The town of New Castle will not hold a spring election this year. It was cancelled during a council meeting last month.
“Town Council voted to cancel the election because we did not have more candidates than we had open seats,” New Castle Town Administrator David Reynolds said in an email.
By the Jan. 26 deadline, exactly four candidates had filed for the three open council seats and the open mayoral seat, and no one registered as a write-in candidate.
Experts have warned of the political fallout of uncontested local elections. According to BallotReady, a nonpartisan research organization, about 70% of local races in the U.S. went uncontested in 2024. Republicans won 80% of those seats.
Grady Hazelton will be sworn in as mayor on April 21. Brandy Copeland, Caitlin Carey and Emily Sampley will also be sworn into the three open council seats at that time. All of the candidates are new.
Hazelton currently serves on the town council. Once he is sworn in as mayor, his council seat will become vacant. The new council will then determine how to fill his position.
This will be the first time in recent memory that the town council will have a female majority.
Basalt, Carbondale and Parachute are holding elections this spring. Election Day is April 7.
New Castle’s town clerk denied a request for an interview. Reynolds did not respond.
