Democrat Sonja Macys defeated Republican Kathi Meyer in the Routt County commissioner’s race for District 3.

“The thing about winning is that people are invested in you, and you have to do the best job for them you can,” Macys said. “I just hope to live up to the expectations of the people who voted for me.”

Macys led Meyer 58.3 % (7,169 votes) to 41.7% (5,136 votes) following the second round of results at 9:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Despite belonging to different parties, Macys and Meyer had similar platforms and both ran amicable campaigns.

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“It was a very positive campaign,” Meyer said. “There weren’t any personal attacks by me or my opponent.”

“I am incredibly proud of my campaign,” Macys said. “I am very proud that my campaign has been honest. It has been issue oriented, it has been financially responsible and it’s a grassroots-run campaign with lots of volunteers and donors and people who are enthusiastic about the race.”

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Macys’ platform focused on workforce and affordable housing, transportation, broadband, access to child care, community character and climate change. She promised to seize on opportunities to improve and develop regional transportation, and direct growth where it is most appropriate and supported by existing infrastructure.

Affordable housing was also a cornerstone of Meyer’s campaign too. Meyer was chosen as the first board president of the Yampa Valley Housing Authority in 2004, and she said she believes the county should actively provide resources to housing developments, especially to help overcome the high initial costs of infrastructure such as water, sewer and roads.

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Macys was elected to Steamboat Springs City Council in 2011 and again in 2017. She first moved to Routt County to spend a winter but eventually she settled in for the long haul and became the executive director of Yampatika for eight years.

Macys has pointed to several accomplishments from her time in public service and referenced her contributions to the Climate Action Plan, which the county and all its municipalities adopted in 2021. She has also touted getting the city to help fund the installation of solar panels on city property as a council member.