It’s been awhile since a campaign season has been as lively as it is in 2004.  Drive around Castle Pines North and you’ll see support for both sides in our two-party system.

Traditionally, Douglas County voter registration has been heavily weighted Republican, so much so that Democrats haven’t even bothered with candidates in recent years. This year, all offices will have full slates on the ballot.

Of the 144,698 registered voters in Douglas County, Republicans comprise about 51 percent. Almost 30 percent of voters are registered unaffiliated (independent).  Democrats number about 19 percent.  The large number of unaffiliateds is not lost on candidates in either party.

How important is your vote?

Every vote counts, and not only in a close election.  Local elected officials take note of politically active communities. When issues arise that affect our neighborhood, as they often do, Castle Pines North’s activism will work in our favor.

The race for County Commissioner is particularly important to residents. Please see the article about what exactly the commissioners do—you may be surprised!

But the Commissioners Race isn’t the only local race of interest.  Here are some local races and candidates with two of the three County Commissioner seats are up for election this year. 

All Douglas County voters will choose a candidate from each District:

County Commissioner / District II 

Republican Steve Boand of Castle Rock  www.VoteBoand.org

Democrat Doug Gilbert of Castle Pines North  www.Gilbert4douglas.org


County Commissioner / District III

Republican Melanie Worley (incumbent) of Highlands Ranch

Democrat Ernie Felix of Highlands Ranch  erniecool@attbi.com


State Senate District 4:

Republican Tom Wiens  (currently our state rep.) www.tomwiens.com

Democrat Jim Miller of Castle Rock www.jimmillerforsenate.com


House Dist. 45:

Republican Jim Sullivan of Perry Park (currently County Commissioner)

Democrat Penny Burley of Larkspur   www.pennyburley.org


U.S. House of Representatives for District 6

Republican Tom Tancredo (incumbent)   www.tancredo.org

Democrat Joanna Conti  www.contiforcongress.org


The next few weeks will see more visibility from local candidates. Please see the website at
www.cpnhoa.org for the latest information on when and where to “meet and greet” candidates.  To submit a listing for a candidate coffee or other event, please contact communications@cpnhoa.org

Registration Deadline:

October 4 is the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 2 General Election.  Simply download the voter registration form at http://www.douglas.co.us/elections, fill it out and mail it to the Elections office at P.O. Box 1360 in Castle Rock, 80104, or deliver it to 301 N. Wilcox Street in Castle Rock.  All citizens age 18 or over, who have lived in the state 30 days or longer, may register.
 
Early Voting will take place October 18 through October 29, at various locations.  See the website, at http://www.douglas.co.us/DC/clerk/elections.htm, for times and places.
 
Absentee Ballot applications are available on the website and must be filed no later than 5 pm on the Friday before the election, or October 29.  Once you apply for an absentee ballot, you may not change your mind and vote in a different manner later.  All ballots, including absentee ballots, are counted as long as they are received by 7 pm on Election Day.

Did you drive down Castle Pines Parkway today?  Stop in at the grocery store or get gas for your car?  Maybe you let your dog run free at Glendale Farms, or simply enjoyed the view of some open space on your drive to work

The Commissioners of Douglas County had a hand in all of these things, and many more.

The three-member Board of County Commissioners oversees all local government services provided by Douglas County.

Colorado State Statutes designate counties to serve as the legislative, policy-making, and administrative body governing the unincorporated areas. The specific powers, authorities, and responsibilities of the Board of County Commissioners include the following: Provide leadership to county operations through the adoption of the annual budget, which includes all departments, commissions, and other spending agencies funded by county appropriations.

Does that include traffic signals? Yes.  Street paving?  Check.  Snow removal from County Roads?  You got it.  And if you’re happy that there’s a big green buffer along parts of I-25, you can be glad that County Commissioners approved the purchase of open space.

The power to levy taxes, subject to state tax revenue limitations.

Castle Pines North residents, living in unincorporated Douglas County, pay taxes to the County.  CPN residents do not pay taxes to Castle Rock, and certainly not to Denver.

The authority to represent and manage the business and concerns of the County, and to care for county property.

This is the big one.  County Commissioners manage the business and concerns of the County. So when you read about a potential new housing development, Commissioners are deciding the zoning for the land, taking into account such issues as traffic and water. Need a stop sign installed at a busy intersection?  Call the county staff that works for the Commissioners.

The Commissioners receive input from several Citizen Advisory Boards, which provide input to the County’s decision-making process. Private citizens who are residents of Douglas County may serve on these advisory boards and commissions. Citizens Advisory Boards include:

• Board of Adjustment
• Board of Appeals
• Cultural Council
• Extension Advisory Council
• Fair Association Board of Directors
• Historic Preservation Board
• Juvenile Community Review Board
• Library District Board of Trustees
• Local Emergency Planning Comm.
• Mile-High Regional Emergency    
• Medical and Trauma Advisory Council
• Open Space Advisory Committee
• Parks Advisory Board
• Placement Alternatives Commission
• Planning Commission
• Tri-County Board of Health
• Weed Advisory Commission

For more information or to apply for one of these boards, contact the County Commissioners’ Office at 303-660-7401.

If you would like to see a schedule of meetings, minutes of meetings, policies outlined in the Policy Handbook, or any other information about the Board of County Commissioners, go online to http://www.douglas.co.us/Services.htm.

As described in accompanying article, two of three Douglas County Commissioner slots are up for election this November.    Now that you know the impact that Commissioners have on our daily lives, be sure to do your research, and vote!

Earlier this year, The Connection ran a story about a group of citizens who were spearheading an effort to put an item on the November ballot that would increase the number of Douglas County Commissioners from three to five.  This question will not be on the ballot this year, but organizers will continue to work on the idea.

With more than 250,000 residents in the County, current Douglas County Commissioners represent about 83,000 residents each. Other counties have increased to five Commissioners when their population reached 60,000. A paragraph on the group’s website states, “Decision making by five is better than three. Wouldn’t you rather have five sitting commissioners, than a quorum of two determining decisions over coffee at the Village Inn?”

Recent efforts to start a petition drive to get the issue on the ballot for November began a bit too late for success.  But the issue is still alive, and the item could be included on the ballot at the next election in 2006.

CPN resident Mark Shively is currently a Big Horn Institute fellow participating in a program for the formulation of bi-partisan policy approaches to good government issues in Colorado.  He said, “I hope there are opportunities to discuss the idea as part of the campaigns for the (commissioner) seats in both our area and Highlands Ranch.  Whether it gets referred by commissioners, or is placed upon the ballot by a petition drive, the voters will then need to be told of the merits of the idea. There may be those who oppose it, and it would be good to hear what those folks have to say, too. We can always try to make good government in Douglas County better.”

Those interested in this issue are invited to contact www.for3to5.org.