Mayor Steve Bach and City Council have been battling since Bach took office in June 2011.
In November 2010, Colorado Springs voters approved a radical change in the City Charter by a 60-40 margin. Issue 300, a citizen-initiated charter amendment, replaced the city manager form of government with a “strong mayor” system.
The amendment, supported by an ad hoc coalition of longtime local business leaders, benefited from a sophisticated, heavily funded campaign without precedent in Colorado Springs politics. The campaign committee (“Citizens for Accountable Leadership”) raised a total of $960,739, which enabled proponents of the new form of government to wage a ferocious, credible and highly visible campaign.
More than three-quarters of the funding came from a shadowy company called “CS Governance Initiative Inc.” — apparently created for the sole purpose of funneling campaign donations from the Jenkins family, Nor’wood Development Group and related entities to the campaign committee. Other substantial contributions came from Gary Loo, Kathy Loo, Corporate Office Properties Trust, Bruce Shepard and Bob Norris.
