While it’s a county commissioner district centered on Thornton and not Aurora, voters who live in Aurora still need to pay attention to Adams County Commissioner District 1. The races pits incumbent Democrat Eva Henry against Republican Alexander “Skinny” Winkler. Henry is a familiar face to local voters, having won her first term as a commissioner four years ago after previously serving on Thornton City Council. After years of scandal plagued the commission, county voters restructured the board four years ago. Now, instead of three commissioners, there are five. And every county voter gets to cast a ballot in each race, regardless of where they live. While only about 50,000 people live on the Aurora side of Adams County — which includes everything north of East Colfax Avenue — the county is home to several key Aurora developments. Those projects include the Gaylord Rockies Hotel and Conference Center, the Anschutz Medical Campus and the oft-delayed Veterans Affairs Hospital adjacent to Anschutz.
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By BRANDON JOHANSSON, Staff writer
Lightly contested AdCo commish race could have effect on Aurora-area development
Centered around Thornton, Adams County Commissioner District 1 doesn’t touch Aurora.
With a southern edge that only reaches as far as 88th Avenue, the county’s smallest geographic district doesn’t come that close to Aurora, either.
But because the county’s five commissioners are now elected on an at-large basis, Aurora voters will get their say in who will represent the district and make decisions in a county that is home to some of Aurora’s most meaningful construction projects.
Incumbent Democrat Eva Henry is seeking a second term representing the district and is facing off against political newcomer Alexander “Skinny” Winkler.
Henry, a former Thornton city councilwoman, said her time in that role has given her a unique perspective when it comes to the relationship between the county and the various municipalities in Adams County.
“Working together to find solutions is the only way to improve the relationship between Adams County and Aurora,” she said.
Only about 50,000 of Aurora’s more than 350,000 residents live on the Adams County side of Aurora, which includes anything north of East Colfax Avenue.
But while it doesn’t have the population that the Arapahoe County side of Aurora does, the Adams County side of town is increasingly home to some of the most important projects in the city. One is the booming Anschutz Medical Campus, which is already home to University of Colorado School of Medicine, University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital Colorado. A new Veterans Affairs hospital is also being built near the campus, and officials are working on plans to redevelop a massive chunk of land north of Anschutz.
Adams County is also home to the vast swaths of Aurora prairie near Denver International Airport — land that local leaders have long been itching to develop.
Already, that area is home to the under-construction Gaylord Rockies Hotel and Convention Center.
Henry said that project, as well as agreements on how to develop other land near the airport, are a sign that the once-frosty relationship between Aurora and Adams County is thawing.
“We have already had great success in projects like the DIA agreement and bringing the Gaylord project to the area,” she said. “It’s projects like these that we work on together that will continue to improve the relationship between Adams County and Aurora.”
Winkler did not respond to requests for comments and his website doesn’t include much in the way of policy.
Winkler lives in Northglenn with his wife and three daughters. He said he came to Colorado to attend University of Colorado and ended up staying. He’s a musician and runs a production company in Northglenn.
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Henry is a familiar face for Adams County voters. Before being elected to her seat on the Board of County Commissioners four years ago, Henry served on the Thornton City Council. A single mother who grew up in Adams County, Henry lives today in Thornton near the home she grew up in.
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In a county where the same handful of faces tend to pop up in local races, Alexander “Skinny” Winkler is an anomaly. The Northglenn man is making his first run at elected office. Outside of politics, he lives in Northglenn with his wife and daughters and runs a video production company there.
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What makes you the most-qualified candidate? I raised my children in Adams County. Most of those years I struggled financially as a single mother. I know what it takes to put dinner on the table and a roof over a families head. I am uniquely aware of what a lot of our families are going through during hard economic times.
I have experience in balancing a municipal budget of $184 million with a 20 percent reserve during one of our country’s worse economic times in history. I currently represent over 480,000 people, balance a $484 million budget with over a 30 percent reserve and manage over 1,800 employees.
As commissioner, what steps would you take to improve the relationship between county administration and the various municipal governments in Adams County? Having been a city council member, I understand the challenges a lot of our cities have. The last 3 ½ years I have partnered with our municipal leaders on various projects and committees. I sat at the negation table with Aurora’s mayor and several other county municipalities to negotiate the DIA agreement with Denver. I sit on the Denver Region Council of Government with Aurora Councilman Bob Roth and 57 other local government leaders to work on the region’s transportation needs. Currently, Adams County and Arapahoe County are working together to find solutions on the opioid epidemic that so many suburban communities are plagued with. Adams County, Arapahoe County and Aurora are working together to make sure that when our VA hospital opens we are ready to provide the services that our veterans will need, like affordable housing and employment.
I will continue to reach out to our municipalities to work on regional projects similar to the projects we are already working on together. The only way we will be able to provide the best service to our communities is to work together to find solutions.
Now that Aurora has largely scrapped its efforts to become a city and county, how do you see the relationship between Aurora and Adams County changing in the coming years? Working together to find solutions is the only way to improve the relationship between Adams County and Aurora. We have already had great success in projects like the DIA agreement and bringing the Gaylord project to the area. It’s projects like these that we work on together that will continue to improve the relationship between Adams County and Aurora.
Considering the rapid growth in Aurora near Denver International Airport — including the Gaylord Rockies hotel project and proposed Aerotropolis — does the board of commissioners need more representation from Aurora? I would like to encourage the citizens from Aurora to volunteer and apply for the various boards and commissions that the county has. It is a great way to represent the community you live in.
What should the county do to increase available water for development and reduce wells in the aquifer? We live in a very strong local control state. The county has 35 water districts that are controlled by citizen boards. Any new development has to have the approval of those water districts before they can build. The county has no control over the decisions regarding water usage. However, the county could encourage water conservation in any new development.
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Did not respond.
[/wc_accordion_section] [wc_accordion_section title=”LIGHTER SIDE: Eva Henry’s personality questions and responses“]
What food do you hate most? Liver.
Do you indulge in recreational marijuana? No.
Who would play you in a movie about your life? Shelly Long.
What Olympic Sport do you wish you could win gold at? Swimming.
What was your favorite childhood candy? All candy.
If you could be an eyewitness to one event in history, what would it be? 1848 Seneca Falls Convention.
If the Secret Service gave you a code name, what would it be? Invisible.
If you had to sing karaoke, what song would you sing? Car karaoke counts. “Shake it Off”
What epitaph would you like written on your tombstone? “Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.” — St. Augustine
Is a hot dog a sandwich? No.
What is the last concert you attended? Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
What movie do you never tire of watching? “The Big Chill”
Dogs or cats? Both.
What’s the most overrated thing about living in Colorado? Marijuana.
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Did not respond.
[/wc_accordion_section] [wc_accordion_section title=” Eva Henry’s campaign finance“]
Click here Eva Henry’s Campaign Finance Reports
[/wc_accordion_section] [wc_accordion_section title=” Alexander ‘Skinny’ Walker’s campaign finance“]
Click here for Alexander “Skinny” Walker’s Campaign Finance Reports
[/wc_accordion_section] [wc_accordion_section title=” Eva Henry’s endorsements“]
Congressman Ed Perlmutter
Congressman Jared Polis
DNC Member Mannie Rodriguez
State Senator Jessie Ulibarri
State Representative Joe Salazar
State Representative Steve Lebsock
State Representative Dominick Moreno
State Representative Faith Winters
Former State Representative Judy Solano
Former State Representative Joe Miklosi
Former State Representative Cherlyn Peniston
Former State Representative Jenise May
Former State Senator Joyce Foster
Former State Representative Polly Baca
Former Councilmember Deb Holen – Aurora
Councilmember Bob Roth – Aurora
Councilmember Bob Fifer – Arvada
Mayor Dick McLean – Brighton
Councilmember Joan Kiss – Brighton
Former Councilmember Cynthia Martinez – Brighton
Councilmember Kirby Wallen – Brighton
Councilmember Lynn Baca – Brighton
Former City Councilmember Wilma Rose – Brighton
Former City Councilmember Bob Gaiser – Broomfield
City Councilmember Jadie Carson – Commerce City
Former City Councilmember Jim Benson – Commerce City
Mayor Pro Tem Rene Bullock – Commerce City
Councilmember Steve Douglas – Commerce City
Councilmember Andrew Amador – Commerce City
Mayor Joyce Downing – Northglenn
Councilmember Kyle Mullica – Northglenn
Councilmember Jordan Sauers – Northglenn
Former Councilmember Leslie Carrico – Northglenn
Former City Councilmember Susan Clyne – Northglenn
Denver Councilmember Robin Kniech – Denver
Former Councilmember Susan Shepard – Denver
Councilmember Val Vigil (former State Representative) – Thornton
Former City Councilmember Lynne Fox – Thornton
Former City Councilmember Eric Tade – Thornton
Former City Councilmember JJ Dove – Thornton
Mayor Pro Tem Eric Montoya – Thornton
City Councilmember Sam Nizam – Thornton
City Councilmember Mack Goodman – Thornton
City Councilmember Josh Zygielbaum – Thornton
Mayor Herb Atchison – Westminster
Former Councilmember Bob Briggs – Westminster
Councilmember Anita Seitz – Westminster
Councilmember Emma Pinter – Westminster
Mayor Pro Tem Alberto Garcia – Westminster
Councilmember Maria De Cambria – Westminster
Councilmember Shannon Bird – Westminster
Councilmember Sharon Tessier – Broomfield
Mayor Daniel Dick – Federal Heights
Mayor Pro Tem John Hamlin – Federal Heights
Councilmember Ted May – Federal Heights
Former Councilmember Tom Quinn – Lakewood
Mayor Christine Berg – Lafayette
Adams Co Commissioner Chaz Tedesco
Adams Co Commissioner Steve O’Dorisio
Adams Co Coroner Monica Broncucia-Jordan
Arapahoe Co Commissioner Bill Holen
Arapahoe Co Commissioner Nancy Jackson
Jefferson Co Commissioner Casey Tigh
Former BOE Adams 14 Larry Quintana
BOE Connie Quintana Adams 14
BOE Five Star Dist 12 Kathy Plomer
BOE Dist 50 Ken Ciancio
Aaron Herrera, Business Owner – Unincorporated Adams
Don Lambuth, Business Owner- Denver
Ron Lang, Business Owner- Thornton
Barb Lambert, Business Owner – Brighton
Cindy Marlowe Business Owner – Thornton
Richard McCutchen Business Owner – Brighton
Working Families of Pipefitters Local 208
Working Families of Sheet Metal Workers
Working Families of Communication Workers of America, 7777
Former Councilmember Chris Dittman – Westminster
Former Councilmember Chuck Stevenson – Thornton
Gary Jackson Retired Pipefitter
Jason Waldrop – Sheet Metal Worker International Assoc
Jessy Briton Hamilton – Teacher Dist 14 – Thornton
Greg Duran
Norma Frank – Business Owner Unincorporated
Kelly Wiedemer
Teri Robnet
Former Councilmember Sharon Richardson – Federal Heights
Ed Sutterfield – Business Owner Westminster
Rick Reigonborn – Retired Adams County Deputy – Unincorporated
Harvey Lovato Retired CDOT
Bev Bishop
Jill Kaplan
Lila Pedroza
Michael Scanlon – Business Owner Commerce City
Antonio D’Lallo – Homeless Liaison Dist 12 – Thornton
Chris Kemm – Basketball Coach Mapleton Dist 1- Northglenn
Lori Goldstein – Teacher Dist 12 – Westminster
Peggy Gonder – Business Owner Westminster
Rudy Gonzales – Community Activist
Tim Thom – Business Owner Unincorporated
Conservation Colorado
55,000 members and their families of the Denver Area Labor Federation
Working Families of the Plumbers Local 3
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Not available.
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