Two candidates vying for election to El Paso County’s third commissioner district say they’re eager to bring change to the five-member Board of County Commissioners.

Democrat Naomi Lopez, a speech pathologist, and Republican Bill Wysong, co-founder of the local wildfire safety advocate group Westside Watch, will face each other in the Nov. 5 general election to succeed outgoing District 3 Commissioner Stan VanderWerf.

Both candidates say they can provide a new perspective to the board that sets countywide policy.

For Lopez, that means more ideological balance on a government body that hasn’t had an elected Democrat since the early 1970s. She would also be the first Latina elected to the board.

Recent redistricting left District 3 the most competitive of the three county commission races this year. The district includes central and western El Paso County, including Colorado Springs’ westside and downtown areas, Manitou Springs, Green Mountain Falls, Palmer Lake, Monument and unincorporated western areas of the county including Ute Pass and areas south of Cheyenne Mountain State Park.

Lopez said she was inspired to run for office when she observed that the board’s five Republican commissioners often vote unanimously on matters like land uses and funding allocations.

“I felt they weren’t taking into account the experience of the people. … I think it’s way past time we have a less conservative viewpoint and someone who can bring that perspective in decision-making at the county level,” she said.

Lopez said she will draw on her background as an educator and speech pathologist to work collaboratively with board members. County commissioners should, too, rely on expert testimony to make informed decisions on county spending, public safety, housing, land use, mental health and homelessness, she said.

“As commissioner, I intend to work with people who are experts in all these areas that intersect with each other to find the best solutions and how county funds can be best spent,” she said.

Wysong said his four years’ experience as a neighborhood advocate shows he can represent all people, regardless of political affiliation.

“You do what is best for the district and the county because they’re the ones who elected you,” he said.

His background in land use, telecommunications, water technology and home building inspection have earned him broad knowledge in several areas and a unique perspective, he said.

If elected, Wysong said public safety will be his biggest priority. For years, he has pushed city leaders to implement wildfire modeling with the goal to improve emergency evacuations, but city leaders have not embraced the idea. Now he wants to push for it at the county level.

He is not anti-development, he said, but wants to see changes in the county land use code and development approval process that offer more wildfire protections and more opportunity for public engagement.

“What I would like to see is a more in-depth strategic planning for the whole county, and looking at various emergency situations and what those scenarios may entail,” he said.