Allison Aichele, the two-term La Plata County treasurer, was reelected in a tight race against opponent Erin Hutchins. Aichele bested Hutchins by just 320 votes.
La Plata County Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee called the race Thursday afternoon after releasing updated numbers, which added ever so slightly to Aichele’s vote total without enough ballots remaining to flip the results.
There were only two competitive races in the county that feature an independent candidate. Jack Turner, the other independent running in a competitive race for county office, lost resoundingly to Clyde Church for a seat on the Board of County Commissioners.
Seventy-three percent of the county’s active voters returned a ballot, exceeding Lee’s goal for a 70% voter turnout.
The final vote tally was not close enough to trigger an automatic recount.
Aichele did not run any campaign, instead relying on her incumbency status to carry her across the finish line.
Although Hutchins trailed significantly in early vote counts, she remained optimistic until the end. Late-arriving votes from Republicans urged by the party to vote at the last minute closed the gap between her and Aichele but to not avail. When reached for comment Wednesday, Hutchins said a push in the community to vote in-person was possibly responsible for the surge.
Hutchins has spent the last 11 years working in the county Clerk and Recorder’s Office.
Each candidate touted their professional experience throughout the campaign. In a race that revolved largely around issues of transparency and customer service, both candidates rejected the notion that the position is political. Hutchins expressed early on that she hoped her campaign could pave the way for future independent candidates.
The two candidates met several times at candidate forums at which their dialogue revealed that the two are largely in agreement with respect to the responsibilities of the treasurer. However, they committed to very different priorities.
Hutchins promised to increase collaboration between the county’s departments and streamline the customer service provided by the department. She built her campaign upon the later priority, repeatedly stating that she hears complaints about the treasurer’s office in her current role.
Aichele, in contrast, said she has already worked to improve the customer experience by creating the opportunity for county residents to pay their taxes online and providing ample opportunity for county residents to request information and meet with her staff. Instead, Aichele has said she would prioritize training a successor to run in her place in 2026.
Hutchins raised a total $11,551 throughout the campaign, of which she spent all but $1,200. Aichele’s campaign, in contrast, received just a single $500 donation from the candidate herself and the money still remains in the campaign’s coffers.
Hutchins said she performed her job as election administrator on Election Day but did not have any direct contact with live ballots given that she herself was a candidate in a contested race.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
