Larry Liston is running for House District 16, again.

He held the office from 2004 to 2012 when he reached his term limits. Now Liston, a retired investment executive with Royal Bank of Canada, hopes to unseat an incumbent and serve his district again.

“Many of the district constituents have encouraged me to run for public office again and have voiced their personal concerns that they do not currently feel represented,” Liston wrote in an email to The Gazette. “In fact, many thought that I was still their representative.”

Rep. Janak Joshi has held the seat since 2013 when redistricting moved the incumbent lawmaker from House District 14 to House District 16.

Both candidates are Republicans.

The district includes a large swath of central Colorado Springs, east of Interstate 25 and mostly north of Fillmore Street. It doesn’t quite stretch to Woodmen Road.

Colorado term limits allow candidates to return to an office after a two-year hiatus.

“With this strong outpouring of support and encouragement I have decided that I can and will bring back the kind of leadership the district deserves,” Liston said. “I represented my district very effectively in the past; I know that I can do so in the future.”

Liston said he has remained politically active by supporting state and national Republican candidates, including Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers’ election this spring.

Liston said he recently received a master’s degree in public policy from his “district’s crown jewel” the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and has stayed active with the Rotary Club and many other nonprofit efforts.

“When I speak with the constituents of House District 16 I recognize that they have the same concerns as everyone in our community, the economy, good paying jobs, a safe public and neighborhoods,” Liston said. “These are priorities I have always worked for and will continue to work for.”

Joshi has filed with the Secretary of State’s office to run again in 2016. A Democrat, Shari Zabel, has also filed candidate paperwork for House District 16.

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Contact Megan Schrader: 286-0644

Twitter @CapitolSchrader

Rep. Larry Liston (Rep.) of Colorado Springs talks to a colleague before the opening day of the Colorado State Legislature was on Wednesday, January 12, 2011. (The Gazette/Jerilee Bennett) Photo by JERILEE BENNETT,THE GAZETTE

Jerilee Bennett