After 11 candidates and three forums, the race for four seats on the Park County School District 1 School Board is over.

At the end of a close race on election night Dustin Paul and Beau Fulton were elected for a first term while incumbents Lillian Brazelton and Trace Paul will keep their seats for another four years. 

The heavily populated race had candidates attending forums hosted by the Sons of Freedom, Powell Education Association and PCSD1 Parent’s Group (no district affiliation.) During the election season questions included candidate attendance at board meetings, ensuring learning opportunities, arming teachers, CDC mandated Covid vaccines, sexualization of students, critical race theory, school libraries and Park 1 Virtual Academy.

Dustin Paul ended the night with the most votes of any candidate followed by Trace Paul (no relation to Dustin Paul) who has served on the board for 12 years. This upset the votes tabulated earlier in the evening composed of early and absentee ballots which saw Laurie Larsen in the lead. Candidate Rich Stearns ended the night only 30 votes away from winning the seat that ultimately went to Fulton. According to state statute 22-16-109 in order to trigger an automatic recount the difference in votes between Stearns and Fulton would have needed to be roughly 15 people which is equal to 1% of the votes received by the winner with the lowest amount of votes. 

Early and absentee votes as well as Election Day votes for Aida Polson, who dropped out of the race, totaled 263 votes, another 96 votes were overvotes meaning voters voted above the maximum number of choices. These 359 votes did not count towards eligible candidates in the race. 

The newly elected and reelected members will officially join the board on Dec. 1. 

Dustin Paul

Dustin Paul said he looks forward to representing the board as a parent and trustee who has insight into the parent community. Paul would also like to be able to work with the district on potential issues with the Pre-K Liaison position and how it may impact local preschools. 

“I look forward to representing the parents, teachers and all the taxpayers in our community and working with the district in making Park County District 1 the best it can be,” Dustin Paul said. “God bless our beautiful town and all the wonderful people in it.”

Trace Paul

Trace Paul thanked the voters for turning out and for their support. He said that he appreciates being elected for a fourth term on the school board. He said different points of view are good to have on the board and hopes to become acclimated with the new members “who bring their own unique skill sets and interests.”

“I want to see all seven of us work together for the good of the kids and the good of the community,” Trace Paul said. 

Lillian Brazelton

Brazelton said she is thankful for her reelection to the board as well as the reelection of Trace Paul. She added that she is proud of the district and “I think we are doing great things in our district.”

Brazelton said that the election season brought concerns forward that she wasn’t  aware of and helped her realize where she can and will improve.

“Moving forward, I know we will be ready, willing and able to be proactive in facing the challenges ahead,” Brazelton said. 

Beau Fulton

Fulton said he is happy with the result, thankful of the support and confidence shown to him by the community’s vote.

“I think it’s going to be an interesting experience,” Fulton said.

Fulton added that he does not have an ax to grind with the school district and is happy to join the board.

“I think we have a great school district and I’m excited to learn about the board and how things work,” Fulton said.