Redmond is ahead of Republican Tracy Lawton 62.9% to 37.1% with between 800 and 1,000 votes left to count.
Routt County Reelected Commissioner Tim Redmond to a second term on Tuesday, beating Republican Challenger Tracy Lawton by more than 3,700 votes, according to Routt County Election Results.
Redmond was leading 9,207 to Lawton’s 5,433 as of Wednesday morning with between 800 and 1,000 votes left to count. That is a margin of 62.9% to 37.1%.
“I take that as a little bit of a pat on the back from the citizens of Routt County that they like what I’ve done, and they appreciate what I’m doing and they are going to give me the opportunity to continue to do it,” Redmond said. “I don’t think you could ask for a better vote of confidence than that.”
When Commissioner Tim Corrigan retires and new Commissioner Angelica Salinas is sworn in early next year, Redmond will be the longest tenured on the county’s governing board. Redmond said Corrigan’s departure on the board would be a significant loss for the board, in part because he has a lot of history on a variety of issues commissioner’s address.
“I have a feeling I’ll have to be asking some questions of other people to get the history on these things to make sure that we can kind of stay consistent and make sure that we’re attentive to what has happened before us,” Redmond said.
Reached late Tuesday after being stuck in road closures on U.S. Highway 40, Lawton said results didn’t surprise him knowing Steamboat Spring’s blue lean.
“Looks like all the Republicans are losing this round,” Lawton said. “It’s not over for me. We’ll see what happens and maybe try something else.”
Looking ahead, Redmond said development is the Stagecoach area will be a top focus for commissioners. The development application for Stagecoach Mountain Ranch has not yet been submitted to the county, but it is coming.
Another issue is the energy transition, specifically with what is next for the Hayden Station, Redmond said.
“We have some issues that are facing us that are going to take some serious discussion and contemplation,” Redmond said.
Top Photo Caption: Commissioner Tim Redmond joins a election forum virtually in October. (Dylan Anderson/The Yampa Valley Bugle)