Durango voters showed an appetite for minimal change in Tuesday’s municipal election, reelecting Mayor Jessika Buell, ousting Councilor Olivier Bosmans and extending a 2005 half-cent sales tax for another 30 years.
Two newcomers, Kip Koso and Shirley Gonzales, were elected to City Council. At least one new member was guaranteed, as Councilor Melissa Youssef is stepping down after two terms.
But most registered voters didn’t participate. Just 34% cast ballots, mirroring turnout in the 2023 City Council election.
La Plata County Clerk Tiffany Lee said she had hoped Ballot Measure 2A would draw more voters to the polls. Sales tax measures typically increase participation, she said, and the low turnout was “disappointing.”
Swearing in April 15
Durango voters on Tuesday elected two new city councilors – Kip Koso and Shirley Gonzales – and reelected Mayor Jessika Buell to a second four-year term.
All three will be sworn in during the April 15 City Council meeting. Afterward, the new council will select a mayor and a mayor pro tem, said Faye Harmer, city clerk.
The mayor and mayor pro tem roles are largely honorary. The mayor presides over official meetings, reads proclamations and represents the city at various events.
By tradition, City Council nominates and elects a mayor based on who received the most votes in the previous council election. Harmer said Councilor Gilda Yazzie received the most votes in 2023, followed by Councilor Dave Woodruff.
If councilors follow that tradition, Yazzie would be nominated for mayor and Woodruff for mayor pro tem, she said.
She referred to the electorate as being dominated by “super voters” – those who turn out in every election and are tuned in or deeply vested in local government.
Campaigns often request lists of people who voted in the past three to five elections, Lee said, and the same names repeatedly appear.
“They’re consistently the same people,” she said. “They are those that are showing up, they’re engaged in the community. They’re very involved – that’s your super voter.”
Unaffiliated voters accounted for 53% of ballots cast. Registered Democrats made up 36%, and Republican, 11%.
The average voter age was 59. Just 6% of ballots came from voters under 30.
Lee said she spoke with the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office on Wednesday about youth voter turnout. An increase in rejected ballots from young voters has been reported statewide, largely because of signature discrepancies.
“Nowadays, a lot of schools don’t teach cursive and a lot of youth don’t even sign things. They sign on their phone or they make their mark,” Lee said. “When it comes to voting, a signature is critical because we’re comparing that to their record.”
She cited a bond measure for a new school in Ignacio that passed by just one vote as a reminder of how impactful every ballot can be.
Encouraging more participation, she said, might start with City Council and grow through efforts by other community members educating neighbors about the impact of local issues like sales tax measures.
“People show up to vote for president, and yes, that’s extremely impactful for all of us, but so are your local leaders,” she said. “That tax question is going to impact people for a long time, whether you agree with it or not.”
While Lee expressed disappointment with turnout, supporters of Ballot Measure 2A said they are grateful to those who voted.
“It’s awesome to hear the support from the community constantly. But now it’s time for us to be grateful for them,” said Durango Police Chief Brice Current.
Ballot Measure 2A proposed a 30-year extension of a 2005 half-cent sales tax. Half the revenue would fund maintenance, upgrades and acquisitions for parks, open space and trails; the other half would fund the construction of a new city hall and a police station.
Supporters say the Durango Police Department has needed a new downtown station for decades. In July 2024, Current said the existing 14,500-square-foot building at 990 East Second Ave. lacks space for offices, showers, evidence storage, conference rooms, interview rooms and community functions.
He said a police force is only as effective as its tools – including its facilities.
“What I’m most excited about ... is (having) a tool that matches our professionalism, a place to actually conduct professional interviews and provide the service that we need, that the community expects and that they deserve,” he said.
A new police station will allow officers to serve the community more effectively, train better and host community events in a proper space.
He said asking the public for funding is difficult because residents work hard and have financial limitations – and he doesn’t take tax-funded projects lightly.
Current said he was nervous ahead of the election, but he appreciates the voters who educated themselves on the ballot measure and supported the police department.
Sinjin Eberle, managing director for American Rivers Action Fund, said in a news release that voters affirmed the Animas River is a “treasured community asset.” He said the measure’s passage will benefit the river, parks and trails for decades.
The American Rivers Action Fund endorsed 2A ahead of the election, highlighting its benefits to parks, open space and trails – and the nearly $10 million in past sales tax revenues it contributed to projects along the Animas River, including the whitewater park at Santa Rita Park, river access points, trails and maintenance.
Eberle, a resident of Three Springs subdivision, said the Animas River has appeared on American Rivers’ most endangered rivers list multiple times – in the 1980s, 1990s and again after the 2015 Gold King Mine spill.
cburney@durangoherald.com
