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Unofficial City Council Results, Superintendent Search

4/14/2022

Four new council members will take their seats in Cortez City Hall, once election results have been certified; the Montezuma-Cortez School District Board of Directors will meet with three superintendent finalists this week; and get that spring trash ready. Sponsored by Big-O Tires and TruWest Auto Outlet

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Who are the new city council members? Superintendent finalists have been selected by the school board, and get that trash ready for spring cleanup. You're watching the Local News Roundup, brought to you by Big O Tires and TruWest Auto. I'm Wendy Graham Settle. It's officially unofficial, a record number of municipal voters selected four candidates from a field of nine contenders to become the next Cortez City council members. Of the more than 64 hundred ballots mailed to registered voters, 26% were returned, a record number for a city council election. Cortez 7th-grade teacher, Matt Keefauver earned 1,040 votes. Retired law enforcement officer, Dennis Spruell, garnered 817 votes. Spruell worked for both the Cortez Police Department and the Montezuma County Sheriff's Department. Lydia Dehaven, a nine-year resident of Montezuma and an archeologist, picked up 814 votes. And Robert Dobry, who works for KSJD Radio and serves on the hospital district board of directors, received 676 votes. The election is expected to be certified by April 15th. To learn more, visit cortezco.gov. The Montezuma-Cortez School Board will interview three finalists for superintendent to replace Risha VanderWey whom the board suddenly asked to resign in January. The candidates are David Crews, now the superintendent of the Sangre de Cristo School District in Mosca, Colorado; John Props, Chama Elementary and Middle School principal in New Mexico; and Christopher Burr, a middle school principal in North Carolina, but previously superintendent of the Rio Grande School District in Del Norte. The finalists are expected to visit Cortez this week. No date has been set for the public to meet the candidates. For more information, visit cortez.k12.co.us. Start gathering your spring trash. The City of Cortez has scheduled clean-up week for May 16th through the 20th. The city asks that residents bag, box or tie up waste and place it at the curb, not in the alley. Branches must be cut into four-foot lengths and bundled. Items will be picked up during your regular trash day. The city will not collect used tires or contractor waste. Tires should be taken to Big O, 4-States, or Walmart for disposal. Electronics must be taken to the landfill. A total list of do's and don'ts is available online at cortezco.gov. Thanks for watching this edition of the Local News Network. I'm Wendy Graham Settle.

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