440 $429
\n William Davis Assessor $0 $5,217
\n Judy Marquez Clerk $1,080 $0
\n Kim Percell Clerk $0 $2,124
\n Jim Candelaria Commissioner $0 $3,983
\n James Lambert Commissioner $4,838 $4,784
\n Bill Utrup Commissioner $0 $828
\n George Deavers Coroner $3,285 $3,159
\n Michael Hall Coroner $1,200 $2,028
\n Steve Nowlin Sheriff $7,180 $8,206
\n Dennis Spruell Sheriff $4,200 $4,745 *Personal loan, $1,200
\n Michael Steele Sheriff $1,100 $1,000
\n Secretary of State, June 15<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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