Colorado Hispanic Republicans chairman and perennial candidate Raymond Garcia is joining a crowded race to replace El Paso County Commissioner Longinos Gonzalez.

Garcia, a former Marine, is part of a slate of candidates promising to bring “America First” values to the board with a focus on keeping government spending low and addressing illegal immigration.

He also brings baggage to the race with unpaid fines from the Secretary of State’s Office for filing late campaign finance disclosures and several criminal charges.

His legal history includes charges related to a dispute at a Sonic in Golden and pleading guilty to illegally possessing firearms while under a domestic violence restraining order. He was acquitted of the domestic violence charges, and the charges related to his dispute with a Sonic employee were dismissed.

Three other Republicans are in the race to represent southeast El Paso County. They are Fountain City Councilman Corey Applegate, political newcomer Brenda Delgado Miller and Karl Dent, a former candidate for El Paso County sheriff.

The candidates will face each other in the June primary to represent southeast El Paso County, a district that covers Fort Carson, Fountain, Security-Widefield and rural communities to the county line. Democrat and Fountain City Councilwoman Detra Duncan and unaffiliated candidate Luis Ybarra are also campaigning to replace Gonzalez, who is term-limited and cannot run again.

If elected, Garcia said he would work to achieve budget savings. For example, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office could benefit from a deputized volunteer force that could free up full-time staff to work on priorities and in turn help save money.

“We could maximize our sheriff’s department in a way that is much more efficient,” he said.

Across the community, Garcia has heard voters are most concerned about road maintenance, illegal immigration, homelessness and rising crime.

“A lot of people tell me they used to walk around in Colorado Springs at night,” he said “… Now they don’t even think about it.”

He would like to ensure the Sheriff’s Office has the tools it needs to uphold immigration law. The state now prohibits local law enforcement from arresting someone solely on a federal immigration violation.

When it comes to homelessness, Garcia said he would like to see the community follow Douglas County’s lead and shut down camps and send people to shelters and other places that provide help.

As the county grows, he would also like to see more work put in around water reclamation, so it can be used again and again. The county does not provide water, but it does require developers to show they have enough water for 300 years to serve the homes they want to build.

On transportation, he would work to ensure the county is managing its road projects well and would not allow projects to languish without progress. He is opposed to Front Range Rail, a project envisioned to provide passenger rail from Pueblo to Fort Collins.

“I think it’s a ridiculous waste of money,” he said.

Garcia is running on a similar platform to Kristopher Guido in District 2 and James Dunkley in District 3. If elected together, they would hold a majority and could “fix” the county, he said.

The candidate’s legal history, previously reported by Colorado Politics, included criminal charges in federal court in Oklahoma for being in possession of a firearm and almost 200 rounds of ammunition while under a domestic violence restraining order, and an additional charge for selling weapons without a license, stemming from an April 2004 incident.

Garcia pleaded guilty in 2005 to being in possession of a firearm while under a domestic violence restraining order. The other two charges were dismissed under a plea agreement

As part of the agreement, he was sentenced to six months’ home confinement in Denver, five years’ probation and a $600 fine in June 2006.

Garcia has said he fought the charges until he could no longer afford it. He also found out later his attorney was offered a job with the prosecuting district attorney’s office after his case was settled, Colorado Politics reported.

In 2009, while on probation, he was ticketed after getting into a dispute with a manager at Sonic over drinks that should have been discounted. He was charged with trespassing and harassment and told CBS4 he spent $7,000 fighting the case. The charge was later dismissed because a victim could not be located, Colorado Politics reported.

Garcia has not faced serious legal allegations recently.

He began running for seats in the state Legislature in 2014, challenging Democratic Rep. Susan Lontine in House District 1 in Denver. He also challenged Rep. Lois Landgraf twice to represent a district that covers Fountain and Fort Carson.

His most substantial outstanding fine is $4,600 over filing a campaign disclosure late in 2018. He also owes $100 for filing late in 2015 and 2014.

Garcia said he filed paperwork to dispute the fines.

This story has been corrected to say Garcia was ticketed after the incident at Sonic. 

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