Infrastructure shapes daily life in Douglas County. It determines how long it takes to get to work, whether first responders can reach an emergency, whether residents can evacuate safely, whether water and energy systems remain reliable and whether communities can support future growth.

Good infrastructure is easy to overlook when it works. But when roads fall behind, intersections become unsafe, utilities fail, or development outpaces capacity, residents feel the consequences every day.

County government must do more than react to the latest problem. It should anticipate future needs, coordinate investments, and maintain the systems taxpayers have already paid to build.

Here’s my approach:

Plan before problems become emergencies. Build infrastructure before growth creates a crisis. Maintain public assets before repairs become more expensive.

Infrastructure before development

New development creates demand for roads, intersections, emergency access, drainage, water systems, and public services. Those needs should be addressed before communities are placed under additional strain and not promised years after homes are occupied and traffic has already arrived.

Before approving major development, the county should determine:

• Whether surrounding roads and intersections have sufficient capacity

• What improvements will be needed, and when will they be completed

• Whether first responders can reach the area quickly

• Whether residents have safe evacuation routes

• Whether drainage and stormwater systems are adequate

• What is the burden on municipalities

• Whether water supplies and utility infrastructure are reliable

• What long-term maintenance responsibilities will the county inherit

• What share of the cost will the developer pay

Infrastructure agreements should contain clear deadlines, enforceable performance requirements, and consequences for failing to meet commitments. Existing residents should not be expected to subsidize new development or live indefinitely with infrastructure that was inadequate from the beginning.

Improve roads without waiting for gridlock

Douglas County residents spend too much time navigating congestion, construction bottlenecks and roads that were not designed for today’s population. Approximately 155,000 Douglas County residents travel to a workplace on a typical workday, and their average commute is about 28 minutes each way. Roads, transportation connections, and emerging charging infrastructure are not abstract planning questions—they directly affect how residents spend their time and get to work.

There is no single project that will solve every transportation challenge. The county, together with the I-25 corridor, needs a coordinated, multi-modal strategy that addresses immediate safety concerns, maintains existing roads, and prepares for long-term growth. But that doesn’t make our residents feel so great about their Monday morning commute.

I support:

• Prioritizing dangerous intersections and high-crash corridors

• Addressing bottlenecks before they become severe

• Coordinating road projects with municipalities and the state

• Using reliable traffic and population projections

• Publishing clear project schedules and progress updates

• Evaluating projects based on safety, congestion relief, and community benefit

• Planning construction to reduce unnecessary disruption

• Ensuring rural roads receive appropriate attention

• Protecting emergency access during construction

Residents deserve to know why one project is prioritized over another, how much it will cost, and when they can reasonably expect it to be completed.

Transportation planning should be based on evidence and long-term need, not political visibility.

Maintain what taxpayers have already built

Deferred maintenance is one of the most expensive forms of budgeting.

Delaying routine road work, bridge repairs, drainage improvements, or facility maintenance may save money in one budget year, but it often creates a much larger obligation later.

Douglas County should maintain a transparent, long-term asset management plan covering:

• Roads and bridges

• Culverts and drainage systems

• County buildings

• Public-safety facilities

• Parks, trails, and recreational assets

• Vehicles and heavy equipment

• Technology and communications systems

• Water and wastewater infrastructure under county responsibility

The public should be able to see the condition of major assets, the estimated cost of maintaining them, and the consequences of continued delay.

Ribbon cuttings may attract more attention than resurfacing a road or replacing an aging system, but responsible government takes care of what residents already own.

Maintenance is not glamorous. It is essential. Let’s fix the damn roads.

Build for emergencies, not just ordinary days

Infrastructure must work under pressure.

A road that functions during an ordinary commute may become dangerous or unusable when an entire neighborhood needs to evacuate. Communications systems that work most days may fail during wildfires, severe weather, or major power outages.

Emergency readiness must be built into infrastructure planning from the beginning, including:

• Multiple and clearly identified evacuation routes

• Roads capable of supporting emergency vehicles and outgoing traffic

• Reliable emergency communications and alert systems

• Backup power for critical facilities

• Redundant communications networks

• Adequate water access for firefighting

• Coordination with fire districts, law enforcement, and emergency managers

• Planning for residents with disabilities, limited mobility, or transportation barriers

County leaders should not approve development in high-risk areas without an honest assessment of whether residents can get out and first responders can get in. The safety of our neighbors and community should always come first. Infrastructure that fails during a crisis was never adequate to begin with.

Water Security

Water security involves more than identifying a legal water supply for a new project. It requires reliable infrastructure to store, treat, transport, and reuse water while protecting residents from unsustainable costs and long-term shortages.

Douglas County must work with municipalities, water districts, rural communities, and regional partners to support responsible water planning while recognizing that different parts of the county face different challenges.

I support:

• Long-term planning based on realistic demand

• Conservation and efficient water use

• Responsible reuse strategies

• Protection of groundwater and rural wells

• Transparent evaluation of infrastructure costs

• Coordination among water providers

• Clear disclosure of who will pay for new systems

• Contingency planning for drought and supply disruption

Water projects can involve enormous financial commitments. Residents deserve complete information about cost, risk, ownership, and long-term benefit before public resources are committed. Residents also need to understand how the county is stewarding this precious resource.

Electric vehicles and a changing energy system

The way people power their homes, businesses, and vehicles is changing.

Gas prices and vehicle costs are some of the highest we’ve seen in almost a generation, and more residents are choosing electric vehicles. Homeowners are offsetting their electric bills by investing in solar energy. Businesses are investing in cleaner technologies. Utilities are bringing new energy sources and storage systems online. And Douglas County should prepare for that transition rather than waiting for demand to outpace infrastructure.

That does not mean forcing residents to purchase a particular vehicle or prescribing a single energy source. It means diversifying our energy mix by making practical investments, planning for future demand, and building a more diverse and resilient energy system.

I support:

• Expanding access to electric-vehicle charging where there is demonstrated demand

• Including charging infrastructure in appropriate county facilities, parking areas, and transportation hubs

• Encouraging new commercial and multifamily development to plan for future charging needs

• Coordinating with utilities so new demand does not overwhelm local electrical infrastructure

• Evaluating electric and lower-emission vehicles when replacing county fleet vehicles

• Supporting energy-efficiency improvements that reduce operating costs in county buildings

• Exploring solar, battery storage, and other distributed-energy options for public facilities

• Ensuring critical county facilities have reliable backup power

• Planning responsibly for battery storage, fire response, and emergency safety

• Pursuing grants and partnerships that reduce costs to local taxpayers

Energy resilience also requires diversification.

Douglas County should be open to a broad mix of technologies—including renewable energy, storage, efficiency improvements and other emerging sources—while evaluating each proposal for safety, reliability, cost, water use and community impact.

No single energy source will meet every need. A diverse mix can make the county less vulnerable to outages, price volatility, and disruptions affecting any one part of the system.

New energy infrastructure must still be planned responsibly. Large projects should include meaningful public engagement, clear land-use standards, emergency-response planning, and an honest assessment of effects on neighborhoods, water, and wildlife.

The goal should not be change for its own sake.

It should be affordable, reliable, and resilient infrastructure that is ready for the future while preserving choice for Douglas County residents.

Expand reliable broadband while protecting privacy

Reliable internet service is essential, not a luxury. Residents depend on it for work, education, healthcare, emergency information, business operations, and access to government services. Douglas County’s own broadband study found that 93% of respondents considered internet essential infrastructure, comparable to electricity, water and transportation. Nearly three-quarters reported that someone in their household worked from home or operated a home-based business.

But access and quality are not evenly distributed in Douglas County.

The county’s study also found that urban communities were generally well served, while rural and remote areas were more likely to lack adequate wired service, meaningful provider choice or reliable connections. At the time of the study, an estimated 10,000 residents lacked wired broadband meeting the federal standard then in use, including approximately 3,000 with no wired internet access.

Residents also raised concerns about whether the available service actually met their needs. About 47% said providers were doing only the bare minimum—or less—to support needs such as remote work, education and healthcare. Reliability ranked as residents’ most important broadband priority.

New private fiber investment in Highlands Ranch is a positive development. Multiple providers are installing or upgrading networks through 2027, which should expand speed, reliability and consumer choice. But communities that are less profitable to serve should not be permanently left behind.

Douglas County should continue identifying current service gaps and pursue practical partnerships to improve broadband access and resiliency, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

Any county involvement should be guided by:

• Current address-level coverage and speed data

• Direct input from residents and businesses

• Reliability during outages and emergencies

• Meaningful consumer choice

• Affordability and transparent pricing

• Public-private partnerships that extend service without creating unnecessary taxpayer risk

• Strategic use of state and federal grants

• Coordination of conduit and fiber installation with planned road projects

• Strong cybersecurity and privacy protections

• Clear performance requirements for providers receiving public support

The county should also make it easier for residents to challenge inaccurate coverage maps. A provider’s claim that service is available does not help a family that cannot obtain an installation or does not receive the advertised speed.

Public funding should address genuine gaps, not subsidize construction that providers already intended to complete. Any provider receiving county support should be required to meet enforceable standards for speed, reliability, affordability, and service availability.

Expanding connectivity should not require residents to surrender control of their personal information. The county should insist on clear protections governing what data is collected, how it is used, and whether it is shared.

Every Douglas County resident should be able to rely on an internet connection that supports modern life, regardless of whether serving their address offers the highest return to a private provider.

Give residents practical transportation choices

Most Douglas County residents rely on personal vehicles, and our road network must reflect that reality. But not every resident can drive, and adding lanes cannot solve every transportation challenge.

Older adults, people with disabilities, young people, and residents without reliable vehicles may struggle to reach jobs, healthcare, and essential services.

Douglas County’s LINK On Demand program is a promising step. It provides free shared rides within its service area and now serves thousands of riders each month. But its reach remains limited, with large parts of the county—especially rural communities—outside the service boundary.

As the county invests in LINK, commissioners should evaluate whether the program:

• Reaches communities with the greatest need

• Connects residents with jobs, healthcare and essential services

• Provides reliable evening and weekend access

• Works for older adults and people with disabilities

• Delivers strong value for taxpayers

• Transparency related to the costs of the service and ability to serve such a large county

The county should also pursue regional transit partnerships, employer-supported transportation, senior and disability services, park-and-ride connections and rural transportation options.

A solution that works in Lone Tree may not work in Sedalia, Franktown or Larkspur. Success should be measured by whether residents can actually reach the places they need to go.

That may include:

• Regional transit partnerships

• Connections to existing light-rail and bus service

• Employer-supported transportation

• Senior and disability transportation

• Demand-responsive or on-call service

• Park-and-ride connections

• Safe pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure where appropriate

• Better coordination among existing programs

Coordinate across jurisdictions

Residents do not experience infrastructure according to government boundaries.

A road may pass through county, municipal, and state jurisdictions. A development approved in one community may increase congestion in another. Water, emergency response, broadband, energy, and transportation systems often depend on multiple agencies.

Douglas County should be a more active and constructive regional partner by:

• Coordinating capital plans with municipalities and the state

• Sharing reliable traffic and growth projections

• Aligning construction schedules where possible

• Planning emergency access across boundaries

• Coordinating with utilities on grid demand and energy resilience

• Clarifying responsibility for costs and maintenance

• Advocating for Douglas County in regional funding decisions

• Communicating jointly with residents when projects overlap

Collaboration should not mean avoiding accountability. Residents should know which government is responsible, who is making the decision and whom to contact when something goes wrong.

Make infrastructure decisions transparent

Major infrastructure projects can involve years of planning and millions of public dollars.

Residents deserve to understand how projects are selected, how contracts are awarded and why costs or timelines change.

I support public reporting that clearly shows:

• The need each project addresses

• Its priority relative to other projects

• Estimated and actual costs

• Funding sources

• Developer contributions

• Project schedules and milestones

• Contract amendments and change orders

• Delays and the reasons behind them

• Expected maintenance and operating costs

• Measurable outcomes after completion

County leaders should not announce only the groundbreaking and ribbon-cutting. They should report honestly throughout the entire life of the project.

Use infrastructure investments to support good local jobs

Public infrastructure is built by people. County projects should support a skilled, reliable workforce and provide taxpayers with safe, high-quality work that lasts.

I support:

• Competitive and transparent contracting

• Registered apprenticeship opportunities

• Proper training and workplace-safety standards

• Clear performance and quality requirements

• Strong oversight of subcontractors

• Fair consideration of long-term value—not simply the lowest initial bid

• Opportunities for qualified local and small businesses

• Accountability when contractors fall short

Cutting corners on training, safety, or workmanship may lower the initial bid while increasing delays, repairs, and long-term costs. Taxpayers deserve infrastructure that is built correctly the first time.

Plan capital investments together

Roads, public-safety facilities, water systems, energy infrastructure, parks, technology and county buildings compete for limited public resources.

These decisions should not be made in isolation or driven by whichever project has the strongest political sponsor.

Douglas County needs a transparent, long-term capital plan that identifies:

• Current infrastructure conditions

• Population and development projections

• Public-safety and emergency needs

• Deferred maintenance

• Estimated project costs

• Available funding

• Debt and operating implications

• Project dependencies

• Clear criteria for prioritization

A responsible plan should also explain what the county cannot fund immediately and what risks come with delaying those investments. Infrastructure planning is ultimately about choices. Residents deserve to see how those choices are made.

My commitments

As Douglas County Commissioner, I will work to:

• Put the necessary infrastructure in place before approving major growth

• Require enforceable timelines for developer-funded improvements

• Prioritize road safety, congestion relief, and emergency access

• Maintain roads, bridges, and public assets before problems become more expensive

• Build evacuation capacity and emergency resilience into infrastructure decisions

• Support long-term, sustainable water planning

• Prepare county infrastructure for growing electric-vehicle demand

• Expand charging access strategically without imposing vehicle mandates

• Coordinate energy and transportation planning with utilities and local governments

• Evaluate cleaner and more cost-effective options for the county vehicle fleet

• Improve energy efficiency and backup-power resilience at county facilities

• Support a diverse energy mix based on reliability, affordability, safety, and community impact

• Expand reliable broadband while protecting privacy and taxpayer interests

• Pursue practical transportation options for seniors, people with disabilities, and workers

• Strengthen coordination with municipalities, special districts, utilities, and the state

• Publish clear information about project priorities, costs, timelines, and delays

• Support skilled workers, apprenticeships, and strong safety standards on public projects

• Evaluate contracts based on quality and long-term value

• Create a transparent, long-range capital-investment plan

• Require developers to pay their fair share of infrastructure costs

Strong infrastructure is the foundation of a thriving county

Infrastructure is not separate from public safety, economic opportunity, or quality of life.

It connects residents with jobs and services. It helps first responders reach people in danger. It allows communities to evacuate during emergencies. It supports businesses, protects public investments, and determines whether growth strengthens or strains the county.

Douglas County cannot solve every infrastructure challenge at once. But we can establish clear priorities, plan honestly, coordinate across jurisdictions, and stop waiting until predictable problems become expensive crises.

We can also prepare for new vehicles, technologies, and energy sources without imposing one solution on every resident. Thoughtful planning can preserve choice while making our infrastructure more resilient, efficient, and future-ready.

My goal is infrastructure that works today, prepares us for tomorrow, and protects the investments residents have already made in their communities.