Five seek Pitkin County seats

PITKIN COUNTY ” As the deadline approaches for candidates to sign up to run for the Pitkin Board of County Commissioners, five people formally have thrown their hats into the ring.

Three seats are up for election in November.

Incumbent Dorothea Farris is not seeking re-election in District 5, which includes Redstone and the Crystal River Valley, because of term limits.

But incumbents Jack Hatfield (Snowmass Village, District 4) and Michael Owsley (Woody Creek, District 3) both are asking voters to keep them on the board.

The challengers, so far, include real estate agent Shellie Roy of Aspen, a former two-term commissioner who was defeated by Owsley in 2004 for the District 3 seat.

Running against each other for the District 5 seat, according to the county clerk’s office, are George Newman of Emma, a longtime community activist who works as a reservationist, and Delia (Dee) Malone of Redstone, local environmentalist and an Aspen City Council candidate in 2005. Malone lost that election after facing current council member Jack Johnson in a runoff contest.

Although others are rumored to be considering a bid for one of the seats in the electoral contest, no one else formally has filed for the post.

According to the county clerk’s office, the deadline for submitting a nominating petition is 5 p.m. on June 9, and prospective candidates need 100 valid signatures of qualified Pitkin County electors to be eligible.

Petitions and information are available at the county clerk’s office, in the Courthouse Plaza building, 530 E. Main St., Aspen.