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One contest set for open CMC board seats

John Stroud
Glenwood Springs Post Independent

There will be a contested race for one open Colorado Mountain College board of trustees seat in the Nov. 7 election, while incumbent Trustee Charles Cunniffe and former Trustee Doris Dewton will run unopposed.

Sept. 1 was the deadline to submit petitions for candidacy to run for the western Garfield County, Eagle County and Pitkin County seats on the seven-member college district board.

Peg Portscheller and Randy Winkler will be seeking the west GarCo (District 3) seat that is being vacated by Mary Ellen Denomy.



Portscheller, a Parachute resident, is a longtime educator who has served as schools superintendent in Lake County and a school district administrator in Eagle County. She now owns an education consulting business.

Winkler is currently the mayor of Rifle, but will be stepping down from his Rifle City Council seat later this month due to term limits. Winkler is owner of Micro Plastics in Rifle.




Doris Dewton will fill the Eagle County (District 7) seat being vacated by current CMC board President Glenn Davis due to term limits.

Dewton, a former CMC board member and board president from 2003-09, now serves on the CMC Foundation board. She is a resident of the Eagle Valley. Alexis M. Kensinger, who owns Castle Peak Consulting and was formerly director of assessment and student achievement for Fountain Fort Carson School District 8, filed petitions for the seat but withdrew from the race on Friday.

The CMC board has seven at-large seats that are elected by all the voters in the CMC district, which covers all or parts of six counties.

According to a college news release, board responsibilities include employing and evaluating the president, approving the college budget, certifying the mill levy, working with the college president to develop a strategic plan, monitoring the progress of the institution and acting in the best interests of the college as required by statute.

One resident from each of the trustee districts is elected to the board for four-year terms. Ballots for the Nov. 7 mail election will be going out in mid-October.