Four residents are slated to begin terms on the Estes Park Town Board Tuesday night following the release of the final certified vote count from the April 7 municipal election.
The canvas of the election results didn’t change the ultimate outcome of who was elected to serve as trustees, but the actual vote count shifted slightly. Those results were released by Town Clerk Jackie Williamson.
The tally from the final vote count on April 16 showed that 1,519 ballots were cast in the election, including votes from uniformed and overseas ballots, as well as 15 ballots that were held back on election night. The retention of 15 ballots is done to ensure an individual’s votes remain confidential, according to Williamson.
Kirby Nelson-Hazelton picked up 12 additional votes in the final count, giving her 1,047 total votes. Jamie Mieras’s final count included 11 additional votes, bringing the certified total to 931.
Chris Eshelman was elected to serve the remaining four-year term on the town board. He edged out Bill Brown by eight votes. Consequently, Brown will serve as a trustee for two years as he completes the term of Cindy Younglund, who resigned her seat. Eshelman received 866 votes to Brown’s 858. The spread between the two candidates was 11 on election night.
Also on the ballot were Randy Welch, who received 652 votes, and Aidan Rosenau, who received 585 votes.
The new members of the town board will be sworn in Tuesday, April 28, following a reception honoring Mayor Pro Tem Marie Cenac, who served on the board for eight years. Cenac was term-limited and ineligible to run for office again. The reception is expected to begin at about 8 p.m., after the current board completes old business on its agenda.
The board meeting begins at 7 p.m. Once the new board is seated, the meeting will resume, and new business will be considered. Items to be considered at that time will be included in the material released Friday, April 24.