Shane Atkinson says his experiences as an educator, a policy analyst and constituent advocate for U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, and his role as legislative affairs coordinator for Larimer County, have prepared him to serve as one of three County Commissioners.
“Because I’ve worked in this office for the last three years in the policy space, I can legitimately say I will hit the ground running on day one and get to work,” Atkinson told the Estes Valley Voice in an interview last week.
Atkinson is one of three individuals who filed papers to run for the Democratic nomination for the seat held by John Kefalas, who will turn 71 this month and plans to retire at the end of his term. The other two candidates are Dan Sapienza and Lisa Chollet.
Atkinson has received the endorsement of Kefalas, who has served in the role since 2018, and Commissioner Kristin Stephens.
While Larimer County Commissioners must reside in the district they represent, Atkinson explained that the County Commissioners are elected at large and represent the whole County, not just the district in which they live.
Atkinson and his wife Hailey, their 16-year-old daughter TJ, and Scout, the family’s German Shepherd-blue heeler mix, live in District 1 which spans the northern part of Larimer County and includes the towns of Wellington, LaPorte, Livermore, Red Feather Lakes, and the northern sections of Fort Collins north of Drake Road, and stretches west to the mountains and east towards Weld County and includes rural areas and smaller communities like Buckeye, Virginia Dale, and Waverly.
A background that has led to running for office
For 13 years, Atkinson taught upper-level International Baccalaureate courses in cultural anthropology, twentieth-century European History, and a human rights elective at Cheyenne East High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
He continued to teach while attending graduate school at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. After graduation, he decided it was the right time to change his career.
In August 2021, he took a position in Neguse’s Colorado office in Fort Collins, where he gained hands-on experience working with federal agencies and saw how federal policy intersects with local governments.
In a matter of months, Atkinson found himself involved in one of the most challenging experiences of his life. The Marshall Fire began on Dec 30, 2021, and burned for three days, destroying 1,084 homes and seven commercial buildings, causing over $2 billion in damage.
As Neguse’s constituent advocate, Atkinson was the point person with the Small Business Administration, working on disaster recovery to coordinate services between FEMA and the SBA’s Disaster Assistance Program with state and local agencies. He recognized the power of both the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans as lifelines to small businesses in the Second Congressional District, including those in Estes Park that were at risk of closing without the funds to meet payroll.
Atkinson managed Neguse’s portfolios on housing, the military, and veteran affairs, and he developed and presented the concept for the VA Mental Health Internships (Mentor) Act, which expanded access to licensed civilian behavioral health providers for veterans. This was signed into law as part of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023.
When a new position as the legislative affairs coordinator in the Larimer County Manager’s office was created in 2023, Atkinson saw the role as a way to meld his experiences at the federal level with his background in public policy at the local and state level.
The job has enabled him to advocate at the statehouse for policies and programs that benefit Larimer County, as outlined in the Legislative Agenda. This document identifies the legislative priorities and initiatives at the state and national levels that the County is likely to support or oppose.
By working on policy initiatives for Larimer County over the past three years, Atkinson says he has developed a deep understanding of the issues the County faces. He believes that background gives him a leg up in stepping into the role of Commissioner and getting right to work without a long on-ramp.
In his role as the legislative affairs coordinator, Atkinson has helped to secure more than 35 amendments in the Colorado General Assembly that benefit Larimer County, including expanding access to municipal broadband in multifamily units and mobile home parks, protecting over $30 million in expiring tax increment financing revenue from the state property tax cap, and allowing counties to recover natural disaster response costs in subsequent years.
Additionally, Atkinson developed a Countywide roundtable with representatives from the federal delegation to highlight the local impact of federal dollars, partnered with the NoCo Foundation and Colorado Nonprofit Association to build capacity for nonprofits as part of the County’s 2024-2028 strategic plan, and was the County’s representative to the
Colorado Communities for Climate Action Legislative Committee, which allowed him to collaborate with local governments across Colorado on key climate policy.
Citing a bill passed by the legislature during the 2024 special session that capped property tax revenues, coupled with the state’s “dire” budget situation, and the uncertainty in federal funding, Atkinson said, “The County has to look at ways to diversify revenue outside of property taxes so that we can fund the programs and services that our residents rely on.”
If Larimer County voters were to pass a lodging tax similar to the 6E lodging tax that voters in the Visit Estes Park marketing district approved in 2022, Atkinson said it could generate between $5 and $6 million in new revenue that would help fill gaps in the Larimer County budget.
Atkinson also recognizes the importance of land use and fire mitigation in a County with a diverse blend of urban, suburban, rural, and mountain areas, as well as varying industries, including technology, oil, gas, agriculture, public spaces, and open lands that attract tourists.
Calling Larimer County a “microcosm of the state,” Atkinson said, “I think Larimer County is the best County in the state. And I know I’m biased, but if you look at all the things that make Colorado great and an amazing place, Larimer County is all of those things. And I think with only one exception, we don’t have a ski resort, right?”
Election process schedule
The Larimer County Democratic Party is scheduled to hold its caucus virtually on Thursday, March 5, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., and its delegate assembly on Saturday, March 7, from 9 a.m. to noon, also virtually.
The Colorado Democratic Primary Elections will be held on Tuesday, June 30. The primary is open to all registered Democrats and unaffiliated voters who choose to vote in the Democratic Primary.
The 2026 midterm elections will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3.