Two candidates vying for Arapahoe County Commission District 5

Arapahoe County residents will vote for three county commission offices, for districts one, three and five, with two candidates vying for the seat in the latter to represent northern Aurora.

In districts one and three, the races are uncontested as there is only one candidate in each race: incumbent Carrie Warren-Gully and Scott Brown, respectively.

There are two candidates for district five on Tuesday’s primary ballot: Rhonda Fields and Hashim Coates. Currently, Bill Holen holds the seat representing district five, which includes northern parts of the city of Aurora and unincorporated Arapahoe County. 

Holen was appointed in January 2012, elected to his first term in January 2013 and sworn into his third term in January 2021. 

Arapahoe County is made up of five districts, divided by population. Commissioners are elected to four-year terms and serve as the governing and administrative body for the county. 

Commissioners are responsible for creating and adopting the county’s annual budget, appointing residents to serve on community advisory committees and boards, representing the county on regional and national authorities, boards and commissions, and handling property tax protests. 

They meet the second and fourth Tuesday of each month and regularly engage with local, regional, state and federal governments to ensure the county’s needs and interests are represented in Washington, D.C. and the state capitol.

The Denver Gazette sat down with candidate Coates to talk about his goals and priorities for the seat he is running for.

Fields did not reply to multiple interview requests via email and telephone from The Denver Gazette.