Name: Ralph Shnelvar

Seat you are seeking: Boulder County Commissioner from District 1

Age: 57

Family:Married, two daughters

Occupation:Computer programmer

Hometown: Boulder

Your Web site: www.shnelvar.com

Favorite local place to hang out:Carelli's Italian Restaurant

What do you like most about living here?:The sit-down tragi-comedy performances of our elected officials.

Interests & hobbies:Photography, politics, filling out tax forms.

Favorite TV show: Two and a Half Men.

Favorite Web site:Google

People who inspired you (and how): George Washington, who, like Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus (519 BC - 430 BC?) stepped down voluntarily from a position of power (dictator for Cincinnatus and president for Washington) after winning wars for their countries against great odds. Washington fought against impossible odds to secure a better world; and I, in my own way, fight in his footsteps against impossible odds to secure a better world for my children.

How you have contributed to the community: I am a founding member of the Paper Tigers (a group devovted to open and honest elections). I have a blog on the Boulder Daily Camera ( http://www.dailycamera.com/blogs/community-blog-ralph-shnelvar/). I have successfully fought "in the background" against unnecessary taxes. I have renovated a junker of a home in Boulder and xeriscaped it and made it beautiful.

What are the biggest issues facingyour constituency now: The micro-management of Boulder's economy by people who are terrible managers.