AURORA | A 28-year-old Aurora man has declared his intent to run for a seat on the RTD board of directors in the 2020 election.
Eric Mulder, a former chaplain’s assistant in the U.S. Army, last week filed his paperwork to run for the District F seat on the RTD board.
Currently represented by former Aurora City Councilman Bob Broom, District F roughly comprises the eastern swath of Aurora sandwiched between Interstate 225 to the east and E-470 to the west. The district is approximately capped by East Colfax Avenue and East Quincy Avenue to the north and south, respectively. The jurisdiction includes several additional pockets of land to the south and east.
Mulder is currently studying 2D animation at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, and has served on Aurora’s Veterans Affairs Commission since 2017, according to a press release.
He plans to officially launch his campaign on June 27, three days before the 50th anniversary of RTD itself.
Mulder’s bid for RTD board marks his second crack at holding public office in as many years: He ran as a libertarian to become the next sheriff of Arapahoe County in 2018.
Mulder garnered nearly 14,000 votes, or 5.3 percent of ballots cast in that race, according to Arapahoe County voting records. He lost to current Democratic Sheriff Tyler Brown, who upset heavily favored Republican incumbent Dave Walcher.
Mulder is officially listed as non-partisan in the RTD race, according to information listed on the Secretary of State’s website.
Still, Mulder said he is a registered Libertarian and doggedly supports the party. He currently serves as chairman of the Libertarian Party of Arapahoe County.
“I am very much a supporter of Libertarian ideology,” he said.
Mulder’s campaign badge also mimics the torch and eagle logo associated with the Libertarian Party.
Mulder, who frequently rides RTD using a college pass, is currently the only official candidate who has declared an intent to run for the District F seat in 2020.
He said he announced his bid some 17 months before the election in an effort to get a jump on community engagement and fundraising.
“The big reason I wanted to announce right now was a matter of gaining traction and infrastructure before the presidential and U.S. Senate races come in … and soak up the bulk of the contributions,” he said.
Broom said he hasn’t yet considered whether he’ll seek re-election next year.
“I probably won’t give this serious thought until after November of this year,” he said.
Broom, originally elected in 2016, is one of eight RTD board members with a term expiring next year.
Members of the 15-person RTD board of directors serve four-year terms. Directors are limited to serving two terms, according to Broom.
The only qualification to run for RTD board is to live within the director district for which a person is running, according to the RDT board bylaws.