All four commissioner candidates qualify for June primary ballot
by Edie Flanagin
WALSENBURG — The Huerfano County Assembly and Convention was held Saturday, March 21 through a web meeting platform. All 43 delegates and alternates were able to participate in the electronic meeting, which was required because of the COVID-19 restrictions set by Governor Jared Polis. The internet/ phone meeting was a new experience for many of the delegates but the assembly was held successfully with minimal problems.
The meeting was called to order at 9:15 a.m. by Dale Lyons, Chair. After a little “housekeeping” procedures, the four commissioner candidates made their statements.
District 1 county commissioner candidates are Jose Baros and Amos Mace. District 2 candidates are Arica Andreatta and Bob Kennemer. Each candidate was given three minutes to speak.
The straw poll and preference polls were then taken for the county commissioner offices and each candidate made the 30 percent threshold to be on the June primary ballot.
A vote was then taken for Congressional District 3 (CD3). The candidates running are: Diane Mitsch Bush, James Iacino, and Root Rutledge. A threshold of 15 percent had to be reached to qualify for delegates. Huerfano County gets five delegates. Rutledge received zero delegates, Mitsch Bush received three delegates and Iacino received two delegates.
The CD 3 assembly/ convention will be April 14 and will be done electronically. The Huerfano County delegates are Mike Peters, Jason Valdez, and Frieda Lessar supporting Diane Mitsch Bush and Helen Nuce and Britney Ciarlo supporting James Iacino.
The next votes were for U.S. Senate with candidates Andrew Romanoff , Stephany Rose Spaulding, Eric Underwood, Trish Zornio, and uncommitted vying for the five Huerfano County delegates. John Hickenlooper has withdrawn from the assembly/convention process and is relying on petition to make it to the primary ballot therefore his name was not considered. A threshold of 15 percent had to be reached to qualify for delegates. Eric Underwood and Trish Zornio did not make the threshold. Andrew Romanoff received the vast majority of the assembly votes and will receive four delegates: Jason Valdez, Jessica Scholl, Frieda Lessar, and Abigail Melton. The uncommitted choice got one delegate, Helen Nuce.
The State House District 62 preference poll was taken after Lyons read statements from both candidates. The candidates for State House District 62 are Donald Valdez (incumbant) and Mathew Martinez. Huerfano County gets five delegates to the assembly on April 17 (electronically conducted). Valdez received two delegates: Eleanor Foley and Britney Ciarlo; Mathew Martinez receive three delegates: Abigail Melton, Jessica Scholl, and Frieda Lessar.
No preference poll was needed for State Senate District 35, which only has one Democratic candidate, Carlos R. Lopez. The five delegates are: Eleanor Foley, Jessica Scholl, Jason Valdez, Abigail Melton, and Helen Nuce. The Judicial District 3 (JD3) race also has just one candidate, Henry Solano, current District Attorney. The five delegates are: Dale Lyons, Cathy Brown, Monica Birrer, JR Burrell, and Lonnie Brown.
Proposed resolutions to place on the state platform will be voted on by delegates via email during the next seven days. At this point the assembly was adjourned and the Huerfano County Convention was called to order.
The purpose of the convention is to seat delegates for the State Convention. Candidates are awarded delegates based on the state primary and the congressional district. Delegates for the national convention will be elected at the state convention. Huerfano County receives five delegates for the state assembly and five delegates for the state convention. The five Huerfano County delegates for the convention are Abigail Melton, Jason Valdez and Frieda Lessar supporting Bernie Sanders and Helen Nuce and Jessica Howard supporting Joe Biden. The five Huerfano County delegates for state assembly (CD 3) are Jason Valdez and Frieda Lessar supporting Sanders, and Helen Nuce and Jessica Howard supporting Joe Biden. Michael Bloomberg, who dropped out of the national race after the Colorado primary was awarded one delegate, however there were no volunteers to support him.
