CENTRAL CITY — In a tradition that is as old as democracy, Gilpin County candidates for elected office gathered at the Gilpin County Courthouse in Central City on September 26, 2026, to talk about the issues and make their cases as to why they should be elected.

In a world where social media has created silos of content, and their algorithms filter information tailored for specific preferences, the Gilpin Candidates Forum offered a rare chance to hear from all the candidates and listen to their answers to a range of questions.

Contrary to the current trend in politics of avoiding meeting an opponent in public, the Gilpin Candidates Forum displayed that unique sense of community that is Gilpin County, where the candidates were cordial towards each other. Each allowed the others a chance to speak without being interrupted.

All of the candidates for an elective position attended the Forum except Sheriff candidate Zach Meyer, who was out of state dealing with a death in the family. Connie McClain read a statement on his behalf.

The candidates for County Commissioner District 2 are Susan Berumen and Brady Fowler. The candidates for Sheriff are Zach Meyer and Greg Demo. Tara Gillivan and Joe Self are vying for Clerk and Recorder. Treasurer candidates are Mary Lorenz and Brenda Diehl. Kathleen Balfour and April Nielsen are running for Assessor.

The Courthouse meeting room was full even though there were many other attractions on a sunny fall day in September. The audience was respectful towards the candidates, with no attempts at heckling or catcalls.

Barbara Hardt, the Editor-in-Chief of The Mountain-Ear, was the moderator for the Forum, while her assistant Kaia Cole acted as the timekeeper. Candidates were given two minutes to answer a question.

The Forum was separated into two segments. In the first segment, candidates were given four minutes to introduce themselves and speak about their vision for the future of Gilpin County. All of them expressed an appreciation for living in Gilpin County with its unique rural mountain lifestyle.

Zane Laubhan, running unopposed for the County Coroner position, was also in attendance and gave a statement about his certifications and commitment to help those dealing with the loss of a loved one.

In the second segment, the candidates were asked questions submitted by the public. There were general questions for all the candidates, and questions specific to particular offices.

The Gilpin County Courthouse meeting room was full for the 2026 Candidates Forum on September 26, 2026. Residents showed up to hear the candidates for elective office speak about their vision for Gilpin County government.

Photo by Wes Isenhart

The candidates were grouped by office. After the general questions, the moderator would ask office questions to the specific candidates, who handed the microphone back and forth to each other. Because of the number of questions that were sent in and the number of candidates, the format didn’t allow for rebuttals or an extended debate on individual topics.

The number of questions by category or office: General: 2, Commissioner: 17, Sheriff: 11, Treasurer: 8, Clerk & Recorder: 7, Assessor: 5, Total: 50.

The office-specific questions dealt with topics like the functions of the office, the size of the budget, and the most important things to be done to improve the office and serve the public.

In general, the incumbents spoke about the benefits of experience and continuity, while the challengers advocated for change and a fresh perspective.

After the question-and-answer segment was finished, the candidates mingled with the audience to answer individual questions and chatted about their campaigns.

In a world riven with discord, where too often opponents are viewed as enemies, it was a good day to remember that people with differences can come together to consider ways to build a peaceful and prosperous community using the democratic processes available to them.

The Mountain-Ear, as the sponsor of the 2026 Gilpin Candidate Forum, has published a recording of the event on their YouTube channel. The recording is two hours long and all the statements, questions, and answers by each candidate are available for review. You can check out the entire YouTube video of the Candidates Forum here: bit.ly/CandidateForum2026