I would like to encourage your consideration of voting in the Colorado Mountain College board of trustees election. While Patty Theobald, the board member from Summit County is running unopposed, there are two contested races in which you will be asked to vote. While board members represent a county/school district, all voters in the entire CMC region have the opportunity to vote for all trustees.
In Lake County/Leadville, I encourage you to vote for Bob Hartzell. He is a longtime resident of Leadville and a retired educator as well as a former member of the city council. He has also worked at Copper Mountain Resort and is very familiar not only with Lake and Summit counties but with the entire CMC region and all of our mountain communities. The Lake County seat on the CMC board is held by Pat Chlouber, who is term limited. As a former superintendent of schools in Lake County, I had the opportunity to work closely with Hartzell on several community and regional issues. He is experienced, knowledgeable and insightful when it comes to challenges and opportunities faced by the college and our communities.
The seat representing east Garfield County is also a contested race. I encourage you to consider voting for Marianne Virgili. The seat she is seeking is held by Kathy Goudy, who is term limited. Virgili is a former president of the Glenwood Springs Chamber of Commerce and an active member of several Roaring Fork Valley boards, including Valley View Hospital. She also serves on the CMC Foundation board of directors and has been a passionate supporter of the college as well as the services and programs provided to all communities within the CMC region. Her knowledge of challenges facing mountain communities and businesses serving those communities would be a welcome addition to our board.