Sharpe, the former mayor of Greenwood Village, is facing Democrat Don Strickland in the race for District 2. Sharpe was elected in 2010 and is also running for her third term on the commission.
Sharpe said she was particularly proud of her work with the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s office to help stem child abuse and neglect. She helped shepherd proposals to fund a prosecutor and investigator at the District Attorney’s office to fight human trafficking, and another investigator to look into claims of financial fraud committed against older citizens.
“If it’s financial exploitation we don’t really have the resources because it really requires someone who can do that financial forensics investigation and that’s not something we have at the county,” Sharpe said. “That’s why our District Attorney proposed that to us and we approved it,” she said.
Sharpe also helped usher through a successful budget item to double the number of school resource officers in the county.
NANCY SHARPE
Republican Nancy Sharpe is the former mayor of Greenwood Village. She’s seeking her third and final term on the Board of Commissioners.
DON STRICKLAND
A native of Texas, Democrat Don Strickland is a retired retail manager who spent the bulk of his career with Radio Shack. He’s served on several local boards and committees.
On her website, Sharpe writes that she supports a “business-friendly” county and “budgeting conservatively.” Sharpe also sits on the county’s executive budget committee and long-range budget committee.
Strickland has served on the county’s citizen budget committee, which has since changed its name, and served as a member of the “home rule charter commission” in Centennial. He said his time on the budget committee inspired him to run for county commission.
“That’s what spurred me to run for county commissioner, after seeing the way things are being done and being handled,” Strickland said.
He added that he’s a supporter of increasing the budget for infrastructure improvements in the county, including upgrades for the courthouse, jail and roads.
A native of Texas, Strickland is currently retired after working for about 30 years in retail, mostly at RadioShack, he said.
Sharpe has managed to magnetize far more money than her opponent thus far, according to the latest campaign finance reports. Sharpe has raised about $24,500, and spent roughly $10,000 to date. Thanks to the some $13,000 she already had in her coffers from previous campaigns, she still has about $27,000 in the bank. Strickland has raised just under $1,000 and spent about 20 percent of his funds.
- Why are you the best candidate for Arapahoe County Commissioner, District 4?
I have gained and extraordinary perspective on life, social issues, government, and politics…a perspective one can only gain by having an extremely diverse accumulation of life experiences.
I was raised by a family of educators. However, when I completed my service to the country in the military s an Air Force Officer and Instructor Navigator on B52 Aircraft, I chose to live and build my career and family in Aurora and Arapahoe County.
The life lessons I learned growing up and excelling at academic and athletic pursuits in High School and at Duke University—BA History—remain fundamental to my thinking, acting, and decision making today. One historically significant quote molded my thinking about politics, government and life.
2. What are the biggest challenges facing Arapahoe County in the next 10 years?
My top challenges: Balanced budgets, maximizing return on the invested taxpayer dollars. I’m a believer in TABOR and the Independence Institute. And that taxes shouldn’t be raised without a solid reason. Don’t call a tax increase an assessment. I a fiscal conservative and social moderate.
“The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled…”
This is not a quote from modern day America. This quote is attributed to Marcus Tillius Cicero—55 BCE. It may not apply directly to the job description of an Arapahoe County Commissioner, but it illustrates my perspective that government is meant to serve the citizens…not vice versa.
Moreover, I have not allowed my perspective on life, leadership, social issues, politics, and government to be narrowed by limiting my career to a single profession for my entire lifetime.