SAGUACHE COUNTY — Tom McCracken, incumbent Saguache County Commissioner District 1 fended off challenger Adam Kinney with 503 votes to 373 votes. Turnout was 33.86% of active votes. McCracken and Republican challenger Marcus Weir will be on the November general ballot.
McCracken told the Valley Courier, "I wish to thank all the dedicated supporters who worked so hard at their own time and expense to facilitate my primary win. I am humbled by the trust placed in me and will work hard to realize the common visions we share."
In a February statement, McCracken offered "I think it is a real waste of taxpayer money to train a commissioner for four years and not have them continue. It took me three years to learn the ropes and I'm just getting comfortable with things like the county budget. We have 1,600+ lines on our spreadsheet for the budget. It is really complicated, and it takes a while to learn these things, develop relationships, and work with all the employees. There are also all the relationships you establish around the state. I participate in the Colorado Counties Inc.; commissioners from all around the state meet in Denver and we discuss pending legislation, and we discuss it and how it may affect counties. We are always on the lookout for unfunded mandates, and regulations imposed on us that we may or may not be able to even deal with. Jason Anderson, my predecessor was very active in the organization, and I've tried to be very active in the organization.
"You establish these relationships with these other commissioners and many of them are not term-limited and they have influence with state senators that has been gained over time. I've established a relationship with Kate Greenberg [Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture.] I stay in touch with her via Zoom once a month. Over time you get a chance to leverage these relationships and get some things accomplished. I feel like it is almost irresponsible for me not to run again and utilize all the tools I've been able to build."
Other SLV County Commissioner races:
In the Conejos County District 1 Democratic primary, Erwin Romero received 673 votes to the 220 votes received by Guillermo De Herrera. Republican candidate Delfino Garcia will be on the general election ballot.
Results in the Conejos County Commissioner District 3 Republican race showed Justin Rogers received 573 votes to the 357 votes received by Lucas Larson. Rogers will face off with Democrat Joseph Baroz in the general election.
In the Costilla County Democratic District 1 primary, incumbent Robert Espinoza won with 396 votes to the 126 garnered by Frank Martinez. Republican Brandy Napier was unopposed. In County Commissioner District 3, Democrat incumbent Stephen Romero will be on the November ballot as will Republican, Augustine Esquibel.
