On Saturday, September 24, 2022, at 11 a.m., candidates running for Gilpin County Assessor, Clerk and Recorder, Commissioner, Coroner, and Treasurer in the November 8 election gathered at the Gilpin County Recreation Center on 250 Norton Drive in Black Hawk for a Candidates Forum and Community Meet-and-Greet, sponsored and organized by The Mountain-Ear and The Weekly Register-Call.

Don Ireland of The Weekly Register- Call and John Scarffe of The Mountain- Ear moderated the event. Each candidate was given three minutes for an introduction and to describe their platforms and aspirations regarding their desired positions.

Joe Marr, Republican candidate for County Commissioner, was not present due to a family emergency. However, a representative was present to read his prepared introductory statement.

Joe Marr is a 25-year Golden Gate Canyon resident, an 18-year business owner, and has served as Vice President and President of the Gilpin County School Board. Marr has also worked with the Gilpin County Senior Living Board from 2016 to 2020 and the Gilpin County Planning Commission from 2017 to 2020.

Marr stated that if elected he would uphold Gilpin County’s rural lifestyle, exceptional schools, resident services, and healthy environment. Marr is running on the promises of maintaining fiscal responsibility and focusing on Gilpin County residents by using “common sense” and by having “no hidden agenda.”

Susan Berumen, the Democratic candidate for County Commissioner, has lived in Gilpin County since 1994 and has worked as an Accounting and Human Resources Clerk for Central City since 2016. Berumen has served for six years on the Gilpin Library Board of Trustees, serving three of those years as President.

Berumen spoke of her nine years government accounting experience, as well as her knowledge of the County budget process. Berumen was proud to note that the Gilpin County Library sought financial independence under her watch as President of the Gilpin Library Board of Trustees.

Berumen desires to focus on Gilpin County’s healthy forests and water sources, better management over short term rentals, and funding the Gilpin County Recreation Center.

Sahari McCormick has lived in Dory Lakes since 2010 and is running as the Democratic candidate for re-election as Gilpin County Clerk and Recorder. McCormick has more than 30 years’ experience working in commercial radio and managed the Denver Traffic Department for eight years.

McCormick detailed her many duties as the current County Clerk and Recorder, mainly overseeing the Motor Vehicle Department as well as ensuring the integrity and accuracy of Gilpin County elections. McCormick noted that she has overseen six elections, which she has served fairly and impartially without any errors.

Gail Crawford has lived in the county for 22 years and is running as an Unaffiliated candidate for Gilpin County Clerk and Recorder. Crawford served as Chief Deputy for the County Clerk’s office for eight years; she currently works as a slot technician in Black Hawk.

Crawford spoke of how her experience as a casino employee enables her to provide the service that Gilpin County citizens deserve. Crawford desires that the Clerk’s office be open to, and represent, everyone.

Crawford also noted that having current County Clerk and Recorder McCormick maintain her duties by overseeing the November 8 election could create a liability, having the potential of an “illegal election.”

After giving her formal introduction, Crawford sat in the audience and did not participate in the Q&A segment of the forum, though she announced that she would be available to speak with the public during the “meet and greet” to be held in the final half hour of the forum.

Rebecca Shirey, the Republican for County Assessor, has lived in Gilpin County since 1990 and has worked as an accountant and controller for General Motors and a Player Development Manager in the gaming industry before opening her own Farmers Insurance Agency in 2006.

Shirey spoke of her work history as well as experience as the President of the Peak to Peak Rotary Club and their fundraising work for local high school graduate scholarships.

Shirey desires to focus on updating Gilpin County’s Geographic Information System (GIS): mapping technology that creates, manages, and analyzes location data. Shirey believes Gilpin County would benefit if provided with an accurate inventory of its land and properties.

April Nielsen, the Democratic candidate for County Assessor, is a nine-year resident and is currently working with the Community Development team for Gilpin County. Nielsen is also an enrolled agent with the Department of Treasury and a Certified Permit Technician with the International Code Council.

Nielsen spoke of her work on the Gilpin County Short Term Rental program and in code enforcement, and specified that her position on the Community Development team has her working with the Assessor’s office daily.

Nielsen mentioned that she deals directly with Gilpin County’s GIS and that she and the Community Development team have received a contract to update the GIS. Nielsen also desires to modernize and update Gilpin County’s website, as well as create more outreach through social media.

Mary Lorenz is running as the Republican candidate for re-election as County Treasurer. Lorenz grew up in Central City and has lived in Gilpin County since 1994; she has served as Gilpin County Treasurer since January, 2019. Lorenz has also volunteered for the Columbine Family Health Center Board and the Gilpin County District Accountability Committee, as well as several other organizations.

Zane Laubhan is a lifelong Gilpin County resident and is running for re- election as County Coroner. Laubhan became an EMT in 1977, a paramedic in 1980, has led the Gilpin Ambulance Authority, and was elected County Coroner in 2005.

Gilpin County Sheriff candidate Kevin Armstrong is running for re- election but was unfortunately unable to attend the Candidates Forum on Saturday, September 24. Armstrong has lived in the Missouri Lakes Subdivision for 18 years and serves on the Colorado Limited Gaming Commission, County Sheriffs of Colorado Board of Directors, and County Sheriffs of Colorado Legislative Committee.

After the candidate introductions, Ireland and Scarffe continued the Forum by asking candidates to answer curated questions from the public. More than 69 questions were formulated by more than 19 Gilpin County community members.

Each candidate was granted three minutes to answer the questions from the public. The first question was, how would the candidate uphold their specific oath of office.

“The primary responsibility that I have is to investigate and determine cause and manner of death,” Laubhan explained, as he mentioned the statutory duties he upholds as the current County Coroner. “Those are simple terms but they have broad implications. One of those implications is you have to be factual and truthful, not subjective and opinionated.” Laubhan noted.

“It first and foremost entails a responsibility over the budget,” Berumen stressed, as she explained the duties expected of a County Commissioner. “Overseeing and understanding how a county budget works. I plan on upholding that by utilizing my experience with management and finance and especially my experience with government finance,” Berumen said.

“I wear many hats and I juggle many things,” McCormick said, as she detailed what is expected of the County Clerk and Recorder, including providing County Records to residents as well as making them accessible online. McCormick also noted that she is currently training new employees for the Motor Vehicle Department. “As staff get trained and come on board we will be able to offer more services.”

“In working in the many fields that I have worked in, I always want to know what my inventory is. I would like to know what the inventory of properties of Gilpin County is,” Shirey added as she expanded on her position concerning the Gilpin County GIS. “How can we prepare budgets and discuss property lines if we don’t know what our inventory is?” Shirey asked, adding that taxes for Gilpin County cannot be accurately assessed without a proper inventory of properties.

The next question concerned how candidates would find common ground with fellow officials in order to reach compromise-based decisions.

“I think finding common ground with elected officials is pretty easy in my book. You just open and listen to what they have to say,” Nielsen, the Democratic candidate for County Assessor, stressed, speaking earnestly on the importance of collaboration and compromise. “I’m easy to work with and I think that’s a valuable asset in the position of an elected official.”

“I’m always asking my staff, ‘what do you think?’ ” McCormick mentioned that she believes receiving information and feedback from others is a necessity before making decisions, which is how McCormick operates with her own staff. “They’re involved in the hiring process. It’s a collaborative effort across the board.”

Berumen, the Democratic candidate for County Commissioner, spoke of the importance of finding open ground and referring to the common goals for Gilpin County residents before making decisions. “I think it’s important that we recognize our goals and know we have to work towards those goals to provide the best community we can for Gilpin County,” Berumen said.

“It’s nice to be friendly to the clients that are on the floor that you’re dealing with and providing what they want, but you have your rules,” said Shirey, the Republican candidate for County Assessor. “As an elected official I would look at the statutes and rules and at what I can or can’t do.”

Laubhan said that though collaboration is important in resolving conflicts, he believes that to listen is most important; to answer questions with respect and eliminate as much judgment as possible.

Candidates were asked if the safety of the community takes precedence over their own personal beliefs; pointing to COVID-19 and mask mandates as a direct example.

“I don’t think, in retrospect, that anyone can say what was a right or wrong decision.” Laubhan spoke on his background in environmental and public health and specified that viruses are unique and create many challenges. “There were a lot of things to learn from (Covid) and I think we need to be prepared for the future.”

“This is an area where leadership or management overrides what your personal thoughts might be,” Berumen explained. “As a commissioner, I would feel responsible for the safety and well- being of all the residents of Gilpin County. I would rely on the science and guidance from public health officials to see what their recommendations were,” Berumen said.

Shirey stated that Gilpin County needs to ensure all its properties are being properly taxed in order to extricate itself from reliance on casino revenue in case of another pandemic. “We will eventually have another issue and if we have the funding by budgeting properly we won’t have to shut down everything because gaming is shut down,” Shirey said.

Candidates were asked how they would help County employees do their jobs. Nielsen answered first, stating that all employees’ opinions are valuable.

McCormick noted that she “adores and respects” her staff and how she welcomes their opinions and includes them in her decision making process.

Berumen said that County employees are hard-working and dedicated and deserve fair wages and benefits.

Lorenz, the Republican candidate for County Treasurer, spoke of the importance of taking care of County employees and their needs as they keep County offices running.

Shirey spoke about her own experience in management and understanding how to communicate with different personality types.

Candidates fielded more questions from the public that focused on networking and collaboration, in particular collaboration with other counties.

Nielsen specified that she networks with other departments within Gilpin County on a daily basis. When collaborating with other County staff members and department heads, Nielsen’s first actions would be to listen and learn.

Berumen spoke of her familiarity with networking through her work as a finance clerk in Central City and when working to secure Main Street grants.

Lorenz explained how she networks and collaborates with the 63 County Treasurers across the state.

McCormick said she networks and collaborates with other County Clerks through regular meetings and conferences with the Clerks Association.

Shirey noted that networking should involve learning from those with different experiences and opening oneself to new perspectives.

When asked to provide an example of a time when a candidate had to be diplomatic when in opposition to an issue, Berumen detailed her experience as the President of the Gilpin County Library Board of Trustees when engaged in seeking a mill levy in order for the library to be considered a special district.

“At that time the Board was divided. There were some people who were very opposed. The library is such an important part of the community, it’s something I felt strongly about and I had to work with other Board members to move that forward, and it was a three year process,” Berumen explained.

“Since November 2020 the number one question I get is about the safety and security of our elections and whether our elections are run fairly and accurately,” McCormick said. “I know our elections are accurate, but this is something I have to be diplomatic about every single day.”

“I am diplomatic every single day; I have children,” Nielsen quipped. Nielsen also noted her experience with the Short Term Rental program. “I was a big part on the other side of things, implementing everything and writing the workflow. I bet you that none of you know how I feel about Short Term Rentals, and I would say that that’s diplomatic.”

Candidates were asked to provide their vision for Gilpin County’s future.

“I would like Gilpin County to remain rural, like we are. I don’t want us to become an extension of Denver,” Republican County Treasurer candidate Lorenz stated.

“I would like us to remain rural. 32 years ago it was rural; we didn’t have gas stations, we didn’t have grocery stores and that was just fine by me,” Shirey said. “What I’ve seen happen since then is more and more people have moved in. Although I’d like to remain rural, I think it needs to be done in a directed manner so that people from Boulder don’t take over our county. Allow the growth but allow it to be structured,” Shirey stated.

“We do need to be proactive in terms of how we handle growth,” Berumen said, also wishing for Gilpin County to remain rural. “Keeping growth positive but also so it works in with our rural feeling and our healthy forests and water sources.”

“From day number one I made sure to integrate myself into the community, not try to change the community,” McCormick spoke of being from out of state and of her desires for Gilpin County to be innovative in its growth. “In five to ten years Gilpin can be a spotlight and a beacon for innovative processes.”

“I’m of the generation of finding information and receiving information,” Nielsen added, hoping for an increase in interpersonal communications within the community through the open exchange of information between the government and its citizens. “Providing the information to the public about what each office does is key to moving forward in the next five to ten years,” Nielsen said.

Current Gilpin County Clerk McCormick will begin mailing ballots for the November 8 election on October 17. Ballots can be returned by mail or at 24-hour ballot drop-off boxes located at the Gilpin County Courthouse at 204 Eureka Street in Central City, Gilpin County Recreation Center on 250 Norton Drive in Black Hawk, and Gilpin County Public Works at 135 Tolland Road in Rollinsville. Ballots must be returned on or before the day of the election, November 8, 2022.

Additional profiles and candidate information will appear in the upcoming editions of The Mountain- Ear.