Lang Sias
If there was ever a more deserving candidate ripe for House District 27, it was pilot Lang Sias, who, over the weekend, received his boarding pass to represent the district and replace Libby Szabo. Szabo’s last day as a State Representative was on Thursday as she was sworn into her new role as a Jefferson County Commissioner on Friday. Sias is perhaps best known for his previous campaigns for U.S. House of Representatives in the Seventh Congressional District in 2010, and for State Senate in 2012 and 2014.
In this instance, Sias ran against mortgage banker Christine Jensen for the nod from the 15-person vacancy committee chaired by Denise Mund. Jensen and Sias were the two finalists whittled down from 11 applicants. Despite competition for the seat, Lynn Bartels reported that Jensen joined the celebration for the newly minted State House Rep:
Class act. Christine Jensen loses to @LangSias for HD 27 vacancy, still goes to the celebration party at a nearby restaurant. #coleg
— Lynn Bartels (@lynn_bartels) January 31, 2015
Sias is a commercial air pilot with FedEx and a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard. He is a decorated combat veteran of both Gulf Wars. He was a lawyer with Cooley LLP, where he helped entrepreneurs and small business owners commercialize innovation and technology. Upon entering the military in 1986, Sias was a Navy FA-18 pilot and served multiple deployments during Operation Desert Storm. He attended the Navy’s TOPGUN school, where he later served as a training officer. In the second Iraq War, he served as a ground-based forward air controller and commanded a unit of forward air controllers. Sias has guest lectured at West Point. In other words, super impressive.
Lang holds a law degree University of Michigan Law School, an masters degree. from the London School of Economics and a B.A. from Vassar College. Sias and his wife have lived in Arvada for 12 years and have three children aged 10, six, and four.