Mindy Leary, Gilpin County. On Sunday, September 27, at 1 p.m., the county held the Gilpin County Commissioners Candidate Forum via Zoom so that the public could get to know the candidates for the positions of commissioner of which there are three. The county tried to accommodate everyone with the possible use of the school but according to state safety regulations, masks would have been mandatory making it hard to hear. Introductions were followed by a Q&A.

First, Shannon Arrington, candidate for District 3, unaffiliated, spoke about her ability to listen and practical experience. She is currently the Victim Services Coordinator Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) and has worked in the county for the last nine and a half years. She also has served on the Gilpin Planning Commission since last November and lived in Gilpin 17 years. 

She claims her success as a liaison between victims and various agencies is dependent on their ability to work together despite varying expectations and desired outcomes. 

Ron Engels, current commissioner for District 1, has lived in the county for than 20 years. He was a systems administrator and senior architect/database designer for Denver schools. He enjoys annual elk hunting trips with family and serves on the Central City Opera Board of Directors. 

He served in the US Army and as alderman and mayor. He wants to make access to county services easier and wants to bring health services and senior living to Gilpin.

Sandy Hollingsworth is the Democratic candidate for District 3 and has lived in Gilpin for 22 years. She grew up in a military family with a diverse background. She has been talking to residents from Russell Gulch to Rollinsville to hear what’s important to them about current issues. 

She has worked in Human Services for over 25 years, helping people secure benefits and housing. She went through a similar downsizing process during the 2008-2010 recession; she had to cut staff and budgets, reset priorities for spending and plan for recovery over time. She believes in climate change action.

Arrington said her campaign started with a simple question, “What attributes was I looking for in a commissioner?” She says she’s noticed that inflammatory speech on social media and wants people to work together more to share insight.

She says the county needs to eliminate unnecessary spending, including needless restructuring resulting in unnecessary upper-level management positions. She wants to see improvement to the county website so information can be easily located about meeting dates, times and have an online community feedback option. 

She believes public works and having “boots on the ground” is more important than higher level management. She is committed to fairly sharing ideas and assuring actions are reflective of the majority. 

Engels shared his first-term accomplishments. He exercised decisive leadership to get the casinos reopened and bringing in revenue. He took strong, immediate action, reigning in county expenditures. 

He had to make some hard decisions and unpopular choices when cutting staff and budget, which he said, “Was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life.”

Hollingsworth, the District 3 Democratic candidate, spoke about reopening the community center, open a health clinic, create senior housing and her volunteer work throughout the county. She supports the mill levies for the library, community center, Sheriff’s Office and school.

Arrington responded to the question, “What are some positive contributions you have made to Gilpin County?” saying that her work with the Sheriff’s Office has helped victims in the community as has her work with the Planning Commission.

Engels said he has helped the county by being commissioner and advocating for Gilpin’s interests at the state level.

Hollingsworth responded that she is “Always willing to carve out time for community projects.” She has been a CSU Extension volunteer for over twenty years, helping with wildfire mitigation and community education. When she worked for the city of Boulder, she advocated for seniors. 

Web Sill and Doug Lupo, who are also running, were not present. 

Be sure to vote and make your voice heard at the next election.

(Originally published in the October 1, 2020, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)