Political newcomer Kris Guido is challenging El Paso County Commissioner Carrie Geitner to represent District 2, the rapidly growing northeast portion of the community. 

If elected, the paramedic said he would prioritize addressing illegal immigration, managing growth, a responsible county budget and protecting seniors from high property taxes.

The former Army medic, who served three tours, described his run for office as the next logical step in his public service. His experience includes work as a government contractor, volunteer for the Ellicott Fire Protection District and a reserve detective for the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office specializing in fire investigations.

Carrie Geitner seeks reelection to El Paso County District 2

The contract work required him to oversee a $1.5 million budget for the custodial and waste management service across what is now Peterson Space Force Base and Cheyenne Space Force Station.

“I bring a breadth of different experiences and expertise,” he said. 

In particular, he said his work in emergency response would be applicable to managing the needs of rural residents who may wait much longer for services and rely on volunteer departments. While working for Ellicott, he helped organize volunteers to rotate through overnight on-call shifts. The assigned shifts ensured the department responded to far more calls and emergencies were not reassigned to other departments.

“We, in essence, changed that department,” he said.

Guido, 40, is Geitner’s only challenger and will face her in the June Republican primary. Guido captured 82.6% of the vote during the county assembly for District 2. Geitner collected signatures on petitions to qualify for the ballot. There are no Democrats or unaffiliated candidates in the race. 

Like other local politicians at the recent El Paso County assemblies, Guido said he is concerned about new migrants putting pressure on local schools and hospitals. Since the state has placed limitations on enforcing federal immigration laws, Guido said he would like to see local authorities advocate for more federal aid to offset the pressure on local services. 

While he believes growth and development are necessary for a community, he also wants to ensure it is sustainable over time. He noted that roads across the county see degradation over a short window, sometimes two years, and he would like the county to require companies insure their work for longer windows to save taxpayers money. 

He would also like to see developers present well-researched plans for providing new developments with water that don’t infringe on their neighbors’ water rights. Developments in the county are highly reliant on ground water that is diminishing over time. The 2019 county water master plan found that by 2060, county groundwater could annually fall 18 billon gallons of water short if water supplies aren’t increased by more than one-third, The Gazette reported previously.

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When it comes to managing the county’s budget, Guido said he would ensure there are careful reviews particularly of discretionary funds, where there is more flexibility. 

He would also work on protecting seniors from high property taxes by locking in a rate for them. Coloradans have seen their property taxes rise in recent years with the value of their homes increasing and the repeal of the state Gallagher amendment. The Gallagher amendment ensured that only 45% of the state’s overall property tax rate could come from residential property.

The candidate also promised to bring a responsive ear to the commission, noting that residents have told him that when they call, they don’t hear back from their representatives. 

“I want to bring this office back to the people,” Guido said.