Gilpin County Commissioner Jeanne Nicholson announces bid for Colorado Senate District 16
Senate President Brendan Shaffer endorses
PRESS RELEASE – Gilpin County Commissioner Jeanne Nicholson is announcing her Candidacy for the Colorado State Senate, District 16. State Senator Dan Gibbs has announced he will not be running for re-election.
Nicholson has lived in the Colorado mountains since 1965 and in the Senate District for the past 39 years, first in Grand County, and currently in Gilpin County.
Today, Senate President Brendan Shaffer endorsed Nicholson and said, “I’m very excited Jeanne has decided to run for the state Senate. Both as a nurse and a Gilpin County Commissioner she has seen first hand the difficulties working people in this state are going through. She’ll go to the statehouse to represent Colorado families, not special interests. I’m proud to support her candidacy.”
Betty Boyd, Colorado Senate President Pro-Tem said in her endorsement, “I have known Jeanne for many years having worked side-by-side in previous campaigns. She represents her constituents well and will be a wonderful addition to the Colorado Senate, particularly given her extensive experiences in health and human services.”
“The most important problem the State legislature should help solve is to turn around Colorado’s economy and get everyone back to work,” Nicholson said. “My background as a former business owner and my budgeting experience as a commissioner are great qualifications for the economic challenges we are facing. Gilpin County has no long-term debts and has the lowest property taxes in Colorado, yet the citizens enjoy a wide array of services.”
Candidate Nicholson went on to say “With the right leadership and political will we can create jobs in tourism, forest health, renewable energy, and other industries. We can keep jobs in public education and health care. All of these job opportunities will help the districts citizen thrive and continue to enjoy the highest quality of life in the country.”
Details about Nicholson’s kick-off events and listening tour around the district will be announced next week.
BIOGRAPHY
Nicholson serves on Colorado Counties, Inc (CCI) Board of Directors, and the Colorado Child Welfare Allocation Committee. She served as the Chair of the Health and Human Services Steering Committee for CCI and chaired the Colorado Commission on Family Medicine. She was named Colorado Commissioner of the year in 2005.
Among her accomplishments as a county commissioner, Nicholson provided the political leadership to build a “green” Road & Bridge building in Gilpin County that is heated with wood chips, saves money on utilities, reduces the county’s carbon footprint, and provides jobs for local loggers.
Nicholson, a former public heath nurse, also spearheaded efforts to provide a childcare center and after-school program. She supported an expanded recycling program, including recycling hazardous waste materials. She initiated a property tax work-off program for senior citizens and disabled citizens.
Nicholson received the Colorado Commissioner of the Year award in 2005; she was the Florence Nightingale finalist and received the Children’s Champion Award in 2009 for her work in promoting the importance of early childhood development. She is a life-long Democrat residing in Gilpin County. She and her husband Craig have two adult sons.