Two primary candidates in District 5 are hoping to be the first Democrat elected to the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners in more than 50 years.

Yolanda Avila is a former criminal defense investigator who served as the District 4 Colorado Springs City Councilmember until last year. Christian Seale is a community organizer with leadership ties to the El Paso County Young Democrats.

The two candidates will appear on the June 30 Democratic primary ballot, which will decide who faces the Republican candidate this November. Incumbent Lauren Nelson is running against former GOP chair Vickie Tonkins in the Republican primary.

This year’s El Paso County primary ballot includes two county commission districts and several county offices, as well as a cluster of major state and federal races. Ballots were mailed out last week.

Both Seale and Avila said they believed the 2023 redistricting process has made District 5, which encompasses central Colorado Springs, more competitive.

“A Democrat had a chance to win that seat after over 53 years of it being one-party rule,” said Avila.

Avila has so far raised about $50,000 in contributions, according to campaign finance records. Seale has raised about $19,000.

Boosting public transportation, preserving subsidized child care and supporting the economic revitalization of southeast Colorado Springs are on the platforms of both candidates.

Seale said he was a pro-union candidate and would advocate for a higher county minimum wage at “a steady increase that keeps up with inflation.” As a commissioner, he would seek to divert some funding from the county’s public safety sales tax out of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office to fund programs such as emergency shelters, mental health crisis response and homelessness outreach.

“They’re handing it over to the Sheriff’s Office, and that doesn’t leave us safer; that doesn’t build the economy,” he said.

Seale said he would advocate for more services in the southeast part of the county.

“The economy in the southeast has been neglected for a very long time,” he said.

He said he would push for more nighttime bus service and the realization of the Front Range Passenger Rail project.

Avila said she would “hit the ground running” as a commissioner, building on her work on City Council. She said she was concerned about backsliding on suicide prevention and equity policies from the El Paso County Board of Public Health.

“I’m very concerned that our public health is in jeopardy,” she said.

Avila said that improving transportation access is an issue that would carry over from her time on council.

“Since then, transportation has improved, but it’s still so far away,” she said.

As a commissioner, Avila said she would focus on improving transportation access among municipalities in El Paso County, including for rural communities. She said she would also advocate for better transparency policies for the board of commissioners.

“The feeling is that the commissioners do everything behind closed doors,” she said.