Kip Koso, Shirley Gonzales and Jessika Buell were elected to Durango City Council on Tuesday night.
Koso received 3,571 votes, followed by Gonzales with 2,725 votes and Buell with 2,698 votes.
Ballot Measure 2A – a proposal to renew a half-cent sales tax to fund the construction of a city hall and police station and continue funding parks, open space and trails – also passed with strong support. Voters cast 3,230 “yes” votes and 1,557 “no” votes.
The La Plata County Clerk and Recorder’s Office reported a 34% voter turnout in the second and final round of voting. That matches turnout from the last municipal election, which did not include a tax question.
Voters this year selected candidates to fill three council seats. One seat is being vacated by Councilor Melissa Youssef, who is completing her second and final term after first being elected in 2017.
Mayor Buell, 43, and Councilor Olivier Bosmans, 54, sought reelection. They were joined on the ballot by Gonzales, 52; Koso, 58; and Chris Elias, 41.
Elias had 1,781 votes and Bosmans trailed with 1,305 votes.
Incoming city councilors are likely to tackle a range of issues, including affordable housing, relations with La Plata County and how to best serve or manage the unhoused population. Other likely topics over the next two to four years include a proposed minimum wage increase, the need for additional child care and whether to advance with Downtown’s Next Step.
Koso pledged during the campaign to ensure the Durango Police Department receives a new station, even if Ballot Measure 2A had failed. Child care, housing and infrastructure maintenance also ranked high on his list of priorities.
He said he was feeling good on Tuesday after initial results rolled out, including for Ballot Measure 2A.
“It’s great when you put (in) this much time and energy, you have so many people supporting you,” he said.
He said the positive turnout for 2A showed that voters responded with goodwill, recognizing the need for a new police station.
“We kicked that can down the road for decades,” he said. “(Voters) see the benefits and the quality of life; improvements around recreation; what's possible out on (Durango Mesa Park) – all of these things that can really come to fruition with the extension of that sales tax.”
He said he has already met with some city department leaders to better understand how the city operates so he is more prepared to work with fellow councilors and the city manager.
Gonzalez championed accessible and affordable housing, including solutions for unhoused residents. She also vowed to advocate for alternative forms of transportation and small business development.
Having spent two four-year terms on City Council in San Antonio, Texas, she said the big difference between Durango’s election and her previous elections is candidates came together to watch the results.
She, Koso, Buell and Elias all gathered at Steamworks.
“Everybody's offering congratulations and it’s exciting,” she said.
She said she is happy that Ballot Measure 2A passed. She’s eager to see the new city hall and police station, two types of projects she worked on in San Antonio.
Buell said she looks forward to working with the new council.
Buell emphasized affordability throughout her campaign, saying she wants her children to be able to live in Durango when they’re older. She said she supported every housing project brought before the council during her first term.
She said she values finding common ground and working collaboratively with other councilors to advance projects.
At times, finding common ground with one councilor in particular proved difficult for Buell and other councilors, who have been in multiple disputes with Councilor Bosmans at regular meetings.
“We accomplished so much because we actually got along so well despite ... maybe having a disruptor that just wanted to cause issues on council,” she said of her first term.
Bosmans did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a previous interview, Bosmans said his initial 2017 campaign focused on honesty, transparency and accountability – values he planned to continue to uphold. He said the city’s budgeting priorities don’t align with the community’s needs.
If re-elected, he said he would have worked to improve city-county relations, supported a managed camp for the unhoused, and advocated for reinstating boards and commissions dissolved by the previous council.
Elias, who also fell short in the vote, vowed to be a voice for Durango workers and support raising the minimum wage. He backed the pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly vision outlined in Downtown’s Next Step and said he supported Ballot Measure 2A, adding that Durango’s parks are central to the city’s identity.
On Tuesday, he said he took a deep dive into many city issues he hadn’t been familiar with, learned a lot through the process, and hopes to be better prepared if he decides to run again in the future.
cburney@durangoherald.com
