PRESS RELEASE – Republican Abe Laydon, a two-term Douglas County Planning Commissioner and former first vice-chairman and treasurer of the Douglas County Republican Party, is one of two Republican candidates in the running for the Douglas County Commissioner District 1 seat. He made the primary ballot in June after receiving nearly 50-percent of the votes for the contested seat at the 2018 Republican General Assembly.
With David Weaver just accepting the appointment of United States Marshal for the District of Colorado, Laydon is also in the running for Weaver’s vacated Douglas County Commissioner District 1 seat. The Douglas County Republican Party’s vacancy committee will convene on Monday, April 9, 2018, at Rock Canyon High School to appoint Weaver’s replacement. If they do not receive a 50% + 1 vote, Governor John Hickenlooper will make the appointment. If appointed, Laydon will complete Weaver’s term which runs through January 2019 in addition to running for the office in the primaries.
“I am running for Douglas County Commissioner because I have a unique blend of public and private sector experience that will serve the citizens of Douglas County well,” Laydon said. A fifth-generation Coloradan born in Denver, Laydon is a 15-year land use and business attorney who has always made civic service a priority. He has been on a listening tour since the announcement of Weaver’s appointment in November 2017 and has established platforms based on what the citizens of Douglas County have said they want the County Commissioner to focus on: fiscal accountability, responsible growth, transportation infrastructure, and securing clean, abundant water supply for generations.
“I have developed, reviewed, and eliminated waste from multi-million dollar budgets for years as a member, director, or officer of several large nonprofits as well as South Denver’s largest law firm. As importantly, a County Commissioner is tasked with the tremendous responsibility of making law, executing laws, and rendering legal decisions in a quasi-judicial capacity, primarily and most importantly as they relate to land use,” Laydon explained. “As a trained senior attorney that has spent the last 15 years in land use and as a current Douglas County Planning Commissioner charged with reviewing all land use applications, conducting public hearings, and making recommendations to the County Commissioners, I believe I have the best qualifications to seamlessly step into the County Commissioner role on day one.”
Laydon is a graduate of Colorado State University and the University of Colorado. He is a member of the Denver Bar Association, the Colorado Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. Laydon is a graduate of the Leadership Program of the Rockies and serves on several charitable boards. He has also served as an officer and member of Denver Active 20-30, benefiting underprivileged youth, and the Metro Denver Board of Christian Legal Society.
Abe Laydon is married to Kimberly Laydon, the associate executive director of the Lewan Family Foundation. They reside in Lone Tree and are the proud parents of a daughter and two sons. The family attends and are members of Cherry Hills Community Church.
