Two seek Democratic nomination for state senate

By Dan MacArthur
North Forty News

Two Democrats are competing for their party's pick to seek election to the state Senate District 15 seat.

The far-flung district surrounds Fort Collins and encompasses LaPorte, Wellington, Livermore, Red Feather Lakes, Loveland, Berthoud and much of the unincorporated areas extending into the mountains and foothills.

Republican Kevin Lundberg represents the district now. He was appointed to fill the vacancy created when former senator Steve Johnson was elected Larimer County commissioner. A former state representative, Lundberg is seeking election to a full term.

Richard Ball

The fourth-generation Lovelander says he could no longer sit on the sidelines, especially after being heavily recruited by former state legislators, Republican Bill Kaufman and Democrat Stan Matsunaka.

Ball said he believes that economic recovery depends on an education system that supports and invests in children. "I oppose radical policies that attack our public education system," he stated.

The community also must come together, Ball said, "to protect our air, water and natural resources from threats such as uranium mining."

Ball is the scion of pioneer entrepreneurs who settled in Loveland in 1889 and the son of revered district court judge Conrad Ball. An attorney and currently senior vice president of First Western Trust Bank, he also has been a small-business owner, real estate broker and business development officer during his 40-year career.

Ball said he supports "common sense policies that will create more jobs by improving our transportation system, supporting green-collar job growth, promoting rail transit options, making our school buildings safer and more energy-efficient, and giving local communities access to Clean Energy loans to retrofit homes and increase property values."

He has served on more than a dozen local charities over the years and currently serves on the board of Pathways Hospice of Larimer County.

Torsten Eckstein

Forever marked by his life of repression and poverty growing up in communist East Germany, Torsten Eckstein is running to maintain the American dream of personal freedom and opportunity that attracted him here in 1995.

"I will work tirelessly to balance the state budget, fully fund education that works, promote small businesses and job creation, and honor Colorado's tradition of freedom and democracy," he stated.

His microbiological research at Colorado State University has resulted in diagnostic tests for the cattle industry that he makes available through his small business, Eckstein Diagnostics.

Inspired by his mother's determination to become a physician, Eckstein is a big believer in education. "Our Colorado schools from kindergarten all the way through higher education must be fully funded," he maintained. "These institutions are both incubators for innovation and proving grounds."

Eckstein strongly opposes the proposed Glade Reservoir north of LaPorte and uranium mining near Wellington. "The most pressing issues in our area are water use and misuse," he asserted.

The uranium mine threatens water throughout the region, he said, and Glade would seriously damage the Cache la Poudre River, one of the few rivers designated as wild and scenic.

"My approach to the looming water issue in Colorado is similar to my approach to the economy: conservation of our resources must come first," Eckstein stated.