No thanks, we suppose

Accept, not accept, win, walk away . . . .

WITH the president sworn in and election feuds put to rest, folks might assume officials elected in November are ready to get to work in their new positions. And that would be true for most places, but not in the northwest corner of our fair state.

In a rather bizarre twist, someone who won election fair and square has chosen to say: No thanks. The papers have more:

“Kenny Arredondo Loyola, who was elected to the Washington County Quorum Court, has decided not to serve, leaving the incumbent in office. He was elected in November in District 4, which includes much of Springdale east of Thompson Street between Robinson and Emma avenues. Judith Yanez was elected to the position in 2018 and didn’t seek re-election. Yanez said she intends to serve the full two-year term.”

Apparently Mr. Loyola was a curious sort on the campaign trail in that he wasn’t. The then-candidate said he wasn’t campaigning and wouldn’t provide information about himself beyond what was in his election paperwork filed with the county.

Funny thing is, even without campaigning or providing additional information about himself, Mr. Loyola still beat his Republican opponent.

And now neither of them will serve in the office for which they ran.

Let’s see if we can get this straight: The woman who had the office chose not to seek re-election. The man who won the office doesn’t want it. And the opponent he beat won’t get the office, either. Thus leaving Ms. Yanez right back in the driver’s seat for another two years.

As for why the winner turned it down, we didn’t get much in the way of an answer. Here’s what he wrote on Facebook:

“My heart is with our community, always. My fear is also deep within my community, still. I know my community must prioritize our health—physical, mental and emotional, our personal safety, and that of our families and we must prioritize integrity.”

Well, thanks. That’s about as clear as mud.

The county attorney seems convinced Ms. Yanez can remain in office: “For county officials, a special election has to be held with the general election, which is every two years,” the county attorney said. “Since JPs only serve two years, you can’t hold a special election for that office. With that being the case, the incumbent remains in office.”

Sorry, voters. Guess you can have your voice heard again in two years, assuming whoever wins that race decides to keep the position.