Melissa Youssef, Dean Brookie and Chris Bettin won seats Tuesday on Durango City Council, according to election results released just after 10 p.m.
Youssef led the five candidates with 3,565 votes. Coming in second and third, respectively, were incumbent Brookie with 3,025 votes and Bettin with 2,368.
Dave McHenry had garnered 2,126 and Tom Eskew had 1,117.
The voter turnout set a city record with about 4,900 ballots cast, said Paul Stuart, election commissioner.
Youssef said she was thankful for the support she received from the community, and noted that her campaign never stopped working.
While knocking on doors, Youssef said she felt she connected with the community.
“Our community has a huge amount of heart and passion,” she said.
While talking with residents she learned that homelessness must be addressed immediately. “Homelessness is an issue that this community is passionate about. They want to help,” she said.
The community also wants to protect the quality of life and character of Durango, she said. As part of her campaign, she promised to create a 10-year plan to prioritize infrastructure and other city needs before deciding where money should be spent or supporting any new fees.
Brookie said he looks forward to tackling infrastructure needs and implementing character districts, which would outline how particular areas of town should be developed.
“I am feeling humbled and honored to be supported,” he said.
Brookie ran on a platform to focus on a long-term vision for Durango and his main infrastructure priorities are the sewage-treatment plant, a project scheduled to start in the summer, a water-treatment plant below Lake Nighthorse and the stormwater drainage.
Bettin was traveling and could not be reached for comment on the election results. Bettin’s No. 1 issue was housing. He backed dense housing and retail developments and wanted to see incentives offered for developers to create a variety of housing opportunities.
He also wanted to see secondary housing units allowed in more areas of town.
Improving fiber infrastructure for high speed internet to make Durango more competitive for businesses was another of Bettin’s priorities.
McHenry declined to comment for this story. He ran a campaign around getting the city back to basics, such as paving alleys and repairing sidewalks.
Eskew did not respond to a request for comment.
Eskew ran a cash-free campaign and sold himself as a political outsider.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
