April election unlikely for Meeker voters

MEEKER I If the situation remains unchanged as of the candidate deadline on Friday, there will be no need for a Meeker town election.
According to statutes, if there is one candidate for each position, then those candidates would be automatic winners, so there would be no need to carry out an expensive town election in April.
As of the 5 p.m. deadline on Friday, there were single candidates to fill each of the vacancies on the Meeker Town Board.
The only candidate for Meeker mayor is incumbent Meeker Town Board trustee Regas Halandras. There are four vacancies on the town board, and the four candidates to fill those seats are incumbents Danny Conrado, Rodney Gerloff and Bryce Ducey (who has to run for office since he was appointed to the seat last year), and newcomer candidate Scott Creecy, who would fill Halandras’ vacant seat.
Current Meeker Mayor Mandy Etheridge was termed out as mayor and could not by statute seek re-election, and Halandras was termed out as a town board member and he could not seek re-election to the board.
Meeker Town Clerk Lisa Cook said that even though the official date to file paperwork for office was Friday, there is still a possibility for write-in candidates.
Write-in candidates must file their paperwork by March 11. Their names would not be included on the ballot, so those candidates must urge their supporters to literally write in the candidate’s name on the ballot.
To become a write-in candidate, Cook said the candidate must go to the town clerk’s office and fill out an affidavit of intent to run for the office.
Meeker will save roughly $5,000 this year if there is no election.
“We have budgeted $10,000 for elections this year, but this town election would cost about $5,000,” Cook said. “We budgeted $10,000 just in case something else came up during the year and we had to have a second election.
“If there are no elections, then we would save the entire $10,000,” she said. “That would certainly help the town out.”