Pueblo mayoral runoff: It’s Gradisar versus Nawrocki

The Pueblo County Clerk released the final results as to which two mayoral candidates will compete in a runoff election to become the city’s first mayor in more than half a century.

Since last Thursday, Pueblo County Clerk Bo Ortiz and his staff have been curing signatures of around one thousand ballots. Since the mayor’s race between second and third place was too close to call, candidates and voters have had to wait until today to find out the final results.

In first place with 13.24 percent (5,459) of the vote is attorney Nick Gradisar followed by former Pueblo City Council President Steve Nawrocki with 12.19 percent (5,026).

Due to none of the 16 total candidates getting more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff is required to decide the winner. That runoff will be between Gradisar and Nawrocki.

“It is a relief knowing that we’ve made the runoff,” said Gradisar. “We were really confident on election night and every count that has come out has shown our lead getting a little larger.”

The member of the Pueblo Board of Water Works says it’s clear why he stood tallest among the sixteen total candidates.

“People that were second third and fourth all had been previous city council members, and I sort of had a sense during the campaign that people weren’t happy with the job that city council did and I certainly emphasized that,” said Gradisar.

Nawrocki says he battled for the spot. Crawling in the polls from fourth to second.

“The Friday evening that it happened I was stunned, and the next day I started being stressed out,” said Nawrocki. “That’s the way it has been ever since, and now I’m stunned again.”

As for his opponent’s argument of new versus old, the former city council president disagrees.

“I think that my experience not only being on city council and president five times, and being the CEO of a non-profit for 30 years helps,” said Nawrocki. People want that and I think they feel good about having somebody like that being the mayor.”

I asked both candidates how they plan to move forward into the runoff. Nawrocki says it’ll be a challenge having never campaigned during the holiday season. Gradisar has already reached out to the defeated candidates asking for their support.

Voters will go back to the polls January 22 to finally decide who will be Pueblo’s first mayor in more than 60 years.