Two seats of the three-member Douglas County commission are up for grabs this year, and several candidates are vying for the chance to secure their parties’ nominations in next Tuesday’s primary races.

The candidates are campaigning on familiar themes — affordable housing, homelessness, public safety, water and education:

District 3 

Outgoing District 3 Commissioner Lora Thomas is running for the state House seat, which means her county position is open. The seat represents the northwest corner of Douglas County is up for grabs.

Three Republican candidates are vying for their party’s nomination.

Priscilla Rahn

Priscilla Rahn is campaigning on reducing property taxes and combating homelessness.

Rahn, the chair member of the Douglas County Planning Commission, is a former public school principal, small business owner and former vice chair of the Colorado Republican Party.

“Quality of life is what makes Douglas County so special, and part of that is having lower property taxes and defending attacks from the left,” she said.

Rahn noted her opposition to Proposition HH, the ballot measure that sought to use TABOR refunds for property tax relief. Rahn said it was “pretending to be property tax relief.”

“I’m the only candidate with a plan to reduce our property taxes,” she said.

Rahn said she intends to cap property tax increases at 4% annually, reduce tax rates to 5.7% for residents and 24% for businesses, plus defend property tax exemption for seniors and disabled veterans.

“This plan will reduce taxes by hundreds of millions of dollars for Douglas County,” she said.

Rahn said constituents are worried about the increase in crime, drugs, homelessness and illegal immigration, adding she supports the current commissioners’ decision to ensure Douglas County is not regarded as a sanctuary county.

Her experience and focus, she said, make her “the best suited for the job and ready on Day One.”

John Carson

John Carson said his biggest issues are affordable housing, illegal immigration and public safety.

Carson, a veteran and a former legislative counselor in Washington D.C., describes himself as “a strong leader who can manage change.”

“I will fight to control government expenses and cut property taxes. The average property tax increase in Douglas County this year was 36%. That is out of control and a clear factor in the high cost of living,” Carson said.

The candidate said residents are “very concerned” about “taxpayer subsidies” for illegal immigrants arriving in the area.

“I will continue the current policies of our commissioners to discourage any illegal immigration and prohibit taxpayer subsidies related to illegal immigration in our county,” he said. “Folks are also concerned about maintaining the beauty of Douglas County and I will work to expand open space protections and ensure there is a balance between growth and preservation.”

Kevin Van Winkle

A state senator representing District 30, Kevin Van Winkle describes himself as a “tax-cutting small businessman” and a Second Amendment defender.

Van Winkle’s top issues include illegal immigration, safe schools, affordable energy, jobs, cost of living and the Second Amendment.

“When people are freed from over-taxation and over-regulation, they will thrive,” he has earlier said. 

On his campaign site, Van Winkle argued that families in Douglas County work hard to make ends meet, while the focus in the state government is to “(find) new schemes, such as increasing vehicle registration fees or imposing hidden hospital bed taxes, in order to take precious dollars away from families and local small businesses.”

Van Winkle plans to oppose “any bill that infringes on your constitutional rights,” his campaign site said, adding he is also focused on protecting people’s Second Amendment rights.

Another focus for Van Winkle is education. Specifically, he said he is fighting hard to “empower Douglas County parents with the ability to choose the most effective education for their children, regardless of what economic class they come from.”

District 2

Current District 2 Commissioner George Teal is running unopposed in the Republican primary. He is slated to face one of two Democrats vying to represent the central and southern portions of Douglas County.

Angela Thomas

Angela Thomas is campaigning on growth, health, affordable housing and water sustainability.

Thomas is a former social worker and business owner.

Her most important issue, she said, is to kill the Renewable Water Project in the San Luis Valley.

“The project can never be successful given that, if water is taken out of the San Luis Valley, it must be returned bucket for bucket. That is not possible. This project is simply investors trying to recoup their losses on a fruitless investment,” Thomas said.

Thomas said the county “must address growth.”

“The county is growing so quickly that our infrastructure needs are being outpaced. We must address the water issues and ensure that developers are providing proof for water not 10-20 years down the road but 100-200 years.”

Another priority, she said, is to improve health services by prioritizing the needs of Douglas County’s health department.

“Affordability must also be addressed,” Thomas said. “Currently, people who work in Douglas County can barely afford to live here if at all.”

“I am best for this position because I have a long history of negotiation and collaboration with others to solve complex issues. I am a problem solver, not someone who seeks a problem for my solution,” she said. 

Julien Bouquet

Julien Bouquet is focusing on healthcare, transportation, education, affordable housing and tax cuts.

“I am the only candidate who has dedicated their career to this county,” he said. “I am also the only candidate in this primary race who has won an election and served as an elected official.”

Bouquet has served as treasurer on the Regional Transportation Board of Directors and, since 2017, has worked as a teacher in Highlands Ranch.

“The biggest issue impacting Douglas County is the mitigation of growth in the county,” he said. “We are one of the fastest growing counties in the entire state, and we are not sufficiently planning on how we conserve our water, protect our natural land and decrease the amount of vehicle traffic we are experiencing.”

Bouquet said residents in Douglas County “feel the current Board of County Commissioners is looking after the best interests of the developers.”

“We need a County Commissioner who will be a champion not for the developers, but rather for all our county residents,” he said.

Bouquet said the county needs to expand its healthcare, “particularly for women and seniors.”

Education is another focus for Bouquet.

“Supporting our schools is one of my core principles,” he said. “We as a County Commissioner Board need to plan with Douglas County School District when it comes to making sure we have the proper amount of schools and facilities for our rapidly growing population.”

Check out The Denver Gazette’s voter guide for information on congressional, legislative and education-related races in the state.