WEEK OF MAY 2, 2024
VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 21
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
SCHOOL CHIEF BALKS AT FUNDING FORMULA
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Julien Bouquet, a Democrat, speaks during an April 24 forum in in Highlands Ranch for candidates running for Douglas County commissioner. He’s flanked by another Democratic candidate, Angela Thomas, and Commissioner George Teal, a Republican, on left. PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD
Candidates for commissioner meet in forum Water, growth top list of subjects at Highlands Ranch event BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Ask most candidates running for commissioner what the top issues are in Douglas County, and they’ll point to the same issue: water. The county’s future supplies of wa-
ter are a challenge complicated by another issue: ongoing population growth. “We’re a pro-business county, we’re a pro-growth county, but we have to make sure that our growth is happening in a smart manner,” said Julien Bouquet, a Democrat running to unseat Commissioner George Teal, a Republican. Bouquet and another Democrat, Angela Thomas, have their work cut out for them running in District 2, a vast region that covers Castle Rock
VOICES: 14 | LIFE: 16 | CALENDAR: 19 | SPORTS: 31
and the southern portion of the county. The district encompasses much of the county’s rural areas and likely leans more conservative than the other commissioner contest on the ballot this year. That’s the race in District 3, currently represented by Republican Lora Thomas, who cannot run for the seat again because of term limits. Covering the county’s northwest corner, the district’s population center is HighSEE FORUM, P8
HOW SCHOOLS GOT MORE SECURITY P5
FINDING THE PATH TO ELBERT COUNTY FAIR ROYALTY P20
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