Diane Joens is the new mayor of Cottonwood, according to the unofficial results from the city’s tally of the primary election Tuesday, March 13.

nly 18 percent of the city’s 5,255 registered voters cast ballots.

So far Joens received 561 votes, or 59 percent, of the 955 ballots cast. She leads current Mayor Ruben Jauregui by a 2-to-1 margin. Jauregui garnered 28 percent, or 263 votes, and Randy Lowe received 109 votes, or 11
percent.

Joens will take her seat as mayor Saturday, June 30, for Fiscal Year 2007-08, and will serve the city for the next four years.

In the council member seat race, two candidates won outright: Ron Hollis with 612 votes, or 64 percent, of the total cast, and Duane Kirby with 59 percent, or 567 votes. They will take two of the three open seats.

The other two candidates: John Altizer and Terence Pratt, both write-in candidates, will face off for the final council seat in the general election, Tuesday, May 15, if they choose to run. A candidate must received 51 percent of the vote to win the seat in the primary election.

Altizer received 341, or 36 percent, of the votes and Pratt receive 250, or 26 percent.

If Altizer and Pratt chose to run in the general election, there also may be other write-in candidates who can come
forward.