GOLDEN GATE CANYON - The Golden Gate Canyon Fire Protection District will hold an election on May 6, 2025. Six candidates put themselves forward for the three positions on the Board, each with a four-year term. The candidates are Deb Curlee, Karla Grahn, Steve Green, Niffy Ovuworie, Mike Sever and Brian Voss.

On March 26, 2025, John Scarffe of The Mountain-Ear send a questionnaire to those running for these positions. After requesting contact information, the questionnaire includes these items:

How long, and where have you lived in Golden Gate Canyon?

Briefly describe your current career and home life.

List the boards, civic or volunteer activities in which you have been involved and the dates of service.

Please answer the following questions.

1.     As an elected official, what would be your top goals be for the Golden Gate Fire District?

2.     What needs changing in the District, and what does not?

3.     What experience do you have with budgets?

4.     How do we encourage residents to get involved in their Fire District Board?

5.     Are you in favor of the ongoing CWPP study?

6.     How should Board members interact during public meetings?

7.     Why do you want to be on Golden Gate Fire District Board?

These are their responses. Some have been edited for length.

Deb Curlee (current Board President)

“My husband and I have lived in Golden Gate Canyon for seven years,” Curlee wrote. “I am retired, and my husband and I care for three rescued donkeys, eleven hens and two rescued dogs.

“I have served as President of the Golden Gate Fire Protection District Board for the past three years. I am proud of the progress this Board has made under the leadership of our Chief, Kyle Benson,” she wrote.

“I feel that our community is safer due to the increased number of well-trained volunteers and EMTs. The current CWPP study will help increase community knowledge of what is needed to continue to improve our safety from possible wildfire events.

“Increased community engagement is a continuing goal, and future, more professional Board meetings should help build more community participation.

If re-elected, I hope to continue with my commitment to help ensure the safety of the residents of our district,” Curlee wrote.

Karla Grahn

Karla Grahn lives on Robinson Hill Road. She has been in Golden Gate Canyon for eight years this August.  

            “I am the Volunteer Program Manager at Denver International Airport, where I lead the recruitment, training, retention and strategic planning for over 375 volunteers at the sixth busiest airport in the world,” Grahn wrote. “I have been with the airport for almost 5 years and navigated the Covid-19 pandemic along with the return after the pandemic and growing the program into what it is today. 

“I am passionate about clear and effective communication, continuous improvement and strategic planning, and I believe these skills would support the Board. I am a mom to a 13-year- old son, Jordan, who loves to play baseball and football. 

            Grahn has been a Board member for Directors of Volunteers in Agencies (DOVIA) from May 2023 to today; Parent Volunteer for Baseball Team 2023-Current; Team mom for Golden's Football Youth Team 2020-2024; Five Fridges Farm Internship/Volunteering 2008 – 2009; and Conservation Committee Chair for Downtown Aquarium 2006-2008.

            “As an elected official, my top goals for the Golden Gate Fire District would include focusing on continuing to be fiscally responsible and transparent with taxpayers’ money, supporting the strategic planning for the District, along with supporting the recommendations that come from the new CWPP, grant funding identification, community engagement and education,” Grahn wrote.    

“The District needs a Board that has the ability to work together and serve the whole community.  I think the District could improve their communication, engagement and education within the community. 

“I think the District has started building a solid foundation with recruitment of new volunteer firefighters, applying for grants and the development of an updated CWPP.  I think the District needs to be better about how they celebrate what they have accomplished and the top priorities for the current year. 

“I have been responsible for overseeing my department's budget within my work for over 15 years,” Grahn wrote. “This has included revenue and expense management. My budget experience has included managing major budget reductions during the COVID-19 pandemic along with navigating the return of a normal operating budget out of the pandemic. 

“This included developing justifications that explained why funding was needed and the benefit for expenses. I have been responsible for reporting, tracking and explaining any changes in budget to a variety of stakeholders over those years. 

“I also support the development and management of the budget for the Directors of Volunteers in Agencies (DOVIA) Colorado over the past three years as a member of the board,” she added.    

To get people involved, Grahn thinks we need to meet many of them where they are at, and identify better ways to communicate within our community. “I think there are a lot of opportunities where we could get to know our community members more, develop and share educational content and grant opportunities with our community members,” Grahn wrote.

“I think the District needs to be better about sharing what is happening in the canyon through all of our communication channels that could include social media, email newsletters, public meetings and even community building activities.  

“I am in favor of the ongoing CWPP study….I also believe there have been advancements in the science of fire management and think those have to be recognized in an updated CWPP.

“The Board should be able to have a respectful and meaningful conversation on topics that directly impact our community.  The Board members do not have to agree on items, but should be able to share their opinions, provide facts and be able to be heard as part of the Board,” she wrote.  

“After recognizing the discontent of the current Board, I did my own research and felt that I could provide a levelheaded and fact-based approach to the GGFDB. I think there is an opportunity for our District to develop a more community focused approach in the coming years and I would really like to be a part of that,” Grahn concluded.

She can be contacted by phone at 720-879-4597 or email: karla.grahn@gmail.com.

Steve Green (current Board member)

Steve Green has owned property in the Golden Gate Fire Protection District (GGFPD) since 1990. He built his house in 2006 and lived in GGFPD since 2008.

Green has lived in Colorado for 52 years. He has run his own business for 45 years. He has two sons, ages 26 and 30. “I enjoy the rural mountain life of Golden Gate Canyon,” he said.

Green has been the Canterbury HOA president for two years and was chair of the GGFPD Citizen Review Committee for one year. He has had three terms on the GGFPD Board over the last 15 years.

Green’s top goals for the Golden Gate Fire District would be to fix the “appalling lack of honesty, transparency and abuse of power on the current Board.” He would bring spending under control and in line with our tax revenues.

“Stop the abuse of taxpayers and property owners by unfair regulations and wasteful spending. Maintain safety of the community within the limitations of GGFPD $290,000 per year of tax revenue,” Green wrote.

Green said we need Board members who are not constantly hiding what they do. “For example, why did GGFPD Board members Nifogale Ovuworie, Deb Curlee and Marith Reheis (The Squad) prohibit GGFPD board members Dave Primmer and Steve Green (and the public) from seeing or reviewing GGFPD credit card spending? What are they hiding?”

Green said there are many other examples of similar abuses of power by The Squad.

“Over my three different terms as a GGFPD Board member, I have been involved with the creation of multiple budgets. I usually am the conservative voice in the process preventing unnecessary spending. I am 100 percent in favor of needed spending to keep the fire district functioning and safety at a maximum,” Green wrote.

“If nothing else everyone in the GGFPD should read the Anchor Point CWPP and learn about their specific area and steps they can take to make it safer in the event of a wildfire.”

Green is not in favor of the ongoing CWPP study. “The GGFPD already has three very good Community Wildfire Protection Plans. Our Anchor Point Plan is very thorough and IMO the best. The other two Jefferson County prepared plans are excellent also….

“Other Colorado State authorities agreed. The roads, homes, population, topography and vegetation in the GGFPD have changed very little so our existing 3 CWPPs were not outdated….”

Green said currently it is very difficult for Board members to get along.

Green said he wants to be on Golden Gate Fire District Board because he lives and owns property in the GGFPD. “Also, because I have seen how abusive and unfair past Boards have been to taxpayers / property owners.

Green said he will do his best and his record shows this, “but I have to make a living too…. [B]oard members are 100 percent volunteer and do not even get a T shirt,” he wrote.

Contact Green at stevegreen2023@gmail.com.

Mike Sever

Mike Sever moved to Golden Gate Canyon from the Fort Collins area in 2020, currently at 2514 Douglas Mountain Drive. He is presently VP of Internal Operations with Teren, Inc., www.teren4d.com.

He has been married for 40 years and has three daughters and five grandchildren. “I’m the luckiest man on earth. I enjoy woodworking, hiking, fishing and camping in the wilderness,” Sever wrote.

“Over the years, I have served in numerous leadership roles and actively participated in each community of residence. To-date, I have not held a publicly elected position.”

His top goals for the Golden Gate Fire District would be restoring a state of leadership functionality to the Board. “I believe the Fire Board should be organized, responsive and aligned with the values of the community it serves,” he wrote.

“I advocate for smart, strategic investments in modern technology, equipment and training that enhances firefighter safety and improves operational efficiency, while remaining mindful of the district’s fiscal responsibilities.

“I am committed to supporting our Fire Chief, empowering our firefighters and amplifying the voice of this district’s members,” Sever wrote.

“As a former small business owner, regional manager and current executive leader, the mindful creation of a budget must include both short-term goals and the long-term vision of the district electors and fire department. A budget is a tool to accomplish these objectives in a fiscally responsible manner.

“Transparency and accountability are critical elements that establish trust throughout the community and to which I am committed,” he wrote.

“As a community, we share common goals and needs. Open communication is essential to understanding those needs, and listening to the voice of the community is the path to solutions that serve the greater good.

“Each member of this district has a voice and deserves to be heard. As a Board member, it is my responsibility to listen without bias and represent to the whole,” Sever wrote.

“I am committed to turning planning into action by ensuring the recommendations from the Golden Gate Community Wildfire Protection Plan are effectively implemented.

“The Fire District Board is a body of individuals elected by the people, for the people, and remain part of the people within the community. It is each Board member’s responsibility to represent the whole in an orderly and cooperative spirit,” he wrote.

“I bring a unique and highly relevant combination of executive leadership, technical expertise, and hands-on operational experience to the district,” Sever wrote. “My current professional role supports the advancement of geospatial analytics used to identify and mitigate environmental hazards such as wildfires and post-fire debris flows that pose threats to life, property, and essential infrastructure.

“Paired with previous experience in both business and management, and a personal commitment to the Golden Gate Canyon community, I can serve the district by directly addressing the challenges and opportunities facing our fire protection services,” Sever wrote.

Sever can be contact by E-mail: jmikesever@gmail.com.

J. Brian Voss

Brian Voss dropped out of the race on April 16. “It was a hard decision, but one that needed to be made,” he said.

“I may have mentioned, but I have sat on a number of boards for business entities, and these are two different animals. It may be the nature of the beast for a fire board, but it's too much drama and politics for me.”

Niffy Ovuworie, the current Vice-President,  has not responded. Current President Deb Curlee asked that a photo not be run.