Three Candidates Vie for Republican Slot

All interested voters are encouraged to attend the County Commissioner Candidate’s Debate on Thursday, July 15, in the Hearing Room at the County Building, at 301 Wilcox Street in Castle Rock

There are now three choices in the Douglas County Republican primary race for the District 2 county commissioner’s seat.

Steve Boand and Bill Henry each have obtained the required 367 signatures to enter the race as petition candidates. The Republican caucus delegates had nominated Jeff Wasden of Highlands Ranch during the May Caucus. All three will be on the August 10 Republican primary ballot.

The winner of the August primary will face Democrat and Castle Pines North resident Doug Gilbert in the November election. Gilbert serves on the CPN Master Association Board as well as on the HOA#1 Board. (More information about Gilbert’s candidacy will be published in this space soon.)

Other candidates may still emerge before the primaries or general election.

District 2 includes Castle Pines, Castle Rock, Larkspur, Franktown, Roxborough, a small part of Highlands Ranch and the county’s southern areas.

Jeff Wasden is a teacher and president of the Highlands Ranch Community Association. He received 32 percent of the delegate vote at the party’s May caucus, defeating Boand, Judy Crenshaw and Jack Christensen.

Bill Henry, a small business and ranch owner from Sedalia, had planned on running as a petition candidate for four years and did not participate in the Republican caucus.

Steve Boand, a hydrologist from Castle Rock who garnered 28 percent of the delegate vote at the caucus, decided to pursue the petition process because he believes the county needs a more local representative.

If Wasden were to win the seat, all three Douglas County commissioners will live along the county’s northeast border, a fact that inspired both Boand and Henry to pursue their petition drives.

“District 2 needs a commissioner who understands the individual needs of their community,” Boand told the Douglas County News-Press. “This district is too diverse to be represented by citizens who live in a small section of the county.”

Henry agrees that the board needs more diversification. “I look at the voter rolls for southern Douglas County and I see a lot of people looking for a candidate dedicated to solving problems without big government,” Henry said.

Wasden, a teacher and president of the Highlands Ranch Community Association, says he remains honored to have been nominated by the party. “The caucus system allows the delegates to examine each candidate’s record individually,” he said, “and they chose the candidate with proven leadership experience.”

Douglas County Clerk and Recorder Carole Murray told the Douglas County News-Press that this is one of the fullest primary ballots District 2 has seen in a long time.

In 2000, Sullivan ran unopposed in the primary, receiving 1,837 votes. Sullivan, who has served District 2 for 16 years, has endorsed Wasden.