Steamboat Pilot & Today

The Town of Yampa may not have a municipal election in April because only one man turned in a petition for the open mayoral position.

Three Yampa Town Board members also submitted petitions for the four open trustee positions.

Town Clerk Janet Ray said Yampa Mayor Bruce Pitts turned in his application for re-election Friday and that Town Board members Arlene Porteus, Karen Tussey and Denis Campanali turned in petitions.

Ray said she has to certify the four petitions she received Friday before the candidates are eligible for the positions.

Yampa canceled its 2004 election because of a similar situation. The town had more vacant positions than it had candidates to fill them.

"It's not unusual for this to happen. It's rare (in Yampa) to have a real contested race for the seats," Ray said.

Ray said there is a possibility that candidates who missed the Friday deadline for turning in petitions can be write-in candidates on the April 4 ballot if they fill out the paperwork by March 14.

If there are no write-in candidates, Ray said Pitts would become mayor for another two-year term, and that each trustee candidate would serve a four-year term on the board. A fourth board member likely would be appointed to the two-year term, she said.

Ray said she would know after March 14 whether the town will have an election.

To have the election, at least one more person would have to express a desire for the mayoral position, and two more people would have to express an interest in the Town Board positions.

Pitts, Tussey and Campanali could not be reached for comment Friday night.

Porteus, who was appointed to the Yampa Town Board to fill a vacant position last year, said she turned in a petition for the seat because she wants to serve the town.

"I think I have a unique point of view. I am more concerned about taking care of the residents of Yampa, because their voice is my voice. To me, it's about them," she said.

Porteus said she has lived in Yampa for 33 years and has served on the Town Board before.