My name is Rick Wenzel and I am running for the office of County Commissioner for Gilpin County District 2. I have been a resident of Colorado for nearly 22 years and Gilpin County for almost 18 years. I live in the Colorado Sierra subdivision in mid-Gilpin County with my wife Colleen, my oldest son Justin, his eight-year-old daughter (my granddaughter) Anneliese, a few dogs, and a few cats.

In the 18 years that I have lived in Gilpin County, I have been involved with Colorado Sierra Fire Protection District and Timberline Fire Protection District for over 11 years. I first joined Colorado Sierra as a volunteer firefighter in 2006 and served in that capacity for six years, until 2012. In 2008 I joined the Board of Directors of Colorado Sierra, serving as Vice President.

Shortly after I joined the Board of Directors, Colorado Sierra Fire and High Country Fire began talks of merging. To facilitate the merger, the two Districts formed the Timberline Fire Authority Board of Directors, and I served concurrently on that Board for three years as the Secretary until we merged in early 2011.

After the merger, I assumed the role of President of the new Timberline Protection District (TFPD), an office which I held for the first three years of TFPD. After three years as President, I served two more years as Vice President until 2016, when my term expired. Since I felt the District was in a very good position, I chose not to seek reelection and let someone new bring their talents to the organization.

In 2019 I was asked if I had any interest in returning to the TFPD Board, as they had a vacancy that needed to be filled. I agreed to return and in 2020 I again assumed the role of President and have been serving in that capacity ever since.

I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished at TFPD since 2011, and I’d like to think my commitment to and leadership for the District played a major role in those accomplishments. Today we have a passionate and dedicated Fire Chief who is committed to constantly improving our level of service throughout the district and county, as well as a volunteer corps and paid staff committed to nothing less than excellence for the taxpayers of the district and county.

Steadfast support of this team from the Board of Directors is paramount, and that is what I like to promote as Board President. I will do the same as Commissioner.

I am a 1995 graduate of the Colorado School of Mines with a BS degree in Geological Engineering. I am a Licensed Professional Engineer in Colorado. I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in Underground Construction and Tunnel Engineering at Mines.

Prior to pursuing my master’s degree, I worked as an engineer for CDOT for 13 years in Denver, Boulder, and Golden. I have also worked in the private sector as a geotechnical engineer for several years.

I am a Navy veteran, having served on active duty for 6 years from 1983 -1989. I also served 16 years in the Navy Reserve, retiring as a Chief Petty Officer in 2011. As a reservist I was recalled to active duty twice, once in 1991 for Operation Desert Storm and once in 2003 for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

I have been interested in being a County Commissioner for a long time now, probably as far back as the days of Forrest Whitman, if you remember him! Things have finally worked out to where I can give it a go.

One of my primary goals as Commissioner will be to work closely with TFPD in improving our wildfire defense posture. As we all know, the wildfire season is practically year-round now and we need to be prepared to handle a major wildfire, should it materialize.

In today’s hotbed of politics, I’m probably more mellow than most, but I’m hoping that will serve me well to help us get back to some semblance of normal, whatever that might be. I’m not going to tell you I’m going to fight for anyone, but I will tell you that if elected Commissioner I will WORK for everyone.

I don’t think leading Gilpin County needs to be a fight. I believe the Commissioners need to work together to come up with the solutions that best fit our community, and that is exactly what I will do. Gilpin County is a great place to live. It’s away from all the hustle and bustle of the front range, and I’d like to keep it that way. I will do my best to preserve our rural mountain community and make smart decisions in the best interest of all who live here.

Thank you for your support and GO NAVY and MARINE CORPS, America’s FINEST TEAM!

If anyone has any questions for me or would just like to chat, feel free to reach out to me by phone at 720-760- 0260 or by email at wenzelr2001@yahoo.com.