Seven candidates chase four Avon Town Council seats as mail voting gets underway
Two incumbents face five challengers in Avon's Nov. 3 coordinated election, with term limits opening two seats. The Eagle County Clerk began mailing ballots Oct. 7.
Seven candidates have qualified for four open seats on the Avon Town Council, setting up one of the most contested municipal races in the Vail Valley in the Nov. 3 coordinated election. The Avon Town Clerk's office received and validated nomination petitions from the seven candidates, including two incumbents, according to the town's September newsletter.
The candidates, listed alphabetically, are Rich Carroll, Justin Chesney, Gregg M. Cooper, Jennie Fancher, Alan Sandberg, Ruth Stanley, and Frederick ("Rick") Sudekum. Carroll and Stanley are the incumbents seeking re-election. The other two seats up for grabs are held by Tamra N. Underwood and Chico Thuon, who are term limited and cannot run again.
How and when to vote
Avon is voting by mail as part of the Nov. 3 coordinated election administered by the Eagle County Clerk and Recorder. According to the town's official election calendar, the county clerk began mailing ballots Oct. 7. Voters can return completed ballots to the secure 24-hour drop box outside Avon Town Hall at 100 Mikaela Way, which stays open through 7 p.m. on Election Day. The town no longer operates a voter service and polling center at Town Hall; voters who need in-person election services can visit the Eagle County voter service and polling center at the Eagle County Commons, 410 Miller Ranch Road in Edwards, which opens Oct. 19. Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Nov. 3.
The order of candidate names on the ballot was set by a lot drawing conducted by Judge Buck Allen on Sept. 2, and the Avon Town Clerk certified the final ballot to the county clerk on Sept. 4. Nomination petitions circulated Aug. 5 through Aug. 25. To qualify, candidates must be at least 18 years old, U.S. citizens, qualified electors, and town residents for at least one year before the election.
Money disclosures land Oct. 20
Under Avon's municipal campaign finance rules, candidates file four reports: the first pre-election report is due Oct. 20, 15 days before the election, followed by reports Oct. 27 and Oct. 30, and a 30-day post-election report due Dec. 8. The town encourages voters to verify their registration and mailing address with the county before ballots arrive. Results will be finalized at a canvass Nov. 25, and the newly elected council members are scheduled to be sworn in Dec. 8.
The incoming council takes office as Avon shepherds a wave of development. The Summit, a 164-unit multifamily community at 130 West Beaver Creek Boulevard with 144 market-rate units and 20 affordable units plus ground-floor commercial space, won Avon Town Council approval in March 2026 and closed a $104 million senior construction loan, with the town contributing up to $11.84 million in public financing. Construction was scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2026.
