Five people have declared their candidacy for the board of directors of the Health District of Northern Larimer County. They will compete for three open seats in an election to be held May 6.

Running are Tess Heffernan, 58, retired (formerly policy and project manager at the City of Fort Collins); Michael Liggett, 63, attorney, Liggett and Johnson, P.C.; Clarissa Morisson-Heffern, 34, pharmacist; Tracy Nelson, 44, Professor and Associate Director of the Colorado School of Public Health, Colorado State University; and Rob Phillips, 48, attorney and partner, RMBA Group. All are residents of Fort Collins.

The Health District is governed by a five-person board of directors whose members are publicly elected to alternating four-year terms. Board members are elected at-large by eligible electors in the district, which encompasses the northern two-thirds of Larimer County and includes the cities of Fort Collins, Timnath, LaPorte, Livermore and Wellington. Elections are held every two years.

Voting on May 6 will take place at two polling locations in Fort Collins: the Health District main office, 120 Bristlecone Drive, and Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church, 4501 S. Lemay Ave. (corner of Lemay and Harmony), as well as by mail.

To be eligible to vote in the election, a person must be a registered voter living in the Health District; or someone who is registered to vote in Colorado and who owns, or whose spouse or civil union partner owns, taxable real or personal property within the district, regardless of whether he or she lives in the district.

Anyone wishing to vote by mail must request an Application for Absentee Ballot by contacting Gail Bridger, designated election official for the Health District, at 224-5209, or by email at gbridger@healthdistrict.org. The application also can be downloaded from the Health District website (www.healthdistrict.org/2014-election) and will be printed in the spring issue of the Health District Compass newsletter mailed to district residents in early April.

Applications for absentee ballots must be signed and returned to the Health District by Tuesday, April 29, to receive the ballot by mail. If a person wishes to pick up the ballot in person, they can return the application by 5 p.m., Friday, May 2. Applications can be returned to Gail Bridger by mail at 120 Bristlecone Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80524; by fax at (970) 221-7165; or by email (as a scanned attachment) at gbridger@healthdistrict.org.

For more information on the Health District board of directors election, call 224-5209. More election information and a downloadable application for mail-in voter ballot are available at www.healthdistrict.org/2014-election.