Buc-ees on the Ballot: Your guide to the Palmer Lake special recall election
Michael Logerwell
PALMER LAKE, Colo. (KRDO) – Tonight, Palmer Lake residents have a choice: Do they want a Buc-ees in their community?
There are three questions on the September 9 Special Election Ballot.
Do you want to recall Town Trustee Kevin Dreher?
Do you want to recall Town Trustee Shana Ball?
Then you have the option to vote for two of the three potential candidates to replace Dreher and/or Ball if they are recalled.
Those candidates are: Roger Moseley, John Marble, and Elizabeth Harris
Should voter approval be required for land annexations?
The third and final question about the land annexation ordinance says,
“Any proposal to annex land into the Town of Palmer Lake shall be subject to approval by a majority vote of the registered electors of the Town of Palmer Lake at a regular or special municipal election. No annexation shall be deemed effective unless and until it has been approved by the voters in accordance with this ordinance.”
If passed, this ordinance would go into effect immediately, and the ballot language says it would retroactively apply to “any annexation approved by the Town Board of Trustees within one year prior to the effective date of this ordinance but not yet finalized.” That includes those pending legal challenges or awaiting infrastructure developments.
This is a mail-in only election. There is no in-person voting. All ballots need to be turned in to the town hall during business hours and received by the Town Clerk by 7:00 p.m. for the vote to be counted. A vote tally will be announced tonight, but that will not be the final result. The results will be finalized by September 19 at the latest.
A sample ballot for the election can be found below:
Palmer Lake 0909 sample ballotDownload
Residents at the ballot
KRDO13 spoke to residents who say they are excited to put this division behind them.
“I feel like this is a great waste of our time and money, but I’m still exercising my right to vote so that I can have my voice be heard,” says Sam Teres, Palmer Lake resident.
Many residents told KRDO13 that they don’t recognize the town they’ve known all their lives since the first Buc-ee’s meeting nine months ago.
“I just feel like it’s kind of local politics gotten ugly, unfortunately,” said Teres.
Residents told KRDO13 that they hope the town can heal after the Buc-ees issue is resolved.
“Obviously, I’d like to see the community come back together. Whatever decision is the best decision for the town of Palmer Lake,” says Rob McKie, Palmer Lake resident.
If recalled, the new trustees will be put into office at the first trustee meeting after the election is certified on September 18th or 19th.
As of 10:30 p.m., the results of the election have not been announced.