The Gilpin County Democrats hosted a meet and greet with local, state, and national candidates on Saturday, April 23, 2022, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Gilpin County Community Center. Eric Douglas, chair of the Gilpin County Democrats, introduced the meeting, and said the seven candidates present would have 10 minutes each for an introduction and then time to answer questions.

Douglas said he would start with local candidates and introduced Susan Berumen, District 2 County Commissioner Candidate.

Berumen said she moved to Gilpin County in 1994 and raised her family here and was active in the schools. Berumen currently works in the Central City Finance Department.

Berumen has served on the Mountain Medical Task force and is a trustee for the Gilpin County Library. She has 20 years of accounting experience and she and her husband have had their own business. She worked for four years with the Isle Casino in Black Hawk and learned a great deal about how they view the community.

Berumen said that as commissioner it is important to know how County money is being spent and which outside resources to call upon. She says she will ensure the wise use of resources and find additional funding. Increasing reserves is important, especially capital reserves to maintain buildings including the Sheriff’s Office and the Courthouse.

It’s important to engage in economic development in the county, she says. Central City has many empty buildings. She will work with legislators. She will work on grants for fire mitigation and will explain what is going on with fire mitigation, such as the mitigation in Missouri Lakes.

Zane Laubhan, current Gilpin County Coroner, said he would like to continue in the position. His experience with Gilpin County started with his grandfather, who looked for mining claims in 1945. In 1977 Laubhan became an EMT and in 1980 a paramedic, eventually leading the Gilpin Ambulance Authority, and in 2005 was elected as coroner.

His responsibilities include investigating the manner of a death, and helping people understand the intricacies of some deaths. He has been involved in investigations and work from Los Angeles to London. He began study with the NTSB/NFA in 2009. He has also been involved with ongoing death investigation training with the DOJ and FBI.

Ashley Martin, current chief deputy to the Gilpin County Clerk and Recorder, said she was raised in Northglenn, Colorado, by her father. She learned about character, development, and helping those in need.

Ashley received a four year-full ride Bill Daniels Scholarship, attending the University of Denver Bill Daniels Business school. After graduation she worked and lived around the US and Europe.

She then moved to Europe to experience the culture. She moved back to Colorado and four years ago moved to Gilpin County.

Martin said she has built a home here and hiked all of the trails and fell in love with Gilpin County. As assessor, she would lead an extremely strong team. She has worked closely with them in her current role, and they are in agreement regarding policy and procedure.

She said she can and does deliver by being honest and transparent and making sure the County gets what it needs.

Current Gilpin County Clerk and Recorder Sahari McCormick is running again for her next term. She said the last several years have been a roller coaster ride.

She had a long list of projects, and then COVID hit and changed everything. She lost staff but has bounced back with new staff members. Together, they have improved the ease of access to services. Now almost all transactions can be done online.

McCormick said she is also responsible for fair and accurate elections, which includes voter education and security. The June primary will be on June 28.

Motor Vehicle is open by appointment right now, McCormick said. “For the most part, we are caught up and are hiring a new staff member.”

McCormick plans on conducting a social media campaign to hammer home how elections work. She invited folks to be election judges.

On the Clerk and Recorder website there are many County records. Also, a ballot tracker will send an email or text when your ballot has been received.

Occasionally ballots have been cut up and sent in; this is not advised but the ballot can be duplicated by a panel of four judges. Keeping your ballot intact is much preferred!

U.S. Congressman Joe Neguse said it’s good to be back in Gilpin County. It’s a small county but the residents are engaged. He said the County has great local candidates, and they will make a great impact.

“These are interesting times, and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished,” Neguse said. In April 2020 he was on the telephone with Gilpin County Commissioners to address their concerns. He is proud of the steps they took to develop and deploy vaccines.

Finally funding for the Gilpin County Office of Emergency Management came through, which also protects public lands and supports fire mitigation. That is the biggest challenge, because fires are more pervasive and intense.

Neguse said he also remains concerned about the future of democracy in the face of these challenges. “I worry a great deal about it, and whether we can keep the House in Democratic hands.”

Neguse said his thoughts and prayers go out to Ukraine. He met with President Joe Biden, and they discussed that the challenge of the 21st Century is whether democracy can survive. China and Russia don’t think it will survive.

“We have to do more. We have to continue to push for aid as much as possible.” He will be back in Washington D.C. the next week and will be considering $800 billion in aid for Ukraine. “The stakes couldn’t be higher,” Neguse said.

Gilpin County will play a big role in the upcoming elections, Neguse said. Dylan Roberts, candidate for State Senate

8, is running for the most contested seat. When former Colorado State Senator Jeanne Nicholson was elected, she gave the majority to the Democrats. They are trying to implement that nationally.

Nicholson said that with the help of American Rescue Plan Act funds (ARPA), the County will have a health center that will open in June. Neguse said that’s a credit to local leaders.

He was on the phone every week with Commissioners Gail Watson, Linda Isenhart and Ron Engels about it. Neguse said it was forward thinking to use the funds that way.

Neguse favors responsible growth. A lot of people are coming to Colorado. With the growth of the population, the impact on public lands will require smart planning by State and local officials.

He said they made gains in 2021 and cut childhood poverty in half.

“Fear is contagious, and so is hope,” Neguse said. “We are responsible for spreading hope. The 40 people in this gathering and the local candidates give me hope.”

Neguse just turned 38. He first ran for Congress in 2018, after a term as CU Regent.

For more information go to https:// joeforcolorado.com/.

Amabile said she is currently a representative for Colorado House District 13, and after this year’s reapportionment, she is now running for District 49. She wanted to give a shout out to county clerks and recorders, because they have been under siege.

At the State House, with the ARPA funds received, a lot of money will be going to the counties. She suggested Gilpin County hire a full-time grant writer.

The County has to be ready for grants for small and medium sized businesses and for health and safety. “We will help you get the grant money,” Amabile said. About $1 billion will be available.

She is concerned about people with mental health problems, and wants to keep them from entering the criminal justice system. “We need to have a better system, so those with mental health problems don’t fall into the criminal Justice System.”

Amabile has drafted a bill that will make $450 million available to build beds for people who would be bond eligible if they had a place to stay. The bill would provide 125 beds in the state, and it is working its way through legislation. It has ongoing cost but would get the State out of the burden of paying for those in the criminal system.

Amabile said she is also working on a bill that makes fire insurance more equitable, with insurance paying for a place to stay if evacuated. She is also working on bills about disaster recovery, fire mitigation, and climate preparedness. She is working with the Division of Insurance regarding insurance for summer camps, which currently can’t get insured, and they will put together a policy.

“Everyone is underinsured,” Amabile said. For more information, go to https:// judyamabile.com/.

Roberts said he was glad to follow Representative Amabile; he has worked with her on the Business Affairs Committee. He is running for State Senate District 8, which runs from the Front Range to the Utah border, and is the most competitive race in the state.

He currently lives in Eagle County and serves in the State House as Colorado State Representative for District 26. He grew up in Steamboat Springs and has served as a deputy district attorney.

In 2008, he was inspired by President Barack Obama to become active in politics. Former President George Bush had vetoed bills on stem cell research, and when Obama was elected, those bills became law.

As a member of the State House he has worked on insulin affordability and new health insurance options, water availability, and the environment.

The biggest issue in the state, he believes, is economic development. The state needs to keep workers in the communities,” Roberts said. “It’s been a crazy four years.”

The 10 counties in District 8 deserve representation. Although it’s a huge district, the counties all have common challenges, including housing affordability, broadband networks, and the climate.

Roberts said he will work on getting egress routes for Gilpin County residents and forming a climate change district. They have $400 million for affordable housing working its way through the legislature and $178 million to identify projects in the state to sustain current affordable housing and a revolving loan fund for rural areas.

“I look forward to working with all of you next year,” Roberts said. He also said he will never run a negative advertisement. For more information, go to dylanroberts.org.

Gilpin County Commissioners

Sandy Hollingsworth, chair of the Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners, said they are working commissioners and have a new County manager. They are talking about a grant writer, and the Office of Emergency Management has grant writers.

The Board is looking at a new food pantry and broadband. The Board has a commitment to restore the building reserves and to diversify revenue income, including a possible lodging tax. The Board is also addressing short- term rentals, county land use, wildfire mitigation, egress routes, recreation impacts, capital improvements, and early childhood services.

“We follow legislation and speak up for you,” Hollingsworth said. They plan to follow up on a housing needs survey that has not been worked on since 2011.

The meet and greet ended with an opportunity for those in attendance to visit with the candidates. To see a flier about the event with more details and pictures of the candidates, go to the new website: https://gilpincountydems.org/ events-and-meetings2/.