Glenwood Springs city attorney Karl Hanlon has announced he is running for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, reports the Post Independent Citizen Telegram.

“Over the last several months, I have spoken with many people about the challenges we face in western and southern Colorado. In those conversations, the thing I’ve heard over and over is that people are feeling ignored by their elected representatives,” said Hanlon, a Democrat, in a statement sent to the newspaper that serves the Glenwood Springs and Rifle area.

The 3rd District is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, a Cortez Republican who defeated Democratic state Sen. Gail Schwartz, in 2016. He is seeking re-election to a fourth term in office.

Two other Democrats are also running for the seat: State Rep. Diane Mitsch Bush of Steamboat Springs and Chris Kennedy of Grand Junction.

“It’s time for independent, innovative leadership that will take on health care costs, have an honest conversation about energy and the environment, take meaningful action on opioid addiction and the mental health crisis, and work for the thoughtful preservation of our agricultural heritage,” Hanlon said.

Hanlon is a shareholder at the law firm Karp Neu Hanlon, which has offices in Glenwood Springs, Montrose and Aspen. He has a background in water and municipal law. He participated on behalf of Glenwood and Rifle in the negotiation of the Colorado River Cooperative Agreement, and has worked on fully implementing the provisions of the CRCA for the benefit of the West Slope.

He says he wants to find creative solutions to economic and infrastructure needs of communities and take on “an entrenched, dysfunctional Congress filled with career politicians who have forgotten why – and who – they serve.”

“Unlike the people who claim to represent us in Washington, D.C., at the moment, I commit to you that I will show up, listen to you, and look you in the eye even if we disagree,” said Hanlon.

Hanlon grew up in a ranching family raising cattle in southern Wyoming and in Jackson County, Colo., raised by Depression-era parents who worked in factories during WWII. His sister, Anne, runs the ranch today, while Hanlon became the first in his family to attend college. After attending the University of Wyoming, he spent four years as a seasonal park ranger for the Colorado Division of Parks. He also attended the police academy in Rangely, but instead of serving as a police officer, went to the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore., where he graduated with a law degree and an environmental certificate. Knowing water would be a key issue for Colorado, he returned to the state and opened a practice in Glenwood Springs.

Hanlon is married to Sheryl Barto and is a father or stepfather of four. They live on a small ranch in Carbondale. There, he and his wife founded a nonprofit that brings children with autism and veterans with PTSD to interact with horses and other animals.

Hanlon also sits on the board of Aspen Public Radio, volunteers at his kids’ schools, coaches CrossFit and is an avid motorcyclist and skier.

He will launch his campaign with a three-day tour around the district.

Monday

8 a.m. – Alamosa, U.S. Tractor & Harvest, 701 West Ave.

11 a.m. – Pueblo, Solar Roast, 226 N. Main St.

6 p.m. – Durango, Carver Brewing Co., 1022 Main Ave.

Tuesday

9 a.m. – Montrose, U.S. Tractor & Harvest, 4766 N Townsend Ave.

1 p.m. – Grand Junction, Kiln Coffee Bar, 326 Main St.

Wednesday

12 p.m. – Craig, U.S. Tractor & Harvest, 3025 W. Victory Way

6 p.m. – Glenwood Springs, Hotel Colorado/Front of Fireplace, 526 Pine St.