FLORENCE — August 2, 2022 marks the beginning of a new chapter to the citizens in Florence, Colorado.
The City of Florence held a special election in order to fill vacant city council seats after six out of seven city council members resigned in March 2022.
"The main thing is picking up business that's been sitting and waiting," said one woman who voted on Tuesday.
The mass resignation followed the firing of the former City Manager, 54-year-old Michael Patterson after he was accused of sexual harassment by former city employees.
Tuesday's election was done by hand, meaning all ballots were dropped off and filled out in person.
"I feel more comfortable having coordinated this election that we are counting it by hand because there are a lot of processes that make sure every number is the same every time you count it," said Cortlyne Huppe, the Interim City Clerk.
The results are expected to be certified by August 12 and the new city council members are supposed to be sworn in on August 15.
Election results can be found here when ready.
Unofficial results as of 6:42 a.m. Aug 3
Ward 1
- Rudl Mergelman - 88
- James Vanhoutan - 69
- Kevin Bradley - 26
- Anthony Puckett - 22
Ward 2
- Steve Wolfe - 104
- Kathryn Johanna Nabors - 62
- Matthew Stiefel - 51
- Eric Hatfield - 53
Ward 3
- Gayle MacKinnon - 104
- Deborah Gibson - 100
- Mike Vendetti - 58
_____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
