Golden – Kathy Hartman says her first priority as Jefferson County commissioner is to make government open and accessible.
It’s the No. 1 request that Hartman, the first Democrat elected to the county board since 1992, said she heard as she knocked on 10,000 doors while on the campaign trail.
“I will need some help from the existing commissioners,” said Hartman, 56. “It will require some discussions.”
Hartman said she is excited about working with Republicans Kevin McCasky and Jim Congrove.
McCasky said Wednesday that the most important issue is conducting county business, not partisanship.
“It isn’t about political philosophies and debates,” McCasky said. “County business must get done regardless of who occupies the chairs.”
Hartman received 10,000 more votes than her Republican opponent, Dave Auburn, who was appointed in March 2005 to fill the vacancy created when Rick Sheehan resigned.
“Since I will be the new kid on the block, I wanted to bring in enough of a mandate to get people’s attention,” Hartman said.
Cal Johnston, chairman of the Jefferson County Democratic Party, said Hartman’s message of open government “resonated” with the voters.
The county board oversees services, land use and a $473 million budget in the state’s third-most-populous county, which features 744 square miles of plains and foothills.
Critics have complained that a number of issues aren’t aired in public and meetings frequently are during the day when many residents can’t attend.
Hartman said she wants to spend time getting to know department managers and their challenges so she can understand issues and operations.
And then there’s the budget, which will already be set for next year by the time Hartman takes office.
“Since I will have to live within it, I want to get my arms around it,” she said.
Hartman, the former executive director of STRIDE, a nonprofit organization that helps people move from welfare to work, said she is used to working with diverse people.
Like McCasky, Hartman downplayed partisan politics, saying most decisions aren’t Republican or Democratic. She said she has a lot to learn “so that come January, I’m not just the person sitting at the end of the dais who knows nothing.”
Staff writer Ann Schrader can be reached at 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
