Reach April by email at AprilforGilpin@gmail.com

How long, and where have you lived in Gilpin County? I moved to Gilpin County in 2013, and we have lived in the same house in mid-county ever since. Over the years, it has become the place where we have built our life, raised our family, celebrated milestones, and made memories.

What post-secondary schools have you attended? Washington State University

What specific training or education have you received relevant to the position? I earned my Colorado Licensed Ad Valorem Appraiser credential within the first six months of taking office. My education has continued throughout my first term through the Colorado Division of Property Taxation. In this job, when something new comes up—like Tax Increment Financing (TIF)—you have to be on the ball, ask questions, take the training, and learn everything you can so you can handle it correctly. Continuing education is simply part of doing this job well. Property assessment is always evolving, and I believe it is my responsibility to keep learning right along with it.

Briefly describe your current career and home life. I currently serve full time as Gilpin County Assessor. It is a busy role that involves problem-solving, working with the public, managing a small office, and usually have several things going on at once.

Home is where I slow down. My husband is always on the go, while I am more likely to be happiest with a good book and some quite time. I enjoy hiking, spending time with my family, and having the space to recharge. I have learned that I need downtime, it gives me the balance to come back to work focused and ready for whatever the day brings.

List the Peak to Peak boards and civic or volunteer activities in which you have been involved and the dates of service. I am not currently part of a formal volunteer organization, but I try to help where I can. That has included highway and community cleanups, volunteering at school when opportunities come up, and one of my favorites—the Nederland Thanksgiving potluck.

For me, volunteering is less about being part of a formal group and more about showing up when there is a need and finding a way to contribute.

Have you attended BoCC and/or local government meetings? Yes. I regularly attend or follow Board of County Commissioners meetings, particularly when the agenda includes issues that affect the Assessor’s Office or county operations more broadly. I think it is important, as an elected official, to understand what is happening across the county. I also attend other local government meetings when the topic is relevant to my role or when I want to better understand an issue affecting our community.

How would you enhance the experience of Gilpin County staff? I believe people do their best work when they feel respected, supported, and trusted to do their jobs. In a small county, staff are often asked to wear a lot of hats, so I think clear communication, realistic expectations, and opportunities to learn are especially important.

To me, enhancing the staff experience is really about creating a workplace where people feel valued, capable, and part of a team.

What do you see as the major issues facing Gilpin County? How would you begin to address them? One of the biggest issues facing Gilpin County is the rapid pace of change in Colorado property tax law. Those changes affect not only property owners, but also local governments, schools, and special districts that rely on property tax revenue. As Assessor, my role is to stay ahead of those changes, understand how they affect Gilpin County, and communicate clearly with both residents and local leaders.

As an elected official, what would be your top three goals for the county in the next year? My top three goals are transparency, education, and responsiveness. I want people to understand what our office does, why it matters, and how to find the information they need. I also want residents to feel that when they reach out, they will get a thoughtful and timely response. 

How would you collaborate with other Gilpin County departments and organizations?  I collaborate by keeping communication open and reaching out when an issues crosses into another department or organization. Sometimes it means sharing information, sometimes it means asking questions, and sometimes it means simply making sure everyone is working from the same set of facts. I also think it is important to respect where each office’s authority begins and ends. Good collaboration makes the work smoother for all of us.

Why do you want to hold the office for which you are running? Have you run for/held political office before? If so, where and when? I am currently serving my first term as Gilpin County Assessor, after first running for the office in 2022. It is the first political office I have held.

I want to continue because, over the course of this term, I have come to genuinely love the work. The Assessor’s Office is one of those places where technical details can have a very real impact on someone’s life, and I find a lot of purpose in helping people understand something that can otherwise feel overwhelming or confusing.

I also feel like I am just hitting my stride. I have learned a tremendous amount, built strong working relationships, and there are still things I want to improve and finish. I am proud of the direction the office is going, and I would like the opportunity to keep building on that work.

Will you be able to meet the time requirements of the office?  Do you, or will you, have another job as well as the position you are running for? Yes, I currently serve as Assessor full time and understand the time and commitment the position requires. It is my primary job and my priority.

I also have a small soap business that I work on in my personal time. It gives me a creative outlet that is very different from my day-to-day work as Assessor, and enjoy having something that is completely my own outside of county government. 

How have you, and/or how will you, operate with transparency and honesty in your role? I try to operate with transparency by being straightforward, even when the answer is complicated or not what someone hoped to hear. If I don’t know the answer, I say so and find it. If we make a mistake, we correct it.

How will you handle conflict resolution within your office, if elected? Conflict resolution is something we handle almost everyday. Property assessment can be personal, and people do not always agree with the answer they receive.

I try to deal with conflict directly and calmly. I want people to feel heard, but I also believe in being clear about expectations and making a decision when one needs to be made.

My goal is not to avoid disagreement. It is to  handle it respectfully, resolve what we can, and keep moving forward.

Please disclose any current personal and/or professional relationships with the City of Black Hawk, City of Central, or Gilpin County. I currently serve as Gilpin County Assessor, so I work closely with Gilpin County departments and, when our work overlaps, with staff and officials in Central City and Black Hawk.

In a community this small, many of those professional relationships are also personal ones. We see each other at meetings, community events, the store, and around town. I value those relationships, but I also understand the responsibility that comes with them. My job is to treat people fairly and consistently, no matter who they are or how well I know them.

If you could ask one other candidate one question, what would it be? At the end of your term, what do you hope people in Gilpin County will say about the way you served them?

Assessor

What challenges do you see at the Assessor’s office? How would you remedy them? One of the biggest challenges in the Assessor’s Office is maintaining knowledge and expertise in such a small staff. When one person leaves or retires, years of experience can walk out the door with them. I have become much more aware of that during my first term.

My focus is on building an office that is not dependent on any one person. That means cross-training and documenting how we do our work. 

I want to leave the Assessor’s Office stronger than I found it—not just for my next term, but for whoever eventually comes after me.