State Sen. Rhonda Fields is headed to a new position, winning the District 5 seat on the Arapahoe County Commission, based on the unofficial, election results Tuesday night.

Fields, an Aurora Democrat, is term-limited.

Fields, a 13-year state legislator, beat Navy Veteran and activist Hashim Coates by 38 points, 69% to 31%, the tally as of 11 a.m. Wednesday showed. 

She previously worked in United Airlines’ management, according to her campaign website. She was motivated to work in public sector after the double homicide of her son, Javad Fields, and his fiancé, Vivian Wolfe.

“It changed the course of my life in reference to what was meaningful and what I wanted to do,” she said of the murders. “It was devastating — a mother should never have to bury her child. I found my voice after that tragedy as a survivor to help other people harmed by crime.”

“I decided to run for office and it took me all the way to the state Capitol as a state rep for six years and another eight years as a state senator. I think what makes me really unique is leadership and how I’ve used my leaderships to get real results to people at the local level and at the state level,” she told Colorado Politics. 

She said her experience at the state Capitol will come handy.

“I can leverage everything I’ve learned in my years of experience to remove barriers and create more access and opportunities for the people who put me in office,” she said. 

Bill Holen currently holds the District 5 seat, which encompasses the northern parts of Aurora and unincorporated Arapahoe County. Holen was appointed in January 2012, elected to his first term in January 2013, and sworn into his third term in January 2021.

Arapahoe County, which is divided into five districts based on population, is governed by the county commission. The commissioners are elected for four-year terms.

Commissioners are responsible for creating and adopting the county’s annual budget, appointing residents to serve on community advisory committees and boards, representing the county on regional and national authorities, boards and commissions, and handling property tax protests.

They meet every second and fourth Tuesday of each month.