Democrat Schulz challenging incumbent treasurer

Jeffco treasurer candidate Larry Schulz boasts 44 years of public service — all of which he attributes to childhood allergies. Schulz, incumbent treasurer for the city of Wheat Ridge, was headed for a life in agriculture until fits of sneezing prodded him toward higher education and a career away from his family’s farm.

Emile Hallez Williams

Larry Schulz

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“I grew up on a dairy farm in southeastern Minnesota,” said Schulz, 66. “I learned about hard work there, and about honesty.”

Schulz, a Democrat, will be challenging Jeffco Treasurer Tim Kauffman, a Republican, in the November election.

Though 37 working years of his experience were served in various positions for the federal Bureau of Reclamation, Schulz has a political career dating to 2003, when he was elected to the Wheat Ridge city council. He served one term before running for treasurer in 2007, and his current term expires in 2011, though he is not term-limited.

While functions of the treasurer’s office are largely apolitical, Schulz has a few modest goals for Jefferson County. 
“I don’t see the treasurer as a party-impacted office,” he said. “It’s mainly a service function. I think there are things the treasurer could do beyond the required processing, which is mainly what that office does.

“The main thing is to have a clean operation. The goal is to be the Maytag repairman and not see nasty headlines out there about the office.”

Working closely with the federal Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program to facilitate its local operations in helping residents of low and modest income prepare tax returns is one of his ambitions. Another would be working with local banks that hold county deposits to more readily provide loans to local businesses.

“I want to encourage them, if they’re holding county deposits, to support the county,” Schulz said. “That’s important. Private businesses of all sorts depend on banks for business loans.”

Beyond that, Schulz, who said he is nearing the end of his working life, has no aspirations of moving beyond the treasurer’s office.

“This is not a steppingstone,” he said. “I want to continue (my) reputation of public service.”

Schulz, a Colorado resident since 1987, currently lives in Wheat Ridge with his wife, Nancy. He holds a degree in secondary education from St. Cloud State University and has a work history of teaching positions and various duties in the Bureau of Reclamation. One job, in which he reorganized office space at the Denver Federal Center, contributed significantly to his bargaining ability, he said.

“You really learn negotiating skills when you work with folks on their office space size,” he laughed. “We got through that. I converted that building totally to systems furniture.”

Schulz has also volunteered on a number of public boards, including the Wheat Ridge board of adjustment and Transit Alliance, an RTD advocacy group focused on FasTracks projects.

“I sort of regret I never took a job in Washington. Other than that, it’s been an interesting and varied career,” he said. “And I’m simply not ready to sit back yet, and just watch the world go by. I need to stay busy. I guess that’s sort of my denial of aging.”

Contact Emile Hallez Williams at emile@evergreenco.com or 303-933-2233, ext. 22. For updates, check www.ColumbineCourier.com.