VOTE411 Voter Guide

The El Paso County Commissioners oversee the department of human services, which includes the El Paso County Board of Health. Also holds the purse strings for the sheriff's budgets including the jails. Living in this time of massive budget cuts for our most vulnerable residents, it is critical to make sure that these services are budgeted and provided for to the best of our ability. When County Commissioners are choosing to clear the way for Immigrant Detention Centers while at the same time freezing child care funding is unacceptable. This is a crisis that will leave many of our public ill with epidemics and or, left unhoused. We will end up paying for this on the backend. 

The factors include making sure our residents are safe, that our environment is clean, that there is access through roads, bridges, sidewalks and transit. And access to El Paso County Commissioners. Through the websites, being able to speak with someone directly. The budget will include transparency on every level. 

I have gained a great amount of institutional knowledge and experience by serving on the City Council for eight years. During that time, I was a part of balancing the budget for eight years and making land use decisions. As a city councilor I learned how all the departments served our city from public works, public safety, parks and rec served this community. I served on the board of Pikes Peak Road Transit Authority, along with County Commissioners where we made the decisions to fund capital projects throughout the city and county. I will carry this experience forward to the El Paso County Commissioners District 5 seat. 

My top priority for the office is to maintain a limited government that respects private property rights, protects individual freedoms, and safeguards taxpayers. As the current County Commissioner I bring knowledge and experience on the vast breadth of work a commissioner is responsible for. We approve the budgets for the Sheriff’s and District Attorney’s office. We protect private property rights through land use considerations. There are many boards and committees that I serve on such as the El Paso County Board of Health and the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority - ensuring tax dollars are being used the way voters intended. I am also the liaison bringing recommendations to my fellow commissioners of volunteers to serve on the Community Corrections Board as well as the Pikes Peak Library District. I advocate for limited government in all spaces. In the first 100 days and going forward I will use the previously mentioned principles to make decisions in the work as a Commissioner.

I make financial and budgeting decisions through the lens of the proper role of government, keeping taxes low, and cost of living down. I will consider whether an item is an appropriate use of tax-payer dollars or does it make more sense for a non-profit to fill a need in the community. There are limited resources available and people work hard for their incomes. It is important that government protects the community through supporting law enforcement and focuses on infrastructure such as roads or stormwater. New development must pay its own way for infrastructure needs. I believe government should be small keeping taxes low and that unique needs in the community are best supported through individual convictions of charity and service to love our neighbor and those in need.

I would like to continue serving as an El Paso County Commissioner because good governance matters. I will make data informed decisions ensuring private property rights are respected. Prioritizing the county’s budget to support public safety and roads/infrastructure will be important as these are core functions the government should be providing the citizens of El Paso County. We must be intentional when allocating resources to maintain a low cost of living and keeping tax burdens down. This is the kind of work I enjoy and will advocate for when serving our community. Policy development and determining strategic use of funding is work that I am experienced in and passionate about, recognizing it impacts our day to day lives in El Paso County. I am a principled leader with courage to make hard decisions based on protecting individual rights and respecting private property.

My top priorities for our community are simple: creating a county government that is focused on making all of our resident's lives safer and more affordable. I plan to focus on policy areas where our government can work to simultaneously improve our resident's health while also bringing down everyday costs. Such as investing in fare-free after dark busing to help students and workers contribute to our communities without having to worry about their safety or wallets. I will also advocate for our County to fully fund the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program for all of our families here in El Paso, as well as provide funding for the Emergency Rental & Mortgage Assistance Program so that our residents aren't reliant on a lottery to keep them from becoming homeless. It is policies such as these that keep our communities affordable and safe for all of our families. That is why, if elected, I will spend every day in office fighting to get them enacted and protect our future here in El Paso County.

If elected, my financial and budgeting decisions will be guided by three core principles: fiscal responsibility, community impact, and long‑term sustainability. First, I will prioritize investments that make safer and more affordable for our communities, such as childcare assistance, housing stability programs, expanding our public transportation network, and building emergency shelters to help us respond to natural disasters such as wildfires. These are common sense policies that save our residents money and strengthen our local economy from the bottom up. Second, I will fight to ensure that every tax dollar spent delivers a clear public benefit with transparent evaluations and no unfunded promises. That means scrutinizing contracts, investing in our working families, and making sure growth pays its own way instead of shifting the costs onto the taxpayers. Finally, my budgeting decisions will be focused on long-term resilience and sustainability by protecting water resources, maintaining infrastructure, and supporting emergency services so the county can keep up with rapid growth without sacrificing rural character or public safety. Our County deserves a Board of Commissioners who are ready to build a stronger, safer future for everyone in El Paso County and that is why I am running to represent our fifth commissioner district.

For the first time in Fifty-six years, El Paso County has the opportunity to elect a county commissioner who truly represents our values and fights for our needs in our local government. While the electoral maps are still gerrymandered, Senator Tony Exum worked with other local leaders to ensure that GOP monopoly on the Board of Commissioners drew "fairer" districts, which finally granted our community a competitive county race for the first time this century. When I found out about this, I knew that I had the opportunity to fight for our communities in a new way and to help make sure that no child finds themselves starving on the street, unsure where they will get their next meal or be able to rest, the way I was growing up. So, I stepped up and chose to run to be the next County Commissioner representing our county's fifth district because I believe that our communities deserve a leader who will fight for our needs and use our county government to make all of El Paso safer and stronger for everyone.

My very top priority is to make sure I am listening to constituents and not ignoring their concerns. The people are the ones to vote me into this position, so they are the boss. I will not ignore the boss. The second priority will be the budget as we are over the budgets for all county government offices. This is taxpayer money and I want to make sure the funds are spent wisely and according to the duties of each office. Government offices tend to overspend. My third priority is public safety as all citizens should feel safe where they live. High crime areas need the attention necessary to lower crime. Land use and following the Master Plan is also a priority. We need to make sure that our natural resources are not being depleted due to over building. In all of my listed priorities, I want to make sure that the God given rights of the citizens of El Paso County, are NOT infringed upon.

The main factor that will guide my financial and budgeting decisions is knowing that all funds I make a decision about is not my money but the tax dollars of the people I serve.

My Experience with budgets includes - I helped start James Irwin Charter Middle School and with that came a multimillion-dollar budget. I was part of the committee that had to outfit the building on Astrozon Blvd. - now has K-12 schools. I was in charge of purchasing all the items needed for the school, so I know how to search for best prices and service when looking at line-item budget costs. I also will make sure that we do not overspend. I served on the D-11 Mill Levy Committee for three years that also had a multimillion budget of taxpayer dollars, and I worked to make sure that the funds were used wisely. After all, this is the people's money, not mine. I worked in the Business Development office for The City of Hickory, NC. Our office brought in new businesses and ran competitive bids in the office. It was important to find the best cost for all we did within our office. The areas that need the funding - are to be used to improve the lives of citizens in El Paso County and not burden them. I will also make sure that I am doing the duties of a County Commissioner.

I believe this is the time for change on the Board of County Commissioners. I bring a perspective that I believe will assist me in serving in this capacity. I have volunteered a great deal of time in El Paso County serving the community. I know how to look at situations without my personal goals and desires in mind but the best way to help the citizens of El Paso County. I am a strong believer in servant leadership. In other words, a person in a leadership position is a servant to those who they are in the position to lead. My mindset is that the constituents are the bosses, as they will be the ones hiring for this position through their votes, and they should be listened to. I have heard complaints from constituents they those in public office do not listen. I will listen!