07/06/2005: "Who Will Replace Miller?"

The County Democratic Central Committee can submit up to three names to the BOCC, and if Democrats Lichter and Ranker, as the remaining board members, can come to agreement within five days, San Juan County will have a new County Commissioner. If they cannot agree on a name, the Governor will decide for them. Alan Lichter has stated he fully expects there to be three names, so that the Board can make the final decision.

So who will it be? Fred Ellis Jr. is well known and respected in the county, but has had little experience in county government, Lee Lehman is well known by county employees, but not by the general public, Jamie Stephans has been involved in local elections, but is not well known off of Lopez. Bob Myhr, and the Executive Director of The Friends of the San Juans, Stephanie Buffum-Field are also names that are being talked about.

At this point no one knows for sure who will be on the final list that is submitted to the BOCC, but from almost the minute that Miller announced she would not be completing her term, the front runner in the rumor mill has been her friend and supporter on Lopez, Jamie Stephans. A number of court house watchers have felt Stephans, although not well known, was "being groomed" to replace Miller in the next election, and so expect he is the favored choice. A name that is well known, is Bob Myhr, for he has a long involvement in county government at a number of levels, and he is well respected and trusted by many in both the Democratic and Republican parties.

In the big picture of upcoming elections, who the Democrats pick is no small matter, given that the new appointee will have to stand for a county wide election in the September primary, and if successful, present themselves to all of the county voters, Democrates and Republicans, in the November general election.

But wait, what happened to the traditional July filing to run for office? Well, in a shocking move, both the Democrats and the Republicans are standing on common ground when it comes to the question of who should decide who shows up on the ballot. Traditional filing would occur in July by a would be candidate showing up at the local auditors office and declaring, but both parties have stated that a partisan position must be filled by a candidate that is nominated by the party, and not by a list of names that has been submitted to the auditor. Not only that, both parities have said they will sue any auditor who accepts names that have not been indorsed by a political party. Many expect this will lead to a court battle.