A Fountain city councilwoman is running for an El Paso County Board of Commissioners seat as the sole Democrat in the race to represent the southeast portion of the community.

Detra Duncan, 53, said, if elected, she would work on advocating for better access to health care and veterans services, ensuring residents have safe water, reducing crime, supporting small business, and working with builders on affordable housing.

The small business owner was recently reelected to the Fountain City Council in November and expected to bring her experience working on community issues to the board.

“There is more that I can do for District 4 at the county commissioner level,” she said. District 4 covers Fort Carson, Fountain, the Security-Widefield area all the way east to the county line.

Commissioner Longinos Gonzalez represents the district and he is term-limited from running again. The open seat has drawn six candidates, one unaffiliated and four Republicans. Another Fountain City councilman Cory Applegate is among the Republican candidates.

If the councilwoman remains unopposed through the June primary, she would face the victorious Republican in November.

If chosen, Duncan said she would bring a fresh perspective to the seat to tackle issues such as affordable housing, which she described as the biggest issue facing the county. She noted that as local children grow up they are choosing to move to states, such as Oklahoma and Texas, where their money can go further.

“We have to be in collaboration with the builders to make sure we are building houses in our area that people can afford,” she said.

She would also like to see well managed growth and effort put in to revitalize older areas of the county. The county also needs to ensure new developments have enough water to support the homes. Fountain has been among the communities in the county facing a water shortage to support new growth.

Advocating for improved access to health care in southeast El Paso County, particularly for veterans, is another priority for Duncan. While many believe veterans can visit Fort Carson’s Evans Army Community Hospital that is not true for all of them. The distance residents have to travel to seek emergency care at a hospital puts them at greater risk for dying, she said.

“We are in a health care crisis,” she said.

On the board, she would also support small business that create jobs, through steps such as tax incentives.

“Small business owners, they understand the community, they give back to the community,” Duncan said.

Duncan said she wouldn’t support tax increases at this time, but she would like to reevaluate the budget to ensure that Sheriff’s Office and road maintenance are well-funded.

Contact the writer at mary.shinn@gazettedev.gazette.com or 719-429-9264.