Three special districts elect board members

Three special elections concluded on Tuesday evening: Aspen Fire Protection District, Aspen Valley Hospital District, and Crown Mountain Park and Recreation District all had board seats up for election. 

Judges posted an unofficial abstract of votes on the Aspen Volunteer Fire Department Museum doors at 420 E. Hopkins Ave. for the next board.

There were two open seats on the board, each winner will serve four-year terms. Charles Cunniffe and incumbent board President John C. Ward were elected. There were 8,467 ballots mailed out and 1,393 returned ballots, which meant 16.5% of those eligible voted.

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The unofficial vote tallies of the election:

• Charles Cunniffe: 785
• John C. Ward: 759
• Jill St. John Wagner: 691
• Mike Lyons: 337

Crown Mountain Park and Recreation District results were also called Tuesday evening, with what some called an encouraging voter turnout.

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Incumbent board President Leroy Duroux and Shelley Lundh Freeman have been elected to four-year terms on the board. 

“We sincerely appreciate everyone who participated and would like to thank our judges for ensuring a smooth and efficient election,” said Jon Erickson, a CPA with Marchetti & Weaver LLC.

“We had great turnout today, with 171 voters casting their ballots at the polling place,” he said. “In total, over 300 ballots were returned — more than doubling the turnout from the 2022 election.”

The unofficial vote tallies:

• Leroy Duroux: 218
• Shelley Lundh Freeman:168
• Lari Goode: 124

And at 10:24 p.m., the hospital district reported that incumbent board President Melinda Nagle and board member Greg Balko had won re-election. A total of 1,873 ballots were returned, according to the district.

The unofficial vote tallies:

• Melinda Nagle: 1,463
• Greg Balko:1,177
• Robert Hutton: 763