These are the final unofficial election results for McKinley County for the Nov. 2 regular election according to the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office.

SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER POSITION 2 GALLUP/MCKINLEY COUNTY SB 2

PRECINCTS FULLY: 0 / 14 | PARTIALLY: 14 / 14

TITUS J NEZ

28%

207 VOTES

JULIUS ELWOOD

19%

143 VOTES

CHARLES LONG

53%

396 VOTES

TOTAL VOTES: 746

SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER POSITION 4 GALLUP/MCKINLEY COUNTY SB 4

PRECINCTS FULLY: 0 / 13 | PARTIALLY: 13 / 13

CHRISTOPHER MORTENSEN

100%

293 VOTES

TOTAL VOTES: 293

SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER POSITION 5 GALLUP/MCKINLEY COUNTY SB 5

PRECINCTS FULLY: 0 / 13 | PARTIALLY: 13 / 13

ESTER MACIAS

40%

256 VOTES

MICHAEL W...

By Rick Abasta

Sun Correspondent

November 2 is Election Day.

Ten people are signed up to run for positions with the Gallup-McKinley County Schools Board of Education, five of them running to represent District 5. That means Michael W. Schaaf has four opponents as he runs for re-election as GMCS Board Member. So does Ester Macias. Both of them talked to the Gallup Sun about their races for seats on the Board.

MICHAEL SCHAAF

For the past five years, Schaaf has served as GMCS Board Secretary alongside President Charles Long, Vice President Chris Mortensen, and members Kevin Mitchell and Priscilla Benally.

Schaaf is proud of the school board’s accomplishments during his first term...

Deputy Director receives NM IDEA Award

The Greater Gallup Economic Development Corporation was recently honored with two awards from the International Economic Development Council for its efforts in expanding economic development in the region.

The International Economic Development Council has honored GGEDC with the Business Retention and Expansion Initiatives Gold Award for a population of 25,000-200,000.

The award honors the work done by GGEDC to help McKinley County Paper Plant at 295 County Rd. 19 in Prewitt, when the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Authority’s Escalante Generating Station announced in January of 2020, that it would close within a year. That closure...

Where to place the cell towers, what to charge

The McKinley County Commission meeting took up the topic of cell towers at its Oct. 19 meeting.

County Attorney Doug Decker gave a presentation about siting and permitting county facilities for wireless telecommunication.

Decker told the Sun that 2003 was the first time the county ever adopted a cell tower ordinance. A local government is required to comply with Federal Communications Commissions rules and the New Mexico law regarding cell tower regulations.

Decker said one of those rules says a cell tower must have the engineering strength to withstand the pressures put upon it, such as weather conditions. Neighborhoods also have to be...