DougCo election board named

Bianca Prieto, Rocky Mountain News

Published November 27, 2006 at midnight

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The appointees to the 11-member panel to investigate what went wrong on Election Day in Douglas County was announced today. The all volunteer board will have its first meeting from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Douglas County Commissioners hearing room on the first floor of the Philip S. Miller Building, 100 Third St. in Castle Rock.

A public meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the same location. Members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend the public meeting.

Douglas County Clerk and Recorder-elect Jack Arrowsmith will head the board.

Hundreds of voters waited for hours on Nov. 7 to cast their ballots. The county made a change from precincts to voting centers and introduced an electronic ballot, both of which may have contributed to the problems, election officials have said. The panel will meet nine times between Nov. 30 and March 30. The panel is scheduled to deliver its findings to the county commissioners by March 30.

Douglas County Election Fact Finding Panel

Jack Arrowsmith, Panel Chair

Arrowsmith is a Colorado native and has been a resident of Douglas County since 1984. He graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a major in secondary education and a minor in business. After leaving the teaching profession, Arrowsmith helped organize a student travel program and went on to become general manager of a successful travel company.

Arrowsmith has been an ever present citizen volunteer, active in Douglas County, having served three years as chairman of the Citizens Economic Advisory Project (CEAP), five years with the Douglas County Planning Commission and three years on the County Open Space Advisory Committee (COSAC).

On Jan. 27, 2003, Governor Bill Owens appointed Arrowsmith as Douglas County's first appointed Public Trustee and has served the citizens of Douglas County in that capacity for the last four years.

On Nov. 7, Arrowsmith was elected Clerk and Recorder for Douglas County.

William J. Frey, Citizen representative, County Commissioner District I

William J. Frey, a resident of Franktown, is an employee of Douglas County School District Senior Employment Program, with a background in the telecommunications field.

Yaron Starosta, Citizen representative, County Commissioner District III

Yaron Starosta is a 9-year resident of Douglas County and has previously served his community as a Director of the Highlands Ranch Metro Districts Board. Born and raised in Israel, Starosta became a U.S. citizen in 2000. He is an IT solutions architect at Qwest Communications, and he actively volunteers his time to multiple organizations including Warm Woolies; Community School for the Gifted; and the Hebrew Educational Alliance synagogue.

Peter Locke, Citizen representative, County Commissioner District II

Peter Locke is an 18-year resident of Franktown. He has served in senior executive positions for a number of broadband/cable television companies, including Comcast, Charter and Fanch Communications. His background in cable includes a focus on improving customer service processes and efficiencies. He has also worked in the disc drive industry as a new product development manager. He is a 13-year member of the Board of Directors of the Colorado Cable Telecommunications Association. He has a BS and an MS from Syracuse University.

Ronald M. Coffee, Private Sector Information Technology Appointee

Ron Coffee is a resident of Highlands Ranch. He is a Microsoft Certified Solution Developer and a Microsoft Small Business Specialist who has been delivering enterprise class software solutions for the past eight years. Immediately prior to his work in the information technology field, Coffee was a trial attorney, practicing in Colorado. He received his law degree from the University of Denver, College of Law, and his B.A. degree in physics from the University of Colorado, Denver.

Dan Kopelman, Secretary of State, Mike Coffman’s Appointee

Dan Kopelman will serve the panel representing Secretary of State Mike Coffman. He has an Associates Degree in Electronics Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering Technology from DeVry Institute of Technology, as well as a Masters in Computer Information Systems with an emphasis on Software Engineering from the University of Denver. Currently, he is the System Administrator and Manager of Unclaimed Property in the office of Colorado State Treasurer.

Bob Owens, Douglas County Democratic Party Representative

Bob Owens is currently the treasurer of the Douglas County Democratic Party. He is a Lockheed Martin retiree who spent his 15 years with the company doing project management in information technology. Prior to that, he had a 20 year Air Force career, the last 10 years of which were spent in electronics research and development staff and management. After retiring from the Air Force he worked for Communications Satellite Corp and its then subsidiary, Amplica, doing project management and general management. While in the Air Force he taught physics for five years at the US Air Force Academy. He earned MS and BA degrees in physics from Texas A&M and Weslayan University, respectively. He is also currently the President of the Perry Park Metropolitan District and does volunteers with Hospice of Metro Denver.

Mike Acree, Douglas County Republican Party Representative

Former Douglas County Sheriff Mike Acree is the Deputy Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Public Safety. Acree began this position inSeptember. Prior to working for the State, Acree served within the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office for more than twenty years as a Command Officer and elected Sheriff.

Acree has served on numerous boards and commissions in his career. He is a former member of the Colorado P.O.S.T. Board, and a current member of the Lottery Commission, the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority, and many others. Acree graduated from the FBI National Academy in 1990 after earning a B.A. degree in criminal justice from Metropolitan State College of Denver in 1987. He is a 1972 graduate of Douglas County High School in Castle Rock and has made Colorado his home for more than 50 years.

Douglas DeBord, County Commissioner Staff Appointee

Douglas DeBord serves as County Administrator, a position he has held since January 1999. He is responsible for the day-to-day administration of county government. He has been a Douglas County employee since 1995. He was named Deputy County Manager in 1997 and Interim County Manager in August 1998.

DeBord has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Northern Colorado and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Colorado. Prior to his employment with Douglas County, he worked for the Colorado State Auditor's Office and served as a Management Intern with the City of Montrose and the Town of Monument. He is a member of the International City/County Management Association.

Bios for election judges Manfred Krimmer and Charles Wilson were not immediately available.

-Source: Douglas County

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