Pueblo mayoral race is getting crowded
Whoever is picked to be the first mayor of Pueblo will have to break free from a crowded pack of candidates. The deadline for potential mayors to turn in their petitions with 100 valid Pueblo voter signatures passed last Monday.
Twenty-two people turned in their petitions on time, with 14 of them already approved. Three others were turned down due to a lack of signatures, and five are still being looked at by the Pueblo County and City Clerk’s offices.
Pueblo County Clerk Gilbert Ortiz is continuing to review petitions this week and says having this many candidates could bring some unwanted consequences.
“There is a good chance someone will make it to the runoff round with maybe 18 percent of the vote. I advocated for a ranked voting system so that people could vote for their first choice through their tenth choice,” said Ortiz.
Despite the recommendation, the Pueblo City Council has agreed to move forward with their normal election rules. If none of the candidates get more than 50 percent of the vote in November, the city council will turn to a runoff election in January, with only the top two vote-getters.
Larry Atencio, a current Pueblo City Council member, is one of the many running for mayor and finds it difficult to get his message to be heard by voters with so many other voices in the room.
“The people of Pueblo are going to have a hard time choosing who that mayor is going to be,” said Atencio.
Atencio says voters really need to do their homework for this election.
“This isn’t a popularity contest we aren’t choosing a prom king or prom queen. We are choosing someone who will lead us into the far future,” said Atencio.
Pueblo activist Charlotte Perez is also running for mayor. Perez doesn’t have the same funds that other candidates possess, however, she hopes to reach voters using the right grassroots efforts.
“I’m trying to do the complete opposite of what other candidates are doing, and engage everywhere,” said Perez. “Be personable and meet individuals one on one as opposed to just having signs.”
Here is a full list of the Mayoral candidates as of Wednesday, August 29th, that have been approved:
Larry Atencio; Current Pueblo city councilman
Gary Lee Clark; Retired Army sergeant and federal law officer for the Department of Justice.
Thomas Croshal; Former small business owner in Pueblo.
Larry Fancher; Retired teacher.
Dennis Flores; Current Pueblo city councilman.
Nick Gradisar; Local attorney.
Ted Lopez; Accountant, former Pueblo city councilman.
Steve Nawrocki; Runs the Senior Resource Development Agency; former Pueblo city council president.
Chris Nicoll; Current Pueblo city council president who works in the cybersecurity industry.
Charlotte Perez; Local Pueblo activist.
Randy Thurston; Real estate agent, former Pueblo city council president.
Janet Wilson; East Side activist who’s had a career in banking and financial planning.
Lori Winner; Former Pueblo city councilwoman and a registered nurse.
Jody Voss; Former President and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club Girls Inc. of Pueblo County and Lower Arkansas Valley.
