March 3, 2016
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Commissioner helps drive economic growth Term-limited Jill Repella unsure of next step By Shanna Fortier sfortier@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Douglas County Commissioner Jill Repella is in the last year of her second term as commissioner for District 3. Courtesy photo
Jill Repella, a Douglas County commissioner in the last year of a two-term run and a former candidate for Colorado lieutenant governor, never planned on taking the political road. Over the past eight years, Repella has focused on creating a businessfriendly environment that has generated new jobs and on being an ambassador for the 16th-fastest growing county in the country. And though she has not yet revealed her
next step, some colleagues say she should stay in politics. “We can talk about parks and bike trails and open space all you want, but when you’re talking about a family and they are trying to put food on a the table…. the quality of life begins with jobs,” said Jack Hilbert, a former Douglas County commissioner who served alongside Repella from 2008-13. “That’s why Jill was unbelievable — she really gets the relationship between government and economic development and where to focus.” Repella, 51, a Republican, is leaving the three-member commissioner board because of term limits. “Politics was never something that I envisioned myself going into,”
she said, while sitting recently in a conference room at the Douglas County Sheriff’s substation in Highlands Ranch. “But I’m very much a problem solver and I think that problem-solving thinking is what led to a lot of success.” Repella was working in commercial architecture and architectural design in San Diego when she decided to move back to Colorado in 1994 to raise her children in Highlands Ranch, where she has remained since. “I felt the family values were pretty strong in Colorado,” she said, “and that’s the environment I wanted to raise my kids in.”
Repella continues on Page 6
Teens: Give us choice to opt out of P.E. classes Students in sports and activities would be eligible for waiver
By Mike DiFerdinando mdiferdinando@coloradocommunitymedia.com Some high school students who participate in sports and other activities that require physical exertion would like to opt out of taking physical education classes and replace them with academic classes of their choice. The Douglas County School District’s Student Advisory Group presented the proposal at the Feb. 16 board of education meeting. The district requires high school students to take two physical education classes, a total of one credit, to graduate. Health classes can be taken for half of those required credits. “P.E. waivers have already been Opt out continues on Page 9
Simone Higgins adds a stroller to her Saturday morning run with the Castle Rock Moms Run This Town group. Photo by Shanna Fortier
Running group encourages women Moms/She Runs This Town chapter launched in January
MORE INFORMATION The Castle Rock Chapter of Moms/ She Runs This Town relies heavily on its Facebook page to reach members. For more information on the group’s happenings, or to join the group, visit www.facebook.com/groups/castlerockrunsthistown.
By Shanna Fortier sfortier@coloradocommunitymedia.com
PLAYOFF ACTION Local high school basketball teams compete in the state tournament. PAGE 18
Running clothes were the connector when Tracy Manning and Monica Kopp, both relatively new to Castle Rock, met while picking up their children at school. In no time, they became running buddies. But they wanted to expand their circle. “Selfishly, I wanted to meet other ladies,” said Kopp, who moved to Castle Rock from Chicago in July. Seeing women running in their neigh-
borhoods, the two knew more women could benefit from meeting other runners. That’s when Manning remembered Moms Run This Town, a group she was involved in while living in Atlanta. The
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group, founded in 2011, is a free club targeting women runners that offers online support, inspiration and encouragement through social media. The club has local chapters in more than 700 cities throughout the United States and Canada. Manning tried to connect with the Douglas County chapter that was already established, but had scheduling issues with the run times. She reached out to women through that Facebook page and received an overwhelming response from women in the Castle Rock area with interest in running more. That’s when she and Kopp decided to
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Running continues on Page 9