The Mancos Board of Trustees tapped Darrel Ellis during its Aug. 12 meeting to fill the vacant seat on the board.
Lifelong Mancos resident Ellis, 82, is president of the Mancos Public Library Board, member of the Mancos Valley Historical Society and vice president of the Mancos Alumni Scholarship Association.
The board interviewed Ellis and 12-year resident Gina Roberts for the job.
When asked why he was seeking the trustee post, Ellis said it was something he's wanted to do for a while. He said he decided to seize the opportunity while he could.
"I came to a lot of meetings with my wife (Rovilla, former town trustee), and when this vacancy came open, I asked her if she thought I should run, and she said 'If you're going to, do it now because you're not going to have much time left,'" he said, eliciting chuckles from the board.
Roberts, a planning and zoning board member and former trustee, also submitted a letter of interest for the post.
During her interview, Roberts said her experience on the Planning and Zoning Board gave her a strong foundation for the post, and contended that if given the opportunity, she would work to foster business and tourism development in town.
"It would give me a chance to help direct the town in positive way. ... I would like to see new businesses in town and see people stop and stay here. I don't think we exploit our natural resources enough, and I would like to see a change in that."
In a follow-up interview, Ellis said he was looking forward to his new post and that the biggest issue he'd like to see the board tackle is water and user costs.
"My biggest one is water, the water dock and the amount charged to businesses," said Ellis. "That's all I'm concerned about."
When asked about his thoughts on the town's growth as a resident who has seen many changes, Ellis expressed his desire to see more diverse businesses in town.
"It seems to me that the art galleries are the interim until we can get other kinds of businesses in town," he said.
The term of office for Ellis' seat expires in April 2016, at which time he could run again in the spring election.
