House District 16’s new winner speaks out after close election
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Republican Rebecca Keltie won against incumbent Democrat Stephanie Vigil after a mandatory recount. Results were announced yesterday and Keltie won by three votes. That happened after a Canvass board decided three of the votes originally going to Vigil weren't valid ballots.
Now, Vigil says she's looking into legal action, but hasn't said whether she will pursue it or not decisively.
RELATED: House District 16 candidates claim victory/defeat in extremely close recount
In the meantime, Keltie trained today to become a lawmaker starting on January 1st. In between sessions, she spoke with KRDO13 about her plans for the House District.
"I would like to work on some legislation for my veterans, for my senior citizens making things safer in Colorado," Keltie said. "I've talked to the police departments and the sheriff's office and, you know, they've given us some ideas and we're looking at different legislation for that."
KRDO13 asked her about the safety concerns surrounding the Citadel Mall, which has been the location of many shootings over the years.
"We have put forth legislation that prevents police from actually doing their job. You know, we need to make sure that there that we've got enough police force, that enough are being trained, well-trained, you know, that they've got the funding that they need to actually secure our areas and make things like Citadel Mall safe."
She also spoke about Vigil's allegations of Keltie being an election denier. She denied those accusations and said that while she trusts the county election clerk, she's hoping for more transparency from the state moving forward.
"I think transparency gives people the ease of mind that 'I can see it, I can believe it," Keltie said. "Maybe we need to be a little bit more of a show me state."
