Gilpin County Republicans celebrated Lincoln Day with a luncheon on Saturday,

February 19, 2022, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Teller House, 120 Eureka Street, Central City. Dory Hills Lake resident Cindy Sovine served as keynote speaker and moderator for the event, which featured speeches by local candidates running for election, candidates for governor, U.S. Senate, and Colorado Senate District 8.

They announced that the Gilpin County Republican caucus will be on Thursday, March 3, 2022, at 7 p.m. at the Gilpin County Schools.

Web Sill, chairman of the Gilpin County Republican Party and Gilpin County commissioner, opened the event and said they are rebuilding the party, and that he is surrounded by people who are much better than he is. “We have local and statewide candidates, and we are building a nice slate.”

Gilpin County is the second smallest county in the state with about 100,000 acres of land. Roughly 50 percent consists of public lands, and about 50 percent is private. He said the Lincoln Day events used to be the one time of the year for everyone to dress up and get together.

Sill said he looks forward to everything that is happening today. He introduced attendees Marie Mornis, vice chair, Central City Mayor Jeremy Fey, Black Hawk Mayor David Spellman, County Treasurer Mary Lorenz, and School Board President Joe Marr.

Sill introduced keynote speaker Cindy Sovine. She said she was very excited to have that honor. She had met with a small group of Gilpin County Republican women on January 26, and had agreed at that time to speak at the county’s Lincoln Day Luncheon.

Sovine has been a lobbyist for 20 years. She was born in Deer Trail, Colorado, but has mainly worked in the city. She spent many years of her career working in pharmaceuticals, but in 2015, her father was diagnosed with cancer, and the only thing that would help him was medical marijuana.

Since then, she has spent most of her time working on legalization of marijuana and other plant-based remedies. She has worked on more than 20 elections and in 2019 assisted with promoting legislation to decriminalize psilocybin.

In 2020, she moved up to Dory Lakes and is happy to find a home here. She has been inspired to get involved in politics because the laws she campaigned for seem no longer to apply. The Department of Public Health changed everything. “We are being dictated in what we’re doing,” Sovine said, “but the Supreme Court has allowed individuals to have a voice.”

“We have an opportunity to take our freedom back,” she said. She is angry that her 10-year-old son has been forced to wear a mask.

Her advice for the candidates was to stay open to others’ perspectives because we have the freedom to choose. “You will be attacked,” she said. She has been called a racist, but that has provided her an opportunity to promote her platform. “We have no control over what the Supreme Court does,” she said. “It has to start at home. In the past year, more than 2,000 pages have been added to rules and regulations in Gilpin County. It’s time to stand up.”

Sovine added that it is important to be kind. “You will interact with all different kinds of people. You never know where someone else is coming from.”

Following Sovine’s speech, guests lined up for a buffet catered by JKQ Barbecue. It included salad, buns, barbecued pork and chicken with barbecue sauce, macaroni and cheese, and a vegetable medley.

During the lunch, local candidates spoke. Sheriff Kevin Armstrong is running for re-election. He could not attend.

Undersheriff Tania Kapke spoke in his absence and said Sheriff Armstrong took office in 2019. Since then, the office completed the first audit by an outside agency for 25 years.

They are working diligently to manage evidence, and they received a $2.2 million grant. They are working on life saving equipment for the deputies so if they are caught in a fire, they will have a better chance to survive.

The Sheriff’s Department is working with the Office of Emergency Management to deploy N5 sensors that will notify OEM of a possible wildland fire 36 minutes before a 911 call can come in. Armstrong is on two state boards. Kapke said he would appreciate your support.

Mary Lorenz is running for re-election as County Treasurer. She said she has worked in the office for 19 years and the last three years as Treasurer. Because of COVID, the department had to cut the budget and staff, but they were always open.

Lorenz has spent the past three years updating the technology in the office and has been taking a lot online. She would like to keep the office paper-free and get all of the records online. Her website is LORENZ4Treasurer.org.

Richard Wenzel said he is running for Gilpin County Commissioner in District 2. He has lived in the county for 18 years. He graduated from the Colorado School of Mines in 1995.

He is a navy veteran and was in the reserves when he went to Desert Storm in 1991 and to Iraq in 1993. He has been involved with the Timberline Fire District since 2019 and has been president for the past two years.

His goals as commissioner include working closely with the Timberline Fire District for year-round fire protection for the county and will work for everyone. “Gilpin County is a great place to live, and I want to work to keep it that way.”

Gilpin School Board President Joe Marr is also seeking election to the Commission for District 2. He said he is not a politician but has lived in Gilpin County for 25 years.

Marr has been on the Gilpin County Planning Commission and the school board. He said he will bring common sense and fiscal responsibility. He has no hidden agenda. Marr said he will bring honest government into the open. He will continue to fight for freedom without government overreach

“We are at a crossroad,” Marr said. “Do we take our own path for me and my family?” He added that the only thing necessary is for good people to be part of that change. “Don’t lose the fire,” he urged. “Talk to someone who is young or who is pissed off and bring them into the party….We will win.”

Three candidates running for Governor spoke. Darryl Gibbs said he is a simple man who was in the Air Force and a police officer in Denver. Colorado is developing way too fast, he believes. “Does anybody ask what people in the rural areas want and not concentrate on Denver? I’m a country boy, and everybody is important. God bless America and Colorado.” He can be reached at https://DarrylGibbsforColorado.com.

Danielle Neuschwanger said she has been in criminal justice for 10 years and trained first responders. She is a native of Colorado and is a rancher.

She noted how things have changed in Colorado during the past 30 years. At 24, she was a company vice president. A lot of nonsense is going on at the State capital, she said, and she would like to clean house. Although she was told she can’t win with social media, she is launching her campaign on social media, and she said they have to work harder to defeat Governor Jared Polis in the next election. Follow her on all social media and at danielleforco.com.

Greg Lopez is running for Governor and had to leave the lunch early for an appointment, but local resident Bob Sweeney said he has known him for several years, and that he would be a good candidate. An Air Force veteran, he lives in Elizabeth, and is a small business owner, mayor, and city manager of Parker. He is a former director of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Go to lopez2022.com to learn more.

Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Eli Bremmer said he grew up on a farm near the Air Force academy and spent 10 years in 4H. In 2006, he graduated from the Air Force Academy and then served in the Air Force for 14 years in Colorado Springs. He also walked in the Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Bremmer has visited 60 different countries, and said there is no country like the United States of America. “I look at 2022 as America is coming back. The truth is the truth, and liberalism is failing.” He can be reached at eliforsenate.com/.

Joe O’Dea is running for the Colorado Senate in District 8. His dad was a Denver police officer, and he went to Mullen High School in Denver. He has been a business owner and a carpenter by trade.

His vision for Colorado is for the working Americans who are the fabric of the country. He will focus on balancing the budget and keeping America safe and secure by supporting law enforcement. The United States has weak leadership as evidenced by President Joe Biden’s lack of addressing Russia’s potential invasion of Ukraine, no energy or border plan. “We need to rebuild this great nation.” He can be reached at joeodea.com.

Rich Cimino is running for Colorado Senate District 8. He is a veteran and Grand County Commissioner. “When I watched what was happening, I felt compelled to run. They are waging war on Western Colorado.” Western Colorado only has four seats in the legislature.

He is defending northwest Colorado. He believes that patriotism comes before politics for a reason. “We need to support law enforcement, our schools, defend TABOR and the second amendment.” He thinks that District 8 will be a key for the Republicans to take back the house in 2022. For more information, go to RichforSD8,com.

Matt Solomon also is running for Senate District 8. He is from Eagle, Colorado, and served on the Town Council twice. The Council turned their paychecks back to the town’s general fund during the pandemic.

Solomon said that District 8 is the luckiest district in the state. He is tired of divisive politics. The Republican party now has a broad diversity of members who have innovative ideas.

He pointed out that Gilpin County joined the third largest Senate District in the state, which is bigger than the state of Rhode Island. With the casinos, forest recreation, hunting, fishing, and water, the area should be the wealthiest in the state.

“We should deserve better than giving all of our resources to Denver and Washington, D.C. We will refuse to participate in the great gas lightning in Colorado. We must stop this madness.” Go to matt@MattSolomon.Co.

Following the speeches, Lincoln Day attendees enjoyed a celebratory piece of cake before heading home.