ActivePaper Archive Hobbs runoff election is set - Hobbs News Sun, 3/10/2018

Hobbs runoff election is set

Mills Calderon Gerth take oath of office

Runoff election dates to remember

• March 13 — voter registration closed with the Lea County Clerk at 5 p.m.

• March 21 — First day of absentee and early voting

• April 6 — Last day for issuance of absentee ballots and early voting

• April 10 — Election Day, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

• April 13 — Hobbs commission canvass of election results

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TODD BAILEY/NEWS-SUN

Joe Calderon, top, Christopher Mills, center, and Don Gerth, bottom, take their respective oaths of office during a special Hobbs City Commission meeting on Friday. Calderon and Gerth were incumbents who returned to service, while Mills was newly elected in Tuesday’s municipal election.

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District 5 Commissioner Garry Buie isn’t done serving the City of Hobbs.

The outgoing commissioner, who is “self” term limited, returned to his seat in the Hobbs Commission Chambers Friday morning as the commission unanimously approved to canvass the results of Tuesday’s municipal election, making the vote totals official.

The results show winners in three races — District 2 has a new commissioner in Christopher Mills, while incumbents Joe Calderon and Don Gerth return to their respective commission seats. All three were sworn into office by City of Hobbs Clerk Jan Fletcher.

However, the results do not offer a winner in the District 5 and municipal judge races.

Due to a revision in the city’s charter approved by Hobbs voters in 2010, any candidate running in a municipal election must attain 40 percent of the vote. If not, a runoff election will take place between the race’s top two finishers.

Tuesday’s top two finishers in the District 5 race were Dwayne Penick (186 votes, 30.9 percent) and Scot Youngblood (138 votes, 22.92 percent). In the city judge race, incumbent Ben Harrison (702 votes, 39.09 percent) faces challenger Shannon E. Carter-Arguello (465 votes, 25.89 percent). On Friday, the commission unanimously approved the resolution creating the runoff election, and following the explanation of the rules and dates, the four candidates in the two races chose ballot positions.

There were 602 total votes cast in the District 5 race out of a total of 3,449 eligible voters, while there were 1,796 votes in the city-wide judge race, out of 16,690. The total number of votes cast in the election is 1,814, meaning 10.87 percent of the total voters in Hobbs went to the polls.

Friday’s meeting officially set the times for the runoff election, scheduled for 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Tuesday, April 10.

Voter registration for the runoff election is open until Tuesday, March 13, and can be done at the Lea County clerk office in Lovington. Absentee and early voting is March 21-April 6 at the Hobbs clerk’s office inside city hall.

The canvass of the runoff election results is scheduled for April 13, which is when a new commissioner for District 5 will be sworn in and Buie will officially step down. Harrison, who is the current municipal judge, will continue to serve until the April election as well.

City of Hobbs Deputy Clerk Mollie Maldonado stated the same Voting Convenience Centers used for Tuesday’s election will be used in the runoff election. Those sites are the City Hall Annex, the Hobbs Teen Center, the Hobbs Municipal Schools Training Center and the Lea County Event Center.

“If anyone who voted in this last election, if you did not vote or if you are a new voter, you are now eligible to vote in this election,” Maldonado said.

Fletcher stated all eligible voters in Hobbs can vote on the judge race, while all eligible voters residing in District 5 can also vote on the commission race.

It is estimated the runoff election will cost the City of Hobbs around $25,000. Precinct officials for the elections will be paid $200 each for their services.

“Some additional advertisement and notification might be necessary,” Fletcher said. “Just because this is our first-ever runoff election and the citizens just might not be aware. So we want to do our best to get that information out there.”

Before the vote was cast, Mayor Sam Cobb complimented Fletcher, Maldonado and the clerk’s office staff for their work during the election cycle and continued work through the runoff.

“I hope (Hobbs citizens) see how competent and informed our city clerk, deputy city clerk and how well run their office is every day and not only the election,” Cobb said.

Todd Bailey can be reached at editor@hobbsnews.com.