Wendy Sacks
Candidate for District 3 County Commissioner
Rooted in the Valley. Wendy Sacks is the Republican candidate for Eagle County Commissioner, District 3 — the seat being vacated by term-limited Democrat Jeanne McQueeney. A resident of the valley for more than 40 years, Wendy is a real estate developer and general contractor who runs her own firm, Wendy S. Sacks LLC. She lives on 35 acres north of Eagle, where she raises hay and cares for her horses, and she has been involved with local charities and community events throughout her decades here. She currently serves as treasurer of the Eagle County Conservation District board, giving her hands-on experience with land, water, and agricultural stewardship in the county.
Practical Leadership for Eagle County. Drawing on a career building and managing projects across the valley, Wendy brings a developer's eye for budgets, planning, and getting things done to the commissioner's seat. Though District 3 covers the western part of the county, the entire county votes in the race, and Wendy will face Democrat Kathleen Brendza, a Gypsum Town Council member, in the November 3 general election.
James Kellogg
Candidate for Colorado House District 26, 2026
Background and experience. James Kellogg is a Gypsum resident and engineering consultant running to represent Colorado House District 26, which covers Eagle, Routt, Moffat, and Rio Blanco counties. He has lived in Eagle County since 2019 after two decades in Garfield County, and has worked across western Colorado for nearly 30 years specializing in geotechnical, geologic, and water resources engineering. He holds a bachelor's in biology and a master's in civil engineering from Virginia Tech. He and his wife have a blended family of nine children, all local high school graduates, and he attends Vail Church in Avon. He previously served on the Silt Board of Trustees and wrote the "Right Angles" column for the Glenwood Springs Post Independent.
Why he's running. Kellogg is focused on lowering the cost of living, maintaining reliable energy, and protecting West Slope water rights. He supports cutting red tape, reforming zoning and permitting, and protecting TABOR over government mandates and subsidies. On energy, he backs an all-of-the-above strategy that preserves oil, gas, and coal jobs and opposes mandates like the Clean Heat Plan. He has pledged to defend senior water rights against Front Range diversions and to support law enforcement amid the fentanyl crisis, all under a theme of restoring responsible leadership to House District 26.
Chris Ryan
Candidate for Eagle County, (CO) Coroner, 2026
chrisryan4coroner.com
Background and experience. Chris is an attorney based in Gypsum. He began his career as a prosecutor in Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek, where he handled complex cases including homicides, vehicular homicides, and accidental deaths. After moving to the Valley, he continued prosecuting in the 5th Judicial District Attorney's office, handling cases across the spectrum—including multiple death investigations. Over those years he built a strong working relationship with Eagle County law enforcement, grounded in mutual trust and respect. After five years in prosecution, he opened Ryan Law L.L.C., a practice focused on criminal and traffic defense. Chrisryan4coroner
Why he's running. Chris frames the Coroner's office around three commitments: compassion, respect, and law. As he puts it, most citizens never know their coroner until the need knocks on their door—and he promises that when a family meets the Office of the Coroner, they'll be treated with the compassion and respect they deserve in life's hardest moments. He points to his prosecutorial experience with death investigations as direct, relevant preparation for the role, and his goal is an office that operates professionally and lawfully while putting grieving families first. Chrisryan4coroner
Christopher Buono
Candidate for Eagle County (CO) Assessor, 2026
https://buonoforeagle.com/
Background and experience. Christopher Buono brings more than 25 years of technical leadership and executive consulting across the private and public sectors, including work with IBM on public-sector clients—managing large datasets, complex systems, and teams. A Battle Mountain High School teacher and longtime Eagle County resident, he has also served on the Eagle County School District's Finance Committee and the board of a regional federally qualified health center.
Why he's running. Buono sees the Assessor's office as central to fairness in the property tax system. Under Colorado law, the office reappraises property values every two years, but it does not set tax rates or collect taxes—the state sets the assessment rate and local districts apply their mill levies to produce the bill. For Buono, the Assessor's job is simply to value property accurately and uniformly, so every taxpayer can trust the process is applied evenly.
Sheriff James Van Beek
Incumbent Candidate for Eagle County (CO) Sherriff, 2026
vanbeek4sheriff.com
Background and experience. James Van Beek is a Colorado native, U.S. Army veteran, and longtime Eagle County resident with more than three decades in public service. First elected Sheriff in 2014, he brings over 30 years of law enforcement experience and more than 34 years in uniform. Since joining the Eagle County Sheriff's Office in 1989, he has served as a patrol deputy, field training officer, detective, and law enforcement leader. His work has also reached beyond the county: nearly nine years supporting international policing efforts with the United Nations in Kosovo and as a police mentor supervisor in Afghanistan. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and a former President of the County Sheriffs of Colorado.
Why he's running. Van Beek frames his work around leadership, public safety, and trust between law enforcement and the communities it serves. As a husband, father, veteran, and longtime resident, he remains focused on keeping communities safe, promoting transparency and accountability, and ensuring Eagle County stays a place where families can thrive.
Corey Marshall
Colorado Senate, District 8 · 2026
chrisryan4coroner.com
Background and experience. Corey Marshall is a fourth-generation Coloradan whose family has farmed and ranched in this state for more than 115 years — a heritage he carries on today running Rudolph Ranch, a horse and cattle operation in Gilpin County. A builder and job creator, he founded and ran Tivoli Brewing Company, the oldest brewery in Colorado, capping a career spent helping build and grow businesses. A graduate of Columbine High School and Colorado State University, Corey and his wife raised two children in Gilpin County and are now grandparents. He has given back through the Roundup Riders’ Heritage & Trails Foundation, Little League, Cub Scouts, and his local school board, and previously ran for Gilpin County Commissioner in 2024.
Why he’s running. Corey is running because the politicians in Denver have forgotten who they work for. Decisions made under the gold dome — shutting down power plants and the jobs that come with them, forcing wolves onto working ranches, driving up the cost of living, and chipping away at rural water rights — keep landing on District 8’s mountain and rural families, who were never asked and never in the room. As he puts it: “They decided it. We paid for it. And we were never in the room.” He isn’t bankrolled by Denver lobbyists — he’s backed by neighbors, and he’s running to give District 8 a senator who fights alongside them and puts everyday Coloradans first.