Primary elections held in Colorado City
 
By Jane Zhang
jzhang@thespectrum.com
 
ST. GEORGE -- All three city council candidates received more than 93 percent of the votes Tuesday in Colorado City's primary election, a town official said.

Among the 327 valid cast votes, Edson Jessop, who has been a councilman since the town was incorporated in 1985, received 307 votes, or 93.9 percent of the vote; Richard Allred, a teacher at a private school, received 318 votes, or 97.2 percent of the vote; and Donald Richter, a member of the town library board, received 312, or 95.4 percent of the vote, town clerk Kevin Barlow said.

Voter turnout was 33 percent, he said. Five ballots were sent to Mohave County to be verified.

Avoiding a general election, which would be held on May 18, the new council will choose a new mayor, a position vacated by Dan Barlow, the town's only mayor for the past 19 years.

With about 4,000 residents, Colorado City is dominated by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, one of the largest polygamist groups in North America.

Through a trust, United Effort Plan, the church controls most of Colorado City's land, property and the 4,000 residents recorded in the Census 2000. Women disobeying men and men disobeying the prophet risk losing their homes and their family

To many apostate's accusation that FLDS church leaders have forced followers to vote for whomever they were told to support, Kevin Barlow replied, "absolutely not" no one is "under duress."
 
TheSpectrum.com
Originally published Wednesday, March 10, 2004
 
Back