Buena Vista trustees appoint Chris Sturm to fill vacant seat

The Buena Vista Board of Trustees voted Jan. 28 to appoint Chris Sturm to a vacant trustee seat, following a public work session in which four candidates presented their qualifications and answered trustees' questions.

The appointment fills the vacancy left when Trustee Gina Lucreti advanced to a county-level office. Trustees announced the selection after the candidates' presentations and a private ranking process; the board conducted a voice vote to confirm the appointment.

The work session began with candidate introductions. Thomas Brown described his 30 years of public-service experience and said he would "always look for the health, welfare" of Buena Vista residents. Becky Hill, a local small-business owner who runs Heart Baker and a health coaching practice, told trustees she would bring collaboration and small-business perspective to policy discussions. Nick Williams, who works in consumer finance, emphasized infrastructure, economic vitality and stewardship of public resources.

Chris Sturm, who told trustees he is watershed program director at the Colorado Water Conservation Board and has worked on water issues in Chaffee County for nearly two decades, emphasized his experience with water-resource management, board governance and budgets. Sturm said his work combines technical data and stakeholder collaboration: "The two things I focus on primarily in my job are data and information," he said.

Trustees announced that they had selected Sturm during the meeting and moved forward with the formal appointment at the regular meeting later that evening. The board completed the oath for Sturm at the dais and instructed staff to finish administrative onboarding.

Trustees and staff thanked all four applicants and encouraged candidates who were not selected to consider running in the next regular election cycle.

The appointment was finalized by the board; the vote was taken by voice and recorded in the meeting minutes as approved.