Three candidates have emerged in the race to represent District 2 on the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners. Current District 2 representative Amy Lathen is term-limited and steps down in 2016. Two other commissioners are term-limited as well: Dennis Hisey and Sallie Clark.Bits about each candidate:Mark WallerMark Waller said he and his wife moved to Colorado Springs with the United States Air Force 15 years ago, and resided in District 2. During that time, Waller finished up law school and became a deputy district attorney in Pueblo and a judge advocate general in the Air Force Reserves. After moving to a different part of northeast Colorado Springs in 2014, Waller thought he was no longer part of District 2; however, when the county redrew the districts, he landed in District 2 again.ìInitially, running for the board of county commissioners was not on my radar scope,î he said. ìBut at the end of the day, I am raising my kids here. I want to make sure they have a safe place to live and an opportunity to be successful in our community.îAs a former Republican Party member in the House of Representatives, Waller said he has a tremendous amount of experience in public policy making, something he said the BOCC will need with three of its most experienced commissioners leaving. ìWe always have to balance the needs of the community with the needs of the individual,î he said. ìIn 2010, a piece of legislation came through the state that was effectively pitting property rights of the individual against military rights. I was able to broker a resolution to that very important issue.îWaller said he has been educating himself on hot-ticket items that affect people in his district.ìIt is incredibly important for anybody running to be as well-educated as they possibly can,î he said. ìIím ready to hit the ground running.îSherrie GibsonSherrie Gibson and her husband are small business owners in Colorado Springs and live in the Springs as well. ìMy background is in land use and real estate, and I have my master of business administration degree,î Gibson said. ìThat is predominantly what the commissioners deal with.îCurrently, Gibson said she is working with the transportation department and sits on the cityís planning commission. She said she is a diverse candidate with a varied background. ìI have worked with a lot of different organizations that interact with the city and countyís youth population, mentoring our communityís youth,î Gibson said. ìIím also a veteran of the United States Navy.îAdditionally, she said she attends as many BOCC meetings as possible so that she is up to speed on activities within the county. The concerns of the people out east are different from the concerns of the people within the city limits of Colorado Springs, she said.ìI am a strong advocate in property rights, and am the only candidate who represented clients in front of county commissioners, which was in California,î Gibson said. ìIf elected, I will be the first African American woman to be elected to the board of county commissioners. I feel like I can really be the peopleís commissioner.îTim GeitnerCurrently serving in the U.S. Army Reserves as an intelligence officer, Tim Geitner also works as a legislative assistant for the Colorado Springs City Council. He lives in Meridian Ranch in Falcon. ìMy role is not only helping to bring relationships between state leaders but also through county government,î he said. ìI think legislation alone cannot fix our problems but I think that people working together can do that.îGeitner said he and his wife traveled earlier in their marriage while he was enlisted in the Army and then as a commissioned officer. But, after being stationed at Fort Carson, they realized they wanted to call Colorado Springs home.ìI have never had a desire to work for corporate America,î Geitner said. ìThat is the reasoning for me running now. It is a sense of duty. I have never filled a capacity that was not service (related) of some sort.îTo stay informed on the concerns of the people in District 2, Geitner said he has been attending town halls in eastern El Paso County like Ramah and Calhan. ìI think a critical part of understanding what is going on out there is listening to what the people out there are feeling, and giving consideration and taking to heart their concerns, and acting on that.ìBeing involved and staying involved is essential to our local government.î
