Fort Collins resident and perennial candidate Eric Sutherland successfully petitioned his way on the November ballot. Sutherland cites problems with government transparency as his main reason for running.

He claims that the County over-collected revenues from the 1997 courthouse sales tax that will be used to pay for the new County facility in downtown Loveland. In addition, he argues the construction of the building is tied to the success of a risky economic development scenario (the South Catalyst Project). Note: Sutherland is unaffiliated with a political party. Nonetheless, his decision to petition onto the ballot is likely to hurt Democratic candidate Kathy Gilliland who already facing an uphill battle in trying to unseat Republican incumbent Lew Gaiter. (Members of FCBR and LBAR will interview all 3 candidates on August 25.)