John Flerlage

John Flerlage
John Flerlage
Democratic nominee for; U.S. Representative for Colorado's 6th District
	Election date; November 2, 2010
Opponent	Mike Coffman (R)
Incumbent	Mike Coffman
Personal details
Born	January 29, 1958 (age 66); Lieutenant Colonel

John Flerlage (born 1958) is a retired

U.S. House of Representatives in Colorado's 6th congressional district. He is currently a Boeing 767 captain flying international routes for Delta Air Lines. Flerlage is a member of the Air Line Pilots Association, International, Veterans of Foreign Wars

, and the Chamber of Commerce.

Early life, education and career

Flerlage was born in Boston on January 29, 1958. His father, Stuart Q. Flerlage, Jr., was born in

University of Hawaii

.

Flerlage lived in Massachusetts, Maine, Virginia, Florida, Texas, Arizona and California during his school and Marine Corps years. While a freshman at

Air War College

.

Marine Corps career

Flerlage served 22 years in the Marine Corps before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel from the

Bosnia, and in 1996, he was chosen to fly the Hornet aboard the USS George Washington (CVN-73)

in the first Marine Reserve carrier qualifications to be held in over fifteen years.

Political career

Flerlage has been active in local (Jefferson County) politics, serving at the precinct (PCP) and house district level (Treasurer HD 28). He has also volunteered on local, congressional, and presidential campaigns. Flerlage is currently a member of the leadership team of the South JeffCo Democrats. In 2008, he was elected as a Barack Obama delegate to the Jefferson County, CD 6 and Colorado State Conventions.

2010 U.S. House of Representatives campaign

Flerlage challenged Republican incumbent Mike Coffman for the seat. Also running were Libertarian nominee Rob McNeally and Independent Michael S. Kearns. Mike Coffman defeated John Flerlage in the general election.

Personal life

He and his wife, Helena, a naturalized citizen from Sweden, moved to old Littleton in Arapahoe County in 1995 and then to their home in south Jefferson County in 1997. He has volunteered regularly at the schools of his three children: David (21), who graduated from Columbine High School and now attends Columbia University; Lisa (17), currently a junior at Columbine; and Karl (11). Flerlage played varsity hockey in high school and college and continues to play on a local adult team. He particularly enjoys coaching hockey. He started the Columbine Hockey Club and later became a high school coach at Columbine when that school formed a CHSAA (varsity) hockey team. Flerlage is a Level 5 coach with USA Hockey and is also a member of the Colorado Governor's Council for Physical Fitness [1].

References

An early start: South Jeffco Democrat eager to face off with Coffman in CD6^{[permanent dead link]}, Columbine Courier, March 10, 2009
Democrat seeks to unseat Coffman^{[permanent dead link]}, The News Press, February 10, 2010
Interview with David Sirota, AM 760, Denver, Colorado, September 15, 2009
Endorsement from regional newspaper, Aurora Sentinel, October 13, 2010
Dem puts up fight in GOP-heavy district, Denver Post, October 4, 2010
Flerlage/Coffman debate, Colorado Public Television, KBDI 12, October 8, 2010
Your Show-Congressional candidate John Flerlage interview 9News.com KUSA, September 5, 2010
South Jeffco's Flerlage touts his fiscal approach, Columbine Courier, October 12, 2010
Flerlage/Coffman debate, Colorado Election 2010, CD6 with Aaron Harber, KCDO Channel 3, October 17, 2010
Tim Danahey Show- interview with Flerlage, Castle Rock Radio, October 27, 2010

External links

John Flerlage for Congress official campaign site
Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
Profile at Vote Smart
Campaign contributions at
OpenSecrets.org