Unlike Bayfield's town board election in April, which was canceled for lack of more candidates than seats up for election, four people applied for a board vacancy resulting from Trustee Matt Salka's shift to mayor.
Applicants David Black, Tish Nelson, Kelly Polites, and Brenna Morlan made statements to trustees on May 3. But after repeated tie votes that winnowed the field, trustees postponed a decision to their May 17 meeting.
On the first vote, Polites, Morlan, and Nelson each received two votes, leaving trustees wondering, "Now what?"
Town Manager Chris La May told them to "deliberate and see if someone will change their vote." Trustee Kristin Dallison, who joined the board in April, said she would, "because all the candidates are good."
But on the second vote, Polites and Morlan each received three votes. "Keep going until you get four votes," La May said.
Town attorney Jeff Robbins said there was no obligation to decide that night, that trustees could talk outside the meeting, no more than two at a time to satisfy the Colorado Open Meetings law, and then do the appointment.
Trustee Michelle Nelson commented that Polites would come onto the board with more experience. She has been on the town plannng commission for about a year and previously taught English at Bayfield High School for seven years. Morlan said she and her husband moved to Bayfield in September 2014 and built a house in Dove Ranch last year. She is manager at the Community Banks of Colorado Bayfield branch and this year's president of the Bayfield Area Chamber of Commerce.
Trustee Rachel Davenport commented that the process to fill a vacancy "is supposed to be more efficient, but it's not."
Trustees voted again, 3-3 for Morlan and Polites. Then they voted 4-2 to table the vote to May 17.
All the vacancy votes were by paper ballot, but they were not secret. La May directed trustees to put their names on their ballots and turn them in to the town clerk at the end of the votes as open records.
