Partial, unofficial special district election results

Several special districts conducted elections by a variety of methods on Tuesday, including the Eagle County Health Service District, the Eagle River Water & Sanitation District, the Berry Creek Metro District, the EagleVail Metro District and the Mountain Recreation District, which saw its tax increase request of facilities expansion overwhelmingly defeated by voters.

EagleVail Metro District board results had not been officially announced to residents as of Wednesday at 11 a.m. and will be posted here when available.

The following people were elected to serve 3-year terms on the Berry Creek Metro District Board and will be sworn in at the May 24 meeting: David Viele, Katie Rothenberg and Melissa Nelson.

The Eagle River Water & Sanitation District board of directors on Tuesday saw Timm Paxson elected to a 3-year term in uncontested District 1 with 328 votes. Also uncontested, Kate Burchenal won a 3-year term in District 5 with 328 votes.

In the contested races, Steve Coyer beat Eric Heil for a 3-year term in District 3 by a margin of 329 votes to 91, and Rick Pylman won a 3-year term in District 7 by a margin of 286 votes to 135 for Mike Trueblood.

Official results will be available after the canvass board meets May 16 to certify the official results.

Here’s Tuesday press release from Eagle County Health Service District on its mail-in election results:

Sarah Braucht, designated election official for Eagle County Health Service District, announced today that Dr. Jack Eck, Dr. Scott McCorvey and Lynn Blake have been unofficially elected by mail-in ballot to serve on the District’s Board of Directors. Until any outstanding Uniformed And Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) ballots have been received (by May 11), these results are considered unofficial. Nine candidates were nominated to fill three seats on the Board; these three elected Board members will serve three year terms. 

“We were thrilled to see the amount of interest in our Board of Directors election,” said Will Dunn, chief clinical officer at Eagle County Paramedic Services. “Eagle County Paramedic Services is a vital part of our community and I think after these years of COVID, and with a focus on mental health in the community and other key issues, our community is more aware than ever of our services and impact on community health. 

“We thank all of the candidates for their desire to serve and our staff for organizing and facilitating this election,” Dunn continued. “We’re looking forward to growing and innovating to ensure we’re meeting the community’s needs.”

Dr. Jack Eck has lived in Eagle County since 1972 and has served in many different capacities in the medical field in the valley. He currently serves on the boards of the Vail Health Foundation, Home Care & Hospice of the Valley, Quality Committee of the Board (Vail Health) and Shaw Outreach Team. Dr. Scott McCorvey is currently an emergency medicine physician at Vail Health and has been in practice in the community for the past six years. Lynn Blake established Starting Hearts, an organization dedicated to saving the lives of people who experience cardiac arrest, in 2010; Currently she holds a position on the Colorado CARES Data Committee, which resulted in the co-founding of the Colorado Cardiac Arrest Action Committee. 

The five-member Board of Directors is responsible for conducting the affairs of the district in compliance with Colorado Revised Statutes. The Board of Directors has the legislative authority and power to establish policies and procedures that are in the best interest of the residents it serves.

Duties of the Board include ensuring that the district achieves its mission in an ethical, transparent, accountable and prudent manner. Each Board member is accountable for functions including setting and reviewing goals; asking voters to approve bond measures and local option levies for facilities and operations and reviewing and adopting the annual budget. All of these tasks are accomplished at board meetings and committee assignments through review of information, strategic planning, conversation and decision making. The board’s major responsibility is setting policy.

Due to the fact that Colorado special districts are currently nearing the end of a transition to odd year elections, and will resume biennial elections starting with the May 2, 2023 election, the Board Members elected in 2022 will serve three year terms. In the May 2023 election, Eagle County Health Service District will have two open seats and members will serve four year terms.