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Sunny Banka Republican
Residence: Aurora
Profession: Broker-Owner, REALTOR
Education: Some College. Numerous Real Estate Designations. Real Estate Instructor
Experience: Longtime Arapahoe County Resident, small business owner, and a Realtor of 46+ years, Commissioner for the Aurora Planning Commission and serve on the Aurora Citizens Advisory Budget Committee
What are your top three priorities, if elected?
Affordability tied to over regulation, Colorado is one of the most over-regulated and expensive states in the Country. We need to look at what changes can be made in Arapahoe County. Public Safety, our citizens want to feel safe in their homes, neighborhoods, schools, churches and places of business. Fiscal Responsibility, Arapahoe county needs to be a wise and cautious steward of our tax payers dollars. We need to look for ways to make Arapahoe County more affordable in all areas. Waste needs to be removed.
What specific actions would you support to address residents’ affordability concerns and to increase the availability of housing in your county?
The regulations need to be looked at. We need to look at regulations that are causing unnecessary expense to builders and developers, which eventually get passed on to our home buyers. Planning and Zoning timelines also need to be reviewed. Time is money for builders, developers and our citizens. I have small builders that will not build in Arapahoe County, thus removing options for our citizens. Our taxpayers should not wait months for a permit. We need to work with those supplying the housing stock and determine what works to help increase the housing stock where needed and consider the regulations that slowing down or stopping the process.
What specific opportunities do you see for collaboration with Denver or state government to take on common challenges?
There are many. Public safety is one. I support systems that support our first responders working across lines, whether it is state, county or local government lines.
Transportation is another. Voters vote in state ballot issues thinking that transportation will be address and magically, the funds seem to disappear from the budgets and get redirected to other areas. This needs to stop and transportation/roads need to be addressed as the voters have voted for.
Over regulation is another of concern. We need less government intervention in all areas. We need to look for areas where regulations may be removed or lessened to make it easier for our citizens and businesses to operate. We need to get back to the proper role of Government.
Leslie Summey (i) Democrat
Residence: Unincorporated Arapahoe County
Profession: Commissioner
Education: Colorado College. Left to serve in the US Navy
Experience: Chair of the BOCC
Instrumental in successful campaign to remove revenue cap of TABOR 2024
Spearheaded first of its kind countywide parking ordinance 2025
What are your top three priorities, if elected?
My top three priorities in my second term are:
1. Increase resources to support our children grow into healthy, happy, resilient adults, through the HOPE framework (Tufts University).
2. Address an increasing number “nuisance properties” that have a negative impact on our neighborhoods.
3. Address the systemic problem of food deserts. Our poor and low-wealth families deserve to eat healthy food too and at a reasonable price. Too many are forced to choose between food and medicine, or food and housing. The county could look into creating a community grocery store, and/or we may offer incentives to companies who want to invest in Arapahoe County by building a grocery store in any one of our communities of need.
What specific actions would you support to address residents’ affordability concerns and to increase the availability of housing in your county?
Arapahoe County has taken significant steps to address the housing crisis. We used 4 million in one-time ARPA dollars to create the county’s first affordable housing fund and are adding 1 million dollars annually to it to assist our residents and to support our investments. In 2025 we added 700 affordable housing units and are on pace to exceed that number this year. We just broke ground on a permanent supportive housing building that will help those coming out of the criminal justice system receive the services they need to not recidivate instead of being released from the detention facility and going directly back to the streets.
What specific opportunities do you see for collaboration with Denver or state government to take on common challenges?
Collaboration between Front Range governments already takes place in so many areas, but there’s need for more. Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative (MDHI) both come to mind as valuable partners in the work of addressing homelessness and ensuring our seniors can spend their golden years enjoying what they’ve earned instead of having to consider going back to work so they can afford to eat or keep the lights on.
