PUEBLO — Unofficial final results from the Pueblo County Clerk & Recorder’s Office shows Pueblo voters have chosen new county commissioners to take over in districts one and two.
Pueblo County is broken up into three districts. The county commissioner for district one oversees communities including the following:
- east side
- Rye
- St. Charles Mesa
District two includes parts of the following:
- Pueblo West
- south side
- Beulah Valley
District three also encompasses parts of Pueblo West and the north side of Pueblo.
Pueblo County commissioners' seats have typically been held by Democrats. Elected in 2022, Zach Swearingen was the first Republican county commissioner in roughly two decades and currently serves district three.
This November, the position for county commissioners in districts one and two were up for election. According to the unofficial final results, both incumbents lost and will not be re-elected. In district one that is Eppie Griego.
“This is our community. We love this town, and we just wanted to move forward,” Griego said.
Griego said he ran for re-election because he has several projects he wants to continue working on.
“For instance, the jail, the Medal of Honor Boulevard, you know, the water projects we've got in Avondale, Boone, Beulah, Colorado City,” Griego said.
Griego said he wants to share this message with his supporters.
“I just want to thank everybody for the support they did give me and let me tell you, it's been good all over. I've heard it all over, everywhere I go. Are you Eppie Griego, yes, I'm supporting you. That was awesome, just to hear that,” Griego said.
He ran as an Independent against Republican Steve Rodriguez and Democrat Miles Lucero.
According to unofficial final results, Lucero will be the next county commissioner for district one. He won by over 3,000 votes.
Over in district two, a seasoned politician, Daneya Esgar ran to protect her seat as district two county commissioner.
“I was a state representative for eight years before I was termed out and came home and really wanted to still dig into my community and serve my community to the best of my abilities,” Esgar said.
Esgar said she ran for re-election to focus on three main issues.
“We really need to focus on economic development in Pueblo County. We need to protect the water that we have here, because we know that people up north are always looking to come and buy our water or take our water. We need to stand up for that. We need to really look at public safety issues here in Pueblo County as well,” Esgar said.
Esgar was against political newcomer Paula McPheeters.
“The reason I decided to run really is to make sure that Pueblo County is represented in terms of land use and the various administrative jobs that come across the commissioner's desk. You're really managing the county, and I thought it's a job that fits well with what I've done so far, and I just wanted to be in a place to give back and do that job for the community,” McPheeters said.
McPheeters worked at Pueblo Community College for more than 20 years.
“The various candidates running offer a new, fresh perspective on Pueblo,” McPheeters said.
This is her first position in public office.
“I really want to bring cooperation with both the city and the county, work with the mayor and the city council and make sure that our county commission, we all work together on those bigger issues,” McPheeters said.
The district two race was the closer with the last numbers polled showing McPheeters by around 1,300 votes.
“It's not easy to run for office, but thank you for giving me the chance to be elected and to serve, and over the next four years, you'll get to see if I've done the job well enough for you. So thank you. Pueblo County would be my message,” McPheeters said.
Esgar said she hopes Pueblo can “thrive together.”
“You know, I think that Pueblo really has always been a community that looks out for each other, and we've gotten away from them, and we need to come back together and really stand up next to our neighbors and help each other out and look out for each other,” Esgar said.
A spokesperson from the county said commissioners elect Lucero and McPheeters will begin their term in January.
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