Voters rejected an attempt to remove Dolores RE-4A school board member Vangi McCoy in Tuesday’s mail-in recall election.
McCoy retained her seat on the board after 485 voted against her recall and 358 voted for it – 57.53 percent to 42.47 percent – according to unofficial results from Montezuma County Clerk and Recorder Kim Percell.
Voters answered two questions on the recall ballot. The first was whether to recall McCoy, and voters who favored her recall then chose from two candidates to replace her.
Successor candidates Keith Moore and Joe Warren (Spark) Reed each received 208 votes, but it did not matter because the majority of voters chose to retain McCoy. The total number of votes for the successors surpassed the number of votes to recall McCoy because some voters who rejected the recall also mistakenly voted for a successor.
“I’m ecstatic,” said Patrick McCoy, McCoy’s husband, at the clerk’s office Tuesday night. “The students and staff Vangi represents are the winners in this election.”
Percell said the election went smoothly. Election judges began counting votes last week and had unofficial results by 7:20 p.m. Tuesday.
There were 843 total votes cast of the 2,800 ballots sent out – a 30 percent turnout. Percell estimated that the election cost Dolores School District Re-4A about $7,500.
The recall effort began in April by petition circulators Amy Lewis and Michael Smith, who claimed that two board members did not follow school district policies.
To force a recall election, they were required to obtain 335 signatures from registered voters within the school district.
Former board president Dee Prock, who also was targeted in the recall effort, resigned from the board. The board appointed Lenetta Shull to replace her on Sept 13.
McCoy is an educator and coordinator of the Montelores Early Childhood Council. She also teaches at Pueblo Community College Southwest. In an interview last week, the two-term board member said she was committed to serving the district as a board member.
“It’s been a long journey, and I have seen many changes come to fruition. I want to finish out my term and continue to support our excellent teachers before handing the baton to a new board member,” she said.
“We want all students graduating from Dolores Public Schools to leave our halls prepared to be successful in whatever endeavors they choose to do – whether that is college, trades, agriculture, parenting or joining the workforce.
“By continuing to align curriculum, doing project-based learning and including social-emotional learning throughout all grade levels, we will succeed in this effort.”
The Dolores school board is composed of Kay Phelps, Deanna Truelsen, Casey McClellan, Shull and McCoy.