Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty announced this week he is planning to run for reelection in 2024.
Dougherty was first elected DA of the 20th Judicial District in 2018, and oversaw the county’s legal system through the Covid-19 pandemic, which prompted courts to temporarily shut down and the county sheriff to enact more strict arrest standards to prevent the disease from spreading through the county jail.
“During the pandemic, the DA’s Office remained open and engaged in maintaining the justice system. Since then, there has been a tremendous effort to address the pandemic’s ripple effects. We have accomplished a great deal, but there is more work to be done,” Dougherty said in a news release.
Earlier this year, Dougherty decided to not press criminal charges against two City of Boulder police officers involved in a fatal shooting of a 36-year-old man. It was the city’s first fatal shooting since 2016.
Separately, County Commissioner Claire Levy announced she is seeking reelection to continue serving on the Board of County Commissioners. Levy, a former state representative, was first elected in 2020. She served on the three-person commission during the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Dec. 31, 2021 Marshall Fire, the state’s most destructive wildfire on record.
The county commissioners oversee a $594 million budget and, practically every week, award contracts for a wide range of regional services, such as mental health treatment, emergency response and transportation infrastructure.
“While that recovery is still in the forefront of my efforts, I am eager to continue working on mental and behavior health, affordable housing, economic security for low-income residents and climate change,” Levy said in a news release.