Andrade – Schnabel are Prowers County Winners

Voter from the LCC Wellness Center on Election Day, November 6

General Election Results 2012

Wendy Buxton-Andrade is set to become the first woman Prowers County Commissioner, representing District 3. The tabulations from all the precincts has not been certified at this early stage in the county, but the majority of unofficial voting went for Andrade with 3,190 or 67.74% of the votes cast and 1,519 or 32.26% for her challenger Jillane Hixson.

The district became an open race this election year with the announcement by Commissioner Gene Millbrand that he would not seek re-election. Wendy Buxton-Andrade was running on the Republican ticket and Hixson is the county’s Democratic Party chairperson.

Incumbent commissioner, Henry Schnabel, was re-elected by only a handful of votes in his bid for a second term for the commissioner’s seat to represent District 1. The vote was 2,408 or 50.87% for Schnabel and 2,326 or 49.13%for challenger, Don Suefer on the Democratic ticket. The new commissioners will be sworn in at the first meeting of 2013 on Tuesday, January 8.

In other local balloting for issues that would have a direct bearing on Prowers County residents, Holly voters passed a proposal to increase the town’s sale tax by 2%. The ballot question was approved by the Holly Trustees this past August. The town currently has a 1% sales tax and creating a healthy General Fund reserve without transferring money from the Utility Fund was the main goal behind the increase. The town now has a combined sales tax of 4.9% with state, county and local tax rates. That’s estimated at $168,000-$170,000 that would be generated when passed. The vote was 155 in favor to 116 opposed or 57.2% to 42.8%.

Two new districts in the state will see representation following the election for Senate District 65 and State House District 64. Tim Dore was elected to his new seat with virtually no opposition, receiving 3,254 votes against Libertarian Nick Schneider with 950. The race for the senate seat between Larry Crowder for the Republicans and Crestina Martinez, current Costilla County Commissioner for the Democrats, became heated in the final months of campaigning. Each candidate used a sizable advertising campaign to bolster their own strengths and illuminate each other’s political weaknesses before the voters. Prowers County voters gave the election to Crowder with 2,864 or 61.59% with Martinez receiving 1,597 or 34.34% of the vote.

First term congressman from U.S. District 4, conservative Cory Gardner was challenged by Democrat Brandon Shaffer, president of the Colorado Senate. Gardner defeated Democrat Betsy Markey for the position in the last election. Markey held the Congressional seat for one term after she defeated incumbent Marilyn Musgrave. Prowers County voters re-elected Gardner to the office by a vote of 3,077 to 1,337 for Shaffer.

Legalization of marijuana is not going to see the light of day in Prowers County based on voting results for Amendment 64. Although this is a statewide ballot question, voters in the county defeated the proposal by a vote of 1,924 to 2,803. Several years ago, a moratorium on establishing medical marijuana dispensaries was passed by both the Lamar City Council and Prowers County Commissioners, and in the last statewide election on the question, Prowers County voters soundly defeated a similar proposal.

At the national level presidential contest, Prowers County voters gave the ballot to Romney for President with 3,200 votes against Barack Obama with 1,498. Additional details on the election will be available in a follow-up article. A reminder from Prowers County Clerk and Recorder, Jana Coen, these are unofficial numbers at this time. There are still about 25 provisional votes to be counted which will be done the week of November 12.

By Russ Baldwin