TIME IN A CAPSULE View photo/Kristen M. White Jock Peters of the Pueblo West History Association stands next to the Pueblo West time capsule. The capsule will be opened for the first time in 20 years during the July 4 festivities.

Recall vote set for Aug. 18

Estimates place cost of the election at slightly more than $20,000.

By MIKE SPENCE
The Pueblo West View

Pueblo County Clerk and Recorder Gilbert Ortiz got both the commitment and the date he wanted for the upcoming recall election from the Pueblo West Metropolitan District board of directors on June 23.

The metro board members agreed to Aug. 18 as the date the vote will take place.

Ortiz appeared before the board on June 15 to deal with recall issues. He said the latest the recall election could be held was Aug. 22, but that he hoped it would be held on Aug. 18. However, the metro board couldn't agree on a date, with William Vickers and Steven Abel saying they wanted more time to consider the issue.

After a week to think about it, the board approved the Aug. 18 date by a 4-0 vote. Individuals seeking to be replacement candidates in the event the recall succeeds had 15 days from June 22 Ñ the date the election was called Ñ to submit affidavits to the county clerk.

So far, three candidates have filed with the clerk, are Pueblo West residents Chuck Green, Jeff Cowley and Owen McKinney.

Board Chairman Jeff Sloan, as well as Abel and Vickers have been targeted for recall. A fourth board member, Stan Hren, also was targeted, but he resigned on June 11 and will be replaced by the board.

Hren's successor will serve until the regularly scheduled election in May of 2010.

Green is running for Vickers' seat, Cowley is running for Abel's seat and McKinney is running for Sloan's seat.

The fifth metro board member, John Van Auken, does not face recall.

The cost of the election has been an issue since the recall was launched. Cost estimates ranged from $14,000 to $80,000.

Ortiz proposed a combination mail-in/polling place election. The estimated cost of that election would be $20,050. The cost estimate for an all-mail-in election was $35,330.

No matter which type of election was chosen, there are 6,468 registered voters in Pueblo West who have filled out requests to be permanent mail-in voters, so they will receive a mail-in ballot regardless of the election.

Based on the number of permanent mail-in voters, and the projected 19,000 registered voters in Pueblo West, the cost would be $7,438 for the mail-in ballots; $5,012 for the 12,532 polling-place ballots; $1,500 for programming of voting machines; $1,100 for postage, $1,250 for precinct judges and $3,750 for mail-in judges.

The proposed polling places will be the metro district office, 109 E. Industrial Blvd., the Pueblo West Library, 298 S. Joe Martinez Blvd., and the Ecumenical Church of Pueblo West, 434 S. Conquistador Ave.

Votes may be cast from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 18.

The ballot will include a 200-word summary of charges against the targeted metro board members and a 300-word rebuttal, as well as the list of possible replacement candidates.

Votes will vote on two items:

• They will be asked if they want to recall any of the three sitting board members?
• Voters also will be asked to vote for replacement candidates.

Voters must vote "yes" or "no" on the recall question to be eligible to vote for replacement candidates. Ballots with no vote recorded on the recall issue won't be counted in the elections of replacement candidates.

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