Candidates for Gilpin County positions in the upcoming elections in November will be profiled in The Mountain-Ear. A questionnaire was sent to each candidate.

Mary Lorenz is running for Gilpin County Treasurer on the republican ticket. She moved to Central City as a child in the early 1970s. After graduating from high school, she moved away and then moved back in 1992. She has lived in mid Gilpin County since 1994.

Lorenz graduated from Clear Creek High School because Gilpin County did not have a high school. She attended and graduated from Parks College with an associate’s degree in secretarial science. She took business and accounting classes from Phoenix University online.

She also trained with a CPA and has on-the-job training under the previous treasurer and training in the Colorado County Treasurer Association. She has worked in the Gilpin County

Treasurer’s office since October 2002.

Lorenz was elected and has been the Gilpin County treasurer since January 2019. She is married to Tony Lorenz, and they have four children and five grandchildren. The four children graduated from Gilpin County High School.

Her previous civic and volunteer activities included the following:

Columbine Family Health Center Board 1993 – 1997

Gilpin County District Accountability Committee 2007–2020

Gilpin County Fair Committee 2006 - 2017

Gilpin County Booster Club 1997 – 2006 - 2015 - 2020

Alan Green Memorial Foundation Board 2011 - present

Peak to Peak Rotary October 2018 – present

Ermel’s Thrift Store – past volunteer

Gilpin County Little League 2011 – 2013.

As an elected official, her top three goals would be to digitize the old tax records that date back to the 1800s, work with other elected officials and department directors to continue promoting a positive and effective Gilpin County and continue moving the office forward with technology.

“We need to continue working on ways to diversify County income. The pandemic of

2020 made it very evident that we cannot rely on gaming income. I want Gilpin County to remain rural and not become a smaller suburb of Denver,” Lorenz said.

She encourages Gilpin County residents to volunteer in the County, get to know elected officials, attend meetings and talk to neighbors, find out how offices work together and what they do for the County. If you have a complaint about something, talk to the department and find out why it is done the way it is.

“I have worked in this office for 20 years and still enjoy my job. I love living in Gilpin County and enjoy meeting the residents and working for them,” Lorenz said.

Her cell phone is 303-570-0772 and her email is ML62559@msn.com.