Voters across a large swath of Colorado Springs will notice a unique electoral situation at the top of their ballots just received in the mail — an interim (not special) election to decide who will represent them as commissioner for District 5 on the El Paso County Board of Commissioners. The district’s voters will decide between now and Election Day, Nov. 4, whether to keep current interim Commissioner Lauren Nelson, a Republican, on the panel. 

We strongly recommend keeping Nelson on the commission. She has earned the public’s confidence as a skilled, thoughtful and committed commissioner. We urge a VOTE FOR LAUREN NELSON for District 5.

Nelson was appointed to the commission by a Republican vacancy committee last May, when the commissioner whom voters had tabbed for the district in 2022, Cami Bremer, resigned to become chief executive of Pikes Peak United Way. 

In prior elections, Nelson’s appointment by the vacancy committee would have meant she simply served out the remainder of Bremer’s term. But because Bremer resigned just days after the Colorado legislature passed House Bill 25-1319, her replacement now must face a follow-up vote by the public in this fall’s odd-year election. Whoever wins the race will have to run for re-election again next fall, when Bremer’s term was set to expire.

The new process enacted by state lawmakers may be a bit more complicated, but it also represents a small stride for democracy, empowering all voters rather than just the party insiders who dominate vacancy committees. 

Meanwhile, Nelson has earned the right to finish out Bremer’s term and is by far the better pick over her competition on the ballot.

Nelson, who previously was elected to the Colorado Springs School District 11 board, where she served as treasurer, has proven herself to be a capable leader who puts fiscal responsibility and restraints on government growth at the core of how she stewards Colorado Springs taxpayer dollars. The married mother of two and Palmer High grad with a background as a food scientist is rooted in the community and brings the principle of prudence to how she governs those she represents across the political and ideological spectrum.

The budget Nelson would continue to help manage for El Paso County at $500 million is comparable to the $365 million budget she already was responsible for with D-11. If voters are looking for a steward of the public purse who carefully estimates revenue in a conservative manner, Nelson has a track record prioritizing government’s core functions and putting guardrails up against personnel bloat.

Nelson also puts public safety and countering the drug and opioid epidemic at the core of her campaign. Her proven ability to reason and make difficult decisions should benefit Colorado Springs voters when she has a hand in selecting the county’s next public health director and helping the county deal with expected funding changes from the state and the federal level another year out from the COVID era.

Speaking of which, Nelson was a voice of reason and an advocate for child, student and family empowerment regarding mask mandates and school closures during COVID, speaking to her family- and child-centric governing ethos. That’s underscored by her youth-prevention work on the Region 16 Opioid Abatement Council.

Nelson has El Paso County’s interests at heart and will continue to serve in her new role with competence, dedication and dignity.

VOTE FOR LAUREN NELSON for El Paso County Commission District 5.