Elk Creek Fire Protection District Candidate Forum April 6 at 6:30pm

Please join us at the upcoming Elk Creek Fire Protection District Candidate Forum co-sponsored by My Mountain Town and Canyon Courier to get to know the six candidates running for 3 Board of Directors positions. The election will be held on May 2, when you can vote in-person at Fire Station 1, 11993 Blackfoot Rd, or, alternatively, request an absentee ballot by April 25 (see here for more information: elkcreekfpd.colorado.gov/transparency/elections ).

If you have questions for the candidates, please submit them in advance to Canyon Courier editor Kristen Fiore (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and write "Elk Creek Fire Candidate Forum" in the email subject line. Editor Fiore and and Colorado Community Media editor-in-chief Michael de Yoanna will be in charge of developing the final questions and moderating. The deadline for question submission is noon on April 5; no questions will be accepted at the forum from the community.

Each candidate will have 2 minutes for an opening statement and 2 minutes for a closing statement. In the middle will be questions, and each candidate will have the opportunity to be the first to respond to one question. Each candidate will have 2 minutes per question to answer.

This event is a way for the community to meet, and hear each candidate’s thoughts and ideas before voting. We appreciate that you are participating in this important process, and we look forward to seeing you on April 6. If you cannot attend that evening, it will be recorded and posted to YouTube afterward.

Elk Creek Fire Candidate Forum, April 6, 2023
Co-sponsored by Canyon Courier and My Mountain Town
35 persons in attendance
Candidates in attendance (in alphabetical order): Dominique Devaney, Debra MacPhee, Chuck Newby, Todd Wagner, Sharon Woods
Candidate not in attendance: Shannon Peterson

Thank you to Angela Bassano for assistance with timing during the forum. Our gratitude to the attendees for their time and participation in our electoral process, to the candidates for stepping up to serve their district, and the Canyon Courier for collecting and organizing the questions and moderating the debate.


@0:05 Opening statements

@10:25 What experience of expertise would you bring to the Elk Creek Board, and do you have any conflicts of interest when it comes to serving on the board?

@19:45 The Elk Creek Fire Protection District is considering consolidating with the Inter-Canyon and North Fork departments, what is the biggest asset to such a merger, and what is the biggest barrier?

@29:25 Expand on the previous question. What is your opinion on whether Elk Creek should consolidate with other districts. Why or why not?

@39:00 Finding volunteers to serve as firefighters is a national issue. What can Elk Creek Fire Protection District do to recruit more volunteers?

@49:22 The Shadow Mountain Bike Park is being proposed in the Elk Creek Fire Protection District and, if approved by Jefferson County, the developers promise to have medical personnel on staff. However, it is likely the bike park will regularly use Elk Creek Fire’s emergency medical services. If elected, what will you do to help the district address balancing the bike park’s use of emergency medical services with the need to answer calls for district residents?

@58:05 Since board members have a fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers of the district, if elected what metrics would you use to determine the appropriate budget for the district, including allocation of resources?

@1:08:18 Closing statements by candidates

@1:2:15 Closing statements by Kristen Fiore, editor, Colorado Community Media