COLORADO CITY – Voters in the north Mohave County community of Colorado City may get the opportunity to change the way their mayor is chosen this spring. Leaders of the municipality are requesting Board of Supervisors approval to conduct a special election on May 20.
“I am writing on behalf of the Mayor and Council Members of the Town of Colorado City to formally request space on the upcoming 2025 special county election ballot,” Town Clerk Shirley Zitting wrote in her November, 20, 2024 communication to Elections Director Allen Tempert. “Our council members believe that it is time to implement a change in the current method of selecting our mayor as well as the length of his term.”
Colorado City residents currently elect seven council members, and they choose who will serve as Mayor. Many believe the citizens should elect the leadership position directly, according to current Mayor Howard Ream.
“The people have never had a choice. Let’s give them a choice whether or not they want to create an elected mayor position or not,” Ream said. “There is quite a bit of support from the public to have input on who the mayor is and who represents them…There seems to be a difference in how the community looks at a council member and how the community looks at its mayor.”
Clerk Zitting said the second part of the special election question involves doubling the Mayor’s term of office from two to four years to provide “opportunity for the mayor to accomplish more during their term.”
Ream said the two-year tenure prohibits the effectiveness of mayoral leadership and he believes a four-year term provides more time and continuity for any mayor to pursue and accomplish objectives while in office.
Pending approval during the March 17 meeting of the Board of Supervisors, the special election would be conducted entirely by mail. Ream said voter approval on May 20 would see Colorado City residents directly elect their mayor for the first time during the 2026 summer-fall election cycle.
