BY FREDA MIKLIN
GOVERNMENTAL REPORTER
Bob Roth is running for Arapahoe County Commissioner district four in November. He hopes to replace Nancy Jackson, current Chair of the Board of County Commissioners, who is term limited. Roth is opposed by U.S. Navy veteran and small business owner Lesley Summey.
Photo by Freda Miklin
We sat down with Roth on September 6 to talk about his goals in this race. Roth told us, “I hear it from all kinds of people, they are concerned about public safety. We have to give our police officers all the necessary resources to keep our neighborhood schools and businesses safe.” Roth said he believes that the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s office is understaffed.
He pointed out that since Arapahoe County does not have a county manager, the day-to-day management of the county’s operating departments is the responsibility of the elected commissioners. As a result, if he is elected, he would be assigned management of several state departments. Roth described his management style as, “I would take their thoughts and recommendations and bring them back to the whole board of county commissioners for a vote on it.”
The conversation turned to homelessness. Roth said, “We really need to come up with the regional response for homelessness, rather than city by city.”
Roth brought up the Arapahoe County Jail, which he described as the county’s biggest infrastructure challenge, noting the 2019 failed vote to fund a new jail with a sales tax. Roth believes a new jail is needed, but would first, “tear the budget apart and first see where we can find money in the current budget.” If that isn’t enough, he would try to find available federal funds to “close the gap.” If that doesn’t work or it still leaves a shortfall, Roth would support a sales tax if it had a sunset date.
Roth was born in Leadville, but grew up in Los Angeles. He attended Los Angeles Baptist College for a few years, and eventually settled in Aurora in 1999, where he decided he wanted to get involved in government. He volunteered on three different citizens boards in Aurora before running for city council. Roth explained, “I ran for Aurora City Council in 2009 but didn’t win. Then there was a vacancy in 2010 (when Council Member Sue Sandstrom was elected Arapahoe County Treasurer) and I was appointed, then had to run ten months later to keep my seat.” He won that election and was re-elected in 2015. While on the Aurora City Council, he served on the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) for six years, including four in leadership, and one as chair. He also served on the executive committee of the Colorado Municipal League.
In 2019, Roth lost a bid for another term to current Aurora City Council Member Alison Coombs by 275 votes out of 15,067 cast. In 2020, he challenged incumbent State Sen. Jeff Bridges in SD26, losing that race by nearly 24 points.
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