Weitkunat elected mayor, ranked voting rejected

FORT COLLINS – Karen Weitkunat, a former Fort Collins city councilmember
and local businesswoman, was elected as the city’s mayor on Tuesday.

Weitkunat, 65, was elected with 45.5 percent of the vote, edging out
Ross Cuniff with 42.4 percent. A third candidate, Eric Sutherland, came
in a distant third with 12.1 percent.

Weitkunat, who served for eight years on council, won a two-year seat
and replaces Doug Hutchinson, who served as mayor for six years and was
term-limited from running again.

Two incumbent council members, Lisa Poppaw and Wade Troxell, were
re-elected to four-year terms and Gerry Horak, a former city
councilmember and mayor, was elected in an uncontested race to fill a
seat held by David Roy, who also was term-limited.

Weitkunat, Troxell, Poppaw and Horak will be sworn in for their new
terms at the next city council meeting on April 12 at 6 p.m. in City
Hall, 300 Laporte St.

Ranked or instant runoff voting, a system of vote counting used in
elections with three or more contenders, was turned down by city voters
by a margin of 61 percent to 39 percent.

Voters approved an expansion of the city’s main library downtown and
changing city council districts boundaries based on population rather
than the number of registered voters.

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