One new Gilpin County commissioner and two new Central City aldermen will take their respective oaths of office and step into their newly elected roles during the next two weeks. Jeff Aiken, a nine-year Central Council member, will become the new District 1 representative on the Gilpin Board of County Commissioners when he takes office on Tuesday, Jan. 14, in the county’s historic courthouse adminis-trative offices.
In addition, incum- bent Sandy Hol- lingsworth will begin her second four-year term that day. Once Hollingsworth and Aiken take their seats alongside Susan Beru-
men, they will select a commission chair vfor 2025. It is widely
expected that Holling sworth will be nominated since Berumen held the spot last year, and the newly elected Aiken has no experience in such a leadership role.
Aiken, to prepare for his new role and familiarize himself with the duties and responsibilities of a county commissioner, has been attending training workshops in Denver hosted by
Colorado Counties Inc., a non-profit governmental-related organization that assists commissioners in the 64 counties in the Centennial State.
Aiken, Spencer and Plsek to take offices this month
The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to be conducted by Judge Timothy Lane at 8 a.m., which will be followed by the commissioners’ first meeting of 2025 at 9 a.m. The newly-sworn-in commissioners are scheduled to be paid $93,397 annually, based on state-approved salaries Two new council members will be sworn into office in Central City on Tuesday, Jan. 7. Judge Jack Berryhill will preside over the ceremony. Residents Chuck Spencer and Zane Plsek were elected to four-year terms on Nov. 5. They will take the seats previously held by local businesswoman Kara Tinucci, who didn’t seek re-election, and Aiken, who was term limited. Each council member will be paid $965 per month for their work.
Spencer and Plzek told the Weekly Register-Call they’ve been trying to get a feel for the pulse of the city. They’ve been meeting with casino operators, business people and residents to hear their opinions on what they’d like for Central City’s future.
Said Plzek, “I’ve also sat down with [Central City Manager] Daniel Miera for three meetings and one with Mayor Jeremy Fey. They
were productive. I met with RCI Hospitality Holdings and that was eye-opening. I also spent about two hours last week with Jeff Hentschel of GF Gaming [owners of the Bonanza and Easy Street casinos] as well, too. I told Jeff that I’d like to meet with all the casino operators at least once monthly to get their opinions. Chuck and I also have sat down together to discuss
various topics.”
“I’m not a politician or held public office before, so I want to know how the city functions. I want to know what the various departments do and how the city operates,”
continued Plsek. “I ran on the premise of listening to residents and business owners. That’s what I want to do. Added Spencer, “I’ve tried to talk with as many local business owners and residents
that I have been able to. I’ve tried to listen to what they’ve said and have been trying to educate myself on the subjects they’re brought up – and their concerns. I haven’t met with any city officials yet. I want to understand the direction they think the city should take and what they want to see. I don’t have an agenda, but I want to get all of the input I can. Of course, I’ve also talked with Zane because he’s talked with a lot of business owners that I haven’t.”
Spencer owns and has operated the Denver West-Central City KOA Holiday Campground on Lake Gulch Road with his family for 15 years. He has also been a member of the Central City Downtown Development Authority since last year. Plsek, who is retired, has been active with the Central City Elks Lodge No. 557 and the Black Hawk-Central City Sanitation District Board of Directors. He also was an alternate on the Gilpin Historical Society, although he recently left the post because of his upcoming council responsibilities.
Politics in 2025
Politics in Gilpin County, Central City and Black Hawk are expected to be relatively uneventful in the new year compared to 2024. There won’t be any council or county commissioner seats up for election this year. The only races will be in the fall when voters in the southern portion of Gilpin select two people to serve on the Gilpin County School District RE-1 school board.
Terms for Kirsten Goodlett, the board’s secretary/treasurer, and Board President Sarah Swanson will expire at the end of this year. Swanson is termlimited from seeking re-election since she’s served on the board for two consecutive, fouryear terms. Single election This year, the only election planned will be the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 4. It will include the Gilpin RE-1 school board for the southern part of the county.
There won’t be any race for the Boulder Valley RE-2 School District board seat, District C, which includes northern Gilpin County. The Nov. 4 ballot also could include any ballot questions, should any be brought before Colorado voters.
During 2024, there were three municipal elections, including the March presidential primary, the June 25 general primary and the Nov. 5 general election, in which voters cast ballots for the U.S. President, one Colorado U.S. Senator, congressional and state legislative and senate candidates.
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