Primary Election Ballots Due August 10

SAN MIGUEL COUNTY – San Miguel County Clerk and Recorder Peggy Nerlin is leaving behind some rather large shoes to fill when she retires next January after deciding not to seek reelection to another term, and Democrats Kathleen Erie and Rube Felicelli both believe they are up to the task.

Now it’s up to Democratic voters to decide between the dueling duo as mail-in ballots for the Aug. 10 party primary election begin arriving in post office and mailboxes throughout the county this week.

The winner in the race between Erie and Felicelli will face off against Republican Harley Brooke-Hitching in the Nov. 2 general election. Brooke-Hitching faces no opponent in the Republican primary.

Ballots must be received back in Nerlin’s office no later than Tuesday, Aug. 10 at 7 p.m. Voters may either return completed ballots by mail (allowing plenty of time for postal processing) for the cost of a 44-cent stamp, or deposit them at one of three drop-off locations: the San Miguel County Courthouse, 305 W. Colorado Ave.; the San Miguel County annex, 335 W. Colorado Ave.; or in Norwood at the Lone Cone Building, 1120 Summit St.

“They can’t just be postmarked on August 10,” Nerlin said, clarifying the deadline. “They physically must be in our hands on August 10.”

Disabled voters may also cast their ballots until Aug. 10 by means of an electronic voting machine available at the county annex building as of Tues. July 27.

Kathleen Erie: “A Very Detail-Oriented Person”

When it comes to the role of the County Clerk and Recorder, the elected official responsible to maintain voter records and run elections, record property transactions, issue marriage and county liquor licenses, and operate certain Department of Motor Vehicles functions, accuracy is paramount, and the reason Kathleen Erie believes she is the best person for the job.

“I’m a very detail-oriented person; to some extent I’m a perfectionist,” said Erie, a 10-year Telluride Ski Ranches resident (she first purchased property there in 1983) and California Certified Public Accountant who lists more than 20 years of professional experience working in either internal or external audit, as well as positions as chief financial officer or “virtual controller” for several small companies or non-profits. She had a role in creating the Telluride Medical Center accounting department when it left the Montrose Memorial Hospital umbrella. And, most recently, she was business manager of the Telluride Mountain School.

“I think my qualifications are better just because there’s so much detail orientation in all the things the clerk is responsible for,” continued Erie, who has also served on the Ski Ranches board of directors, has worked as an election judge, and counts volunteering with a number of local non-profits among her other activities.

If elected to the clerk’s position Erie would work to ensure that the operations of the office are as convenient as possible for the public to use, as efficient as possible for the best use of the taxpayer money, as well as pleasant and professional.

Additionally, she said would continue a program to digitize county records begun during Nerlin’s tenure, and take on at least one special project of her own: working to return a full-service DMV office to San Miguel County so residents here would no longer have travel to Montrose or Cortez on a weekday to attend to certain matters.

Rube Felicelli: “A Wealth of Experience”

As County Clerk, “Primarily you’re a manager,” said San Miguel Power Association director and Telluride Real Estate Corporation broker Rube Felicelli, who also counts eight years on the Mountain Village Town Council, part of that time as its mayor, among his accomplishments.

“I’ve had 25 years managing people and dealing with people,” Felicelli continued, also noting a long career in retail management during which he honed the people skills he views as vital to success in the job he is seeking.

As a public servant, “I understand the workings of government,” he said. But with all the time he has spent in the private sector, he also understands that customer service is critical.

To that end, Felicelli said, one of his goals, if elected, would be to ensure the Clerk’s Office is an “open, friendly place” where its customers “feel welcomed, comfortable, and treated correctly.”

With his experience as a real estate broker, Felicelli said he has a strong grasp of county records such as deeds and transfers that would be under his purview if elected.

Additionally, he is no stranger to numbers. “I have dealt with budgets in government and retail,” he explained.

Felicelli said he would continue working to modernize the Clerk’s Office and look for ways to make access to public records more user-friendly, such as a one-step process used in Arizona.

He would also like to do more outreach to register voters. “Voter turnout is very critical,” he said. As is ensuring fair and honest elections. “This is the most sacred thing in our country. We have to get people to register, we have to get people to vote.”

As for the idea of bringing a full-service DMV back to San Miguel County, Felicelli wasn’t sure of its feasibility. “We’re going through very tight economic times,” he explained. “As good as it sounds, I don’t know if it’s realistically financially possible.”