Plaindealer Staff Report
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The Town of Ridgway will elect three council members and a mayor on April 3, Town Clerk Pam Kraft said on Monday. The council posts are currently held by John Clark, Rich Durnan and Rick Weaver, and Pat Willits is mayor.
Willits told the Plaindealer he has not decided yet whether or not to run again for mayor, a position he has held since April 2000. Clark and Weaver told the Plaindealer they intend to run again for the council positions. Durnan was out of town and unavailable for comment. Clark has served successive terms since 2000 and Weaver has been on council since 2008. Durnan was elected in 2010.
Kraft said the nomination period opened on Monday, Jan. 30. Candidates must file nomination petitions with the Town Clerk by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17, when the nomination period closes. This is the first year there will be 45 days between the end of the nominating period and the election. After getting feedback from The Ridgway Sun and first-year council member Jim Kavanaugh, the council voted to extend the period from approximately 30 days to 45 days, Willits said.
Any eligible elector of the Town of Ridgway as shown on the records of the Ouray County Clerk and who is a United States citizen, has resided within the Town limits for 12 consecutive months immediately preceding April 3, 2012 and on or before that date shall be 18 years of age or older, is eligible to run for office.
Town Council positions have terms of two years, with no term limits. The terms for the seven positions are staggered, with elections held every year. All seats are at large, meaning a candidate does not have to reside in a certain area of Ridgway to run.
Nomination petitions and other information can be obtained from the Town Clerk at Town Hall, Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Kraft can also answer questions by phone at 626-5308 ext. 11 or by email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it