Gould for Clear Creek

10/21/2026

I-70:THE ELEPHANT STRETCHED ACROSS OUR COUNTY

I have put off writing about the impacts of I-70 for so long, mostly because it is such an enormous challenge; Clear Creek County vs. I-70 feels like a David & Goliath story. That said, it is one of the biggest challenges to our county, its residents, and its government — and we must address it!

I am old enough to remember when I-70 was being completed in my childhood. Since then, it has played a constantly-growing role in shaping our community. As more people and commerce travel I-70, travelers’ needs take more of our community resources. This post is not about the finances connected to the travelers, but about the impacts of I-70 and state/federal actions associated with our highways. It is about I-70 being the elephant in every room.

A recent 9News report (linked below) surfaced some terrifying numbers. The report cites research by Colorado State University that “…estimates Floyd Hill construction contributed to a $24 million annual retail-sales shortfall in Clear Creek County during fiscal years 2024 and 2025, including approximately $7 million in Idaho Springs.” And this project is slated to last into 2029 - just think of the compounding harm to our community!

Another example is related to the toll lanes running through the county. According to an agreement between CDOT, the county, and the City of Idaho Springs from 2014, any funds in excess of what is needed to operate, maintain and finance the toll lanes must stay in the highway corridor. Unfortunately, we have no idea if there are any excess funds to be used because CDOT has never made a report, but these are funds that should be used to support our emergency services and law enforcement, at the very least.

As county commissioner, these are the challenges that I want to tackle on behalf of our community by engaging with our state and federal representatives to find some financial relief. Maybe these issues become part of our leverage for an excise/recreation tax from the state. It will not be easy to address issues like those mentioned here, but the alternative to fighting for Clear Creek’s future is to let the rest of the world that travels through our county dictate to us what this county will become. Will this continue to be an incredible place to live, work and raise a family, or will we simply become the I-70 truck stop and service providers?

With vision, ambition and tenacity, I believe that Clear Creek County can work through our challenges and come out on the other end not only surviving, but thriving. I hope that you will join me to FIGHT FORWARD for Clear Creek County!

The estimate accounts for lost productivity, time spent in traffic and tourism dollars at risk, as construction adds pressure on nearby businesses.

10/16/2026

In conversation with folks across Clear Creek over the past year, the concern that comes up the most often are the economic challenges we face. 9,100 residents cannot foot the entire bill to support ourselves, visitors traveling along I-70, and our public lands through local taxes alone. Our budget is already stretched thin, and there is little we can realistically cut without dramatically affecting vital services. This leaves revenue as our best option for making real change in our budget.

I have discussed ways the county can bring in revenue through taxes that place more responsibility on non-residents (visitors and downstream water users, for example). Our local economy, however, is our best avenue for engaging both visitors and residents in the many wonderful businesses, opportunities, and services that we have in Clear Creek. Currently, we rely on the Henderson Mine and tourism as the biggest contributors, but we are experiencing the limitations of relying on those two industries. I challenge us to find ways to diversify our economy, starting with supporting both existing businesses as they grow and budding entrepreneurs who are working to bring new ideas and vision to our community. As a county, we must find ways to provide support to owners as they face the many hurdles associated with starting, growing, and maintaining a business; product development, marketing, and financial management are crucial elements for long-term success, and are an incredible demand on one person or small team. This is an opportunity for increased collaboration and investment through our Economic Development Corporation and other cooperative spaces.

While this path forward is not simple, there are other small communities like ours that have implemented similar initiatives and seen real progress. I know that we have many dedicated and creative local business owners, people who give back so much to their neighbors and do their part to truly make this a community. I challenge all of us to invest our dollars locally - goods bought across county lines may feel cheaper now, but those sales taxes are no longer being invested in our services and our public spaces.

Thanks to EMERGE for the opportunity to speak to the members last week!

10/07/2026

Warning: Flu season is upon us!

Last week, my father was in and out of the ER a couple of times. There is nothing like spending time in a hospital to make someone sick. At some point, he contracted Influenza A and it laid him out! Because of all the time that I needed to spend with him to support him, I also ended up with it.

My public service announcement: Do everything you can to avoid getting the flu this year. Get vaccinated, wear masks, avoid large gatherings, stay out of the hospital — whatever steps you can take, do them! I have not felt this sick in quite a while. I looked like the picture below for a couple of days.

Please contact your primary care physician or our Public Health Department to find out how to steer clear of the flu. Stay healthy, Clear Creek!

09/30/2026

Uncertainty and Leadership

I will be posting soon about my thoughts on tackling one of the biggest issues that our community faces: our local economy. Before I do that, though, I want to address two underlying elements that impact any decisions that we make regarding not only our economy, but our public lands, I-70, and everything else. Those elements are Uncertainty and Change.

The world is always filled with uncertainty, but right now seems like a particularly uncertain time. Prices are up, wages are not keeping up with inflation, both the state and federal governments are shifting how they support local governments, AI & data centers are raising new questions - and the list goes on. I previously reflected on some of the uncertainties that different demographics in our county are facing. This is a time when we cannot be narrow in our planning since any new crisis could destroy that plan. Instead, we need to operate with a “portfolio of solutions,” to coin a phrase from economist Mariana Mazzucato. Developing this portfolio will allow us to change our response as conditions shift without starting from scratch. It also gives us ideas that can be combined to create a viable solution.

As I have said many times, I do not have all the answers, and I would question anyone who says they do. What I do have is experience in adaptive leadership focused on problem solving, flexibility and collaboration. I understand that, as conditions on the ground change, so does the set of options for moving forward. Ideas that did not work yesterday might, all of a sudden, become viable. New partners may emerge while old partners might fade away. Through all of this, the thing that stays constant is OUR vision for the future of our community and the ambition with which local government must approach the challenges. The way forward will not be certain or easy, but together we will FIGHT FORWARD!

(As a reminder that change can be good, I have posted some photos of the changing seasons from my recent run up Mt. Blue Sky.)

09/18/2026

I have been preparing for the job of commissioner for the last year, attending most Board of County Commissioner meetings and every other type of gathering or meeting that I can manage. I’ve talked to fellow residents about a variety of concerns and hopes for the future. But in the midst of all this preparation, I’ve also had to deal with two deaths in my extended family. I am going to go into this personal side of my life for a moment.

In November 2025, a close family friend passed away, leaving his spouse, who has dementia, without any close family to help her through the emotional, legal and financial challenges of aging. Then in March 2026, my mother passed away, leaving me to help my father, who also has dementia, deal with the same situation. Together, we deal with loneliness, uncertainty, doctor appointments to learn about a cancer diagnosis, and the loss of loved ones.

Why is this relevant? The past year has given me insight into the challenges that so many Clear Creek residents, from all ages and walks of life, are dealing with.
-The challenges of those in their 80s as they navigate the difficulties of aging.
-Those in their 20s as they deal with the questions around home ownership, the need for health insurance, and the search for a career to support and fulfill them.
-Young families who are navigating the issues of childcare and school choice.
-Those in their 50s-70s who are faced with questions about retirement and whether they have enough saved to live comfortably as they take care of both their children and their parents.
-All of us, who are dealing with rising prices, wildfire concerns, and questions about the future of our neighborhoods and community.

I certainly don’t have answers to all of the questions facing us, but I do have the leadership experience to know that listening, thinking out of the box, and collaborating with all types of people is the way to find solutions to wicked problems. I also know how to amplify those solutions so that they don’t just fix an immediate problem to help us survive, but catapult us ahead so that we thrive.

I am excited by this challenge of a lifetime. This is work that we do together, with shared vision and a healthy dose of ambition for our community. Together, we will fight forward!

09/16/2026

I’ve heard it said that our county must “live within its means.” On a certain level, this is true. The county government must either approve a balanced budget where revenue and expenses are matched, or we spend down our reserves to cover the gap for a few years and are then forced to have a balanced budget. But this doesn’t address our reality in 2026 and beyond.

We are currently inundated with visitors who use our emergency medical services and impact our infrastructure. Their choices occupy our sheriff’s department and require fire authority response. The county staff have not only statutory requirements to meet, but they also want to provide the very best service to meet the needs of Clear Creek residents. Where does the money come from to do all of this in a tight budget?

“Living within our means” is not ambitious enough, so something has to change. County government must play a smart, strategic role that is proactive — jumping ahead of the current challenges to not only overcome them, but to set us up for the future. We must have clear goals and direction, with strong partnerships between the public and private sectors of the county.

Government has tools to leverage, such as loans and grants, but they don’t fill the gap. What we need is a broader set of tools from the state. An example is the excise tax, which provides a way for the millions of visitors to our county to foot some of the bill that currently sits on the shoulders of you and me - the Clear Creek residents. Another possibility is to join other rural counties to lobby the state for a change to its Highway Users Tax Fund so that Clear Creek is fairly compensated for the impacts of the millions of cars that pass through our county on I-70. We must find ways to mitigate the burdens of I-70 and our wonderful public lands as they impact our economic future.

This is the work that I want to do as County Commissioner. The challenges of the job make this the opportunity of a lifetime to positively impact this community. I cannot do it alone, but together we can fight forward for our quality of life!

09/09/2026

The families in my little neighborhood up Hwy 103 have been working on wildfire mitigation around our houses. Thanks to interim Fire Chief Daniel Babeon for walking our neighborhood and giving us ideas for how to make our properties safer. We plan to take advantage of the Fire Authority’s chipping program.

Commissioners and county government play an important role in hardening our communities to wildfire. Supporting the Fire Authority is just one way. Other work that I look forward to doing is continuing the collaboration with Denver Metro counties and municipalities to get a Forest Improvement District formed. This move will acknowledge that it is not just Clear Creek that is financially responsible for the watersheds by securing funding from the half million people that rely on our county’s watersheds. We must protect this most precious resource!

Other actions that I want to explore further are grant opportunities for neighborhoods to do mitigation and slash clean-up, partnership with the US Forest Service to do more watershed protection, and ensure that we have robust wildfire evacuation plans that residents have tested and are aware of through regional evacuation practice.

Our public lands are both a wonderful jewel in our county and a challenge to our wealth, health and habitat. Together, though, we can take steps to protect our quality of life.

08/30/2026

All the flashing lights and emergency response teams were on display at the county’s C3 Fest yesterday and Empire’s Night Out on 8/4/26. Thanks to all of the government agencies that keep us safe (EMS, law enforcement, fire, Road/Bridge, USFS, CDOT, state patrol/port-of-entry), as well as the community-based groups like Rotary and my beloved Clear Creek Advocates.

08/29/2026