Buena Vista Trustee candidates answer questions from Chaffee County EDC Executive Director Jake Rishavy. From left to right: Jake Rishavy, Thomas Brown, Micha Rosenoer, Andy Matkovich, Maggie Huyck, Devin Rowe, Andrew Rice. Photo by Carly Winchell
The official results for the 2024 Buena Vista Municipal election were confirmed as “final” on Thursday, April 11 and they confirmed the standings of the unofficial results from the Tuesday, April 2 election.
The final vote tallies for the four open trustee seats are:
430 votes for Micha Rosenoer
443 votes for Andrew Rice
302 votes for Maggie Huyck
178 votes for Andy Matkovich
407 votes for Devin Rowe
261 votes for Thomas Brown
Rosenoer, Rice, and Rowe had the most votes of the winning candidates and will take the three open four-year seats. Huyck will take the two-year seat.
“I’m honored and excited to work with such a great team of Trustees in Buena Vista. This class of Trustees has a ton of diverse experience, including service work in local businesses, which will only make our decision-making process stronger and more successful over the next few years,” commented Rosenoer.
“I’m excited to be a part of this amazing opportunity to join the Buena Vista Board of Trustees. This process has been wonderful to be a part of so far, and I’m grateful to all of the candidates for showing up for our community,” said Huyck.
Incumbent candidates Andrew Rice and Devin Rowe celebrate at The Slammer after unofficial results indicate they will hold onto their seats for four more years. Photo by Carly Winchell
Rowe and Rice celebrated the unofficial results the night of the election at The Slammer where members of the community and town staff dropped by to congratulate the pair for retaining their seats. When asked for comment about the results later, Rowe replied, “I feel good,” and that he looked for to continuing to work with a great board and an amazing town staff.
The final tallies for the ballot questions are:
Ballot Question No. 2A: Change Election Date
357 votes for yes
248 votes for no
Town elections will be moved to November to allow coordination with the county election process. Terms of sitting officials and those elected this year will be extended to account for the election change from April to November. Special elections and runoffs will still be handled by the Town.
Ballot Question No. 2B Publication of Ordinances
379 votes for yes
224 votes for no
Ordinances can now be published by title only in the local paper with the full text available online.
The town celebrated the approval of the election date change during the Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, April 9. Town Administrator Brian Berger handed the “coveted Top Banana Award” to Town Clerk Paula Barnett to show appreciation for her work on the election, which is the last of its kind in Buena Vista.
Newly sworn in (from left) Mayor Libby Fay and Trustees Sue Cobb and Gina Lucrezi shake hands with Town Clerk Paula Barnett at the Buena Vista Board of Trustees’ April 26, 2022 meeting. Photo by Hannah harn.
Town and Trustees also said goodbye to Trustees Sue Cobb and Peter Hylton-Hinga, who chose not to run again for their seats during this election. While the new trustees will not be sworn in until the next meeting on Tuesday, April 23, the April 9 meeting will be the last time that Cobb and Hylton-Hinga take their seats in person. Cobb intends to attend her final meeting virtually while Hylton-Hinga explained he would be out of town and unable to attend on April 23.
Mayor Libby Fay presented plaques to the two departing trustees and said they would both be missed.
“I’d like to issue greetings to two wonderful trustees who are leaving us,” said Fay. “You’ve both been thoughtful and perceptive in drafting your frequent questions on matters of importance to Buena Vista. You have approached the meetings with trustees and staff in a well-organized manner, and you’ve been respectful and even humorous … We will really miss you both, and I hope that you will remain engaged in town government in other roles, and I want to thank you for your great commitment of time and energy.”
“It has been a true pleasure working with this group of trustees and the group of staff. I just really appreciate your commitment to town, your respectfulness as colleagues, your investment in me to be a trustee and answering my questions to please educate me,” said Cobb. She explained that her decision not to run was motivated by the desire to travel and spend more time with her partner after her father died young and didn’t have the chance to do so with her mother.
Peter Hylton-Hinga shakes hands with Trustee Gina Lucrezi after being appointed to the BV Board of Trustees in 2022. Photo by Hannah Harn.
“This has been a great experience, and I just want to thank everybody from the other trustees and also town staff. Phillip [Puckett], you were the first BV resident that my wife and I met. You’ve been guiding me ever since, and so I really appreciate all that patience,” commented Hylton-Hinga. “This has been a really great experience and I hope to still stay involved because we are here for the long run. It really matters how we grow smart and how we move forward as a community, so I just want to thank everybody.”
The other trustees and town staff took turns thanking Cobb and Hylton-Hinga and congratulating the new members of the Board, describing them as respectful peacekeepers who always had thoughtful questions at the ready.
“This is the best Board I’ve worked with so far,” said Rowe. “I’m gonna miss you guys a lot so if there’s anything that comes up, there’s a podium right there. You can come voice your opinions and yell at us.”
The new trustees, including incumbents Rice and Rowe, will be sworn in at the April 23 Board of Trustees meeting which begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Buena Vista Community Center (715 East Main Street). The new Board will then approve the rehiring of key staff, such as the town administrator, clerk, treasurer, and town attorney and appoint a mayor Pro Tem.
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