The majority of voters in the Garfield RE-2 School District say Tony May should be recalled from his seat on the school board, with a new member to fill his position in the coming weeks.
In unofficial results from Tuesday night, about 58% of voters supported May’s removal. They also had the opportunity to vote on a replacement for May. Of those who weighed in, the vast majority — 91%, totalling 2,844 voters — chose Scott Bolitho of New Castle to fill the seat.
According to the Garfield County Clerk and Recorder, 4,850 ballots were cast, translating to about a 30% voter turnout for the school district.
Petitioners calling for May’s removal accused him of using his seat on the board to push a political agenda, and of bullying and intimidating district staff and parents.
He was a supporter of the district adopting the conservative American Birthright Standard for its social studies curricula, and accused local Latino advocacy group Voces Unidas of pushing “radical agendas.”
May has not responded to any of Aspen Public Radio’s requests for comment, but in his statement for the ballot, he said the recall was “politically motivated and further demonstrates how far a few people will go to widen the chasm of division and cast excessive cost on our school district.”
Bolitho has said his main goals as a school board member would be to learn as much as possible, bring down the political temperature, and connect with community members that feel alienated by the board.
The Garfield County Clerk and Recorder has until September 18th to certify the results of the election.
Once the results are confirmed, the Garfield Re-2 school board has ten days to swear in its newest member.
