Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times
Three of the five seats on the Pitkin County board of commissioners are up for grabs in November, and two incumbents and one newcomer already have declared their intentions to run.
“I just love Pitkin County and I really want to start giving back to the community that has been home for so long,” said Francie Jacober, a retired teacher and resident of Prince Creek Road who will run for the District 5 seat occupied by Commissioner George Newman.
Commissioners Steve Child and Greg Poschman — who represent Districts 4 and 3, respectively — said Wednesday they plan to file paperwork to run for those seats again.
“I really enjoy being a commissioner,” said Child, who will run for his third term. “It’s very challenging and a great way to give back to the community and have an impact on where things are going.”
Poschman, who will run for his second term, said he only made the decision recently.
“We’re doing some good things,” he said, “and I want to see them through.”
Pitkin County commissioners are term-limited after serving three four-year terms on the board, which is why Newman will be leaving the board after 12 years when his third term ends in January.
The three seats up for reelection in November represent the non-Aspen areas of Pitkin County. Child lives off Capitol Creek Road in Old Snowmass and Poschman lives in Brush Creek Village near the intersection of Highway 82 and Brush Creek Road. Newman lives in Emma.
Detailed maps of each district are available on the county commissioners page on the Pitkin County website next to each commissioner’s picture.
Those interested in running for commissioner can go to pitkinvotes.com and click on “candidate resources” under the “additional resources” subhead. Interested prospective commissioners should click on the 2020 candidate packet and print it out, said Janice Vos Caudill, Pitkin County clerk and recorder.
The packet contains information about campaign finance, due dates for particular filings and rules for running for office, she said. All candidates must obtain 100 signatures from Pitkin County registered voters.
Those petitions won’t be available until April 1, Vos Caudill said. Prospective candidates will have three weeks to gather and turn in the signatures, she said. They also must file a candidate affidavit within 10 days of announcing their candidacy.
Pitkin County commissioner seats are elected on an at-large, non-partisan basis. The top two vote-getters in each district in the primary will face off in the general election.
This year’s state primary is June 30, and the general election is Nov. 3.