Name: Martha Karnopp

Seat you are seeking: Arapahoe County Commissioner, District 3

Age: 62

Family: Husband Jim, 2 daughters, 1 son, 1 stepson, 1 stepdaughter, 3 grandsons

Occupation: attorney in private practice

Hometown: Aurora has been my home for 30 years. I was born in Denver and grew up in Lander, Wyoming.

Your Web site:www.karnopp4commissioner.com

Favorite local place to hang out: home

What do you like most about living here?: Our friends, our church, the weather, and the many things there are to do.

Interests & hobbies: Reading, volunteering, arts and crafts

Favorite TV show: Northern Exposure

Favorite Web site: I have a long list of "favorites" but I look at the Old Faithful webcam most often.

People who inspired you (and how): Sam Daley-Harris, who started RESULTS and helped me become an active citizen and advocate for the end of poverty; Eleanor Roosevelt, whose commitment to a better world helped her work through her fears and self-perceived limitations; John Denver, for his beautiful expression of his commitment to the world in his music and life.

How you have contributed to the community: I have served on the 18 th Judicial District Nominating Commission, the County Ethics Committee, the County Citizens Budget Review Committee. I have served on the Aurora Chamber Public Affairs Committee for several years. I have been a member of the Aurora Bar Association, serving as secretary-treasurer, and the Colorado Bar Association, serving as secretary to the Solo/Small Firm Section. When my children were small, I served as a Girl Scout troop leader and fund raiser. I have been a group leader, partner and volunteer with RESULTS, a grassroots advocacy group to build the political will to end hunger and poverty, for over 15 years. I have volunteered in several capacities for Mile Hi Church. I have been a volunteer with the Hunger Project and Beyond War.I have also been active with the Arapahoe County Democrats for many years.

What are the biggest issues facing your constituency now: 1. Long-term planning for growth, particularly in the eastern area of the county where water resources are limited. 2. Maintaining government services in a declining economy. The needs of our most vulnerable citizens and costs of government are simultaneously increasing, and county income based on property values is likely to decline. 3. The adequacy of our court and jail facilities for the administration of justice. 4. Cooperation between the county government and the 13 incorporated cities, 9 school districts and 300 special districts within the county. 5. Improvement of county employee morale through more efficient performance management.

See my website for videos of me discussing my visions for the county.