Jeffco Commissioner Don Rosier is resigning from the Board of County Commissioners in early January to serve as general manager of the Sterling Ranch Community Authority Board, the county announced Wednesday afternoon.

Rosier was elected commissioner of District 3, which includes South Jeffco, in 2010. He was re-elected in 2014. He is term-limited in 2018.

According to the county, the vacant position will be filled per state statute by the vacancy committee of the Jefferson County Republican Party.

“I still have a lot to do here,” Rosier said on Wednesday. “I won’t officially make the transition until the first part of January; so for me, it’s business as usual. ... I’m doing what I was elected to do and still making sure that everything is moving along.”Sterling Ranch is a 3,400-acre mixed-use community in Douglas County, south of Chatfield Lake. Once its planned nine villages are complete in 20 years, it will house an estimated 33,000 residents and feature a town center with commercial space, schools, recreation facilities and parks.

While most of the community already has been designed, Rosier said that, as general manager, he will be like a city manager for a community that hasn’t been built yet — coordinating all utilities and special districts, and working with the builders and Douglas County.

“It was the right opportunity at the right time,” he said of the position with Sterling Ranch. “I would’ve had to start looking for a new job pretty soon.”

Sterling Ranch representatives are eager to have Rosier’s public- and private-sector management experience.

Rosier said his family and friends have been very supportive of the change, and that he plans to remain active in the South Jeffco community.

“(Jeffco residents) have allowed me to represent them for a little over seven years and it’s been an absolute pleasure to serve as county commissioner,” he said. “... This has been a great honor and a privilege, and I’ve learned a lot.”

File photo Don Rosier

Filling the vacancy

By law, the Jefferson County Republican Party has 10 days from Rosier’s resignation, which is scheduled for on or around Jan. 1, to fill his seat.

Because Rosier is a Republican, the responsibility falls to his party; it would be the same situation with the Democrats if that party held the seat, said Joe Webb, chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party.

The vacancy committee is made up of seven members. It already has started the search for candidates, Webb said.

“We want to have the new commissioner ready to go as soon as possible,” Webb said, clarifying that only registered Republicans who live in District 3 are eligible.

After a period for accepting applications, the committee will narrow the candidates and interview the finalists. Webb said the committee is unsure whether there will be an opportunity for the public to meet the candidates or hear them speak.

The individual the committee selects will fill Rosier’s seat for the remainder of his term. Rosier clarified that if the individual wants to seek a full term afterward, he or she would have to run for office in 2018.

For anyone interested in applying or for more information, visit https://www.jeffcorepublicans.com.

Contact reporter Corinne Westeman at 303-350-1043 or cwesteman@evergreenco.com, and follow her on Twitter @cwesteman.