Two of the three candidates running in the June primary for Colusa County Clerk-Recorder spoke to a smaller crowd on April 27 than the District 5 forum a week earlier.
Candidates Cristy Edwards, Amy Greenhalgh, and Amy Schmidt will be on the June 7 ballot, with the top two advancing to a November run-off, unless one can secure an outright majority win.
With current Clerk/Recorder Rose Gallo-Vasquez not on the ballot, any candidate elected will have pretty big shoes to fill, said Colusa County Chamber of Commerce directors, who hosted last week’s forum at the Education Village in Williams.
In addition to being the guardian of Colusa County deeds and records dating back to the 1850s, Gallo-Vasquez, who is retiring in December, is the top election official in the county and will be overseeing her last two elections in 2022.
“Election Day is June 7; it’s on a Tuesday,” Gallo-Vasquez said at both candidate forums. “Registration figures for our county is 10,091. That’s almost 1,000 more voters than in March of 2020. For a county as small as ours, that’s quite a bit of growth.”
Edwards, who lives in Leesville, grew up in Williams. She worked for Colusa County for 10 years, starting in the Clerk’s office as a volunteer under Kathy Moran. Edwards is the only one of the three to hold political office. She served on the Maxwell Unified School District, and is a current trustee on the Colusa County Board of Education.
Greenhaigh, of Colusa, grew up in West Sacramento and is a real estate broker.
Schmidt, who was unable to attend the forum because of illness, grew up in Maxwell, and works with her husband in the construction business.
Without an incumbent or successor from the Clerk/Recorder’s office running for the position, Edwards and Greenhaiugh said they expect there will be challenges to learning the job, and both pledged to preserve the integrity of the election process by following the law.
Unlike larger counties, which are mail only, Colusa County registered voters will have the option of casting the ballot they receive in the mail or surrendering it and voting at traditional polling locations.
“If voting in person, please review your ballot packet information to ensure you go to the right polling place on Election Day,” Gallo-Vasquez said.
Because of redistricting after the 2020 Census, an additional polling location just outside Williams has been added in District 4.
“Now we just have to recruit poll workers for that location,” Gallo-Vasquez said. ■