The Maverick Observer emailed 10 Mayoral Survey questions to the candidates vying for the mayor position in Colorado Springs. We received answers from Sallie Clark, Andrew Dalby, Darryl Glenn, Longinos Gonzalez, Christopher Mitchell, Yemi Mobolade, Tom Strand, and Wayne Williams. Lawrence Martinez emailed us answers to a different survey. His answers were not included. We did not receive answers from Jim Miller, Kallan Reece Rodebaugh, and John Tig Tiegen. The Maverick Observer is not supporting or endorsing a specific Mayoral candidate. We asked the questions in hopes of informing and educating our community.
Q1: What are the biggest issues facing the city? As Mayor, how will you address these issues?
Sallie Clark: My top three priorities are public safety, reducing homelessness and championing affordable housing. I will engage residents, community and business leaders in setting measurable objectives for our city’s future. Our City will develop short, medium, and long-term goals and publish a four-year road map. We will assess current staffing, budget, and financial forecasting to streamline and make improvements. We will engage city departments to address challenges with a priority on customer service. Having worked at all levels of government and as a small business owner, I will use my skillset as a small-business owner, military wife, councilmember, county commissioner, president of a national organization and state executive director for a federal agency, to leverage resources and address our city’s complex needs. It’s about preserving our quality of life: safe neighborhoods, wildfire preparedness, roads and transportation, parks and open space and a responsible/transparent government.
Andrew Dalby: I am a small government conservative. You can disagree with me at other levels, but the fact is that city government is completely unnecessary. Black Forest might not be your cup of tea, but it isn’t an uninhabitable wasteland. Nevertheless, even though everything the city does is either something you could do yourself, or a duplication of effort, when we live close together economies of scale mean that certain tasks are more efficient and effective when done collectively. The only legitimate functions of city government are Public Safety, Public Works, and Public Parks. Short term, the biggest issue facing the city is crime. Colorado leads the nation in auto and catalytic converter thefts, is number two in fentanyl deaths, and Colorado Springs has been setting records in the number of homicides. Even though Colorado Springs residents are extremely supportive of our public safety officers, our politicians have shown they are willing to betray them to score political points. I will staff up our Police and Fire departments and let them know they have the city’s backing. Long term, water is life. The Colorado River basin is at historic lows and without sufficient water, the city will die. The recent water ordinance is the wrong way to solve the problem. It doesn’t address the actual issues because it was never intended to. It is an attempt by the largest developer in town to establish a monopoly, and as soon as it is in his best interest, the ordinance will be reversed. Instead, new developments should be responsible for obtaining the water needed for the additional housing regardless of when they were annexed into the city.
Darryl Glenn: The biggest issue facing this community is fixing our growing crime problem. My goal is to make Colorado Springs the safest city in the nation. I believe this focus will prove to be the most crucial factor in the attraction, expansion, and retention of our businesses and workforce development.
Longinos Gonzalez: My priorities for Colorado Springs are improving Public Safety, roads and infrastructure, and addressing the water and growth/housing concerns for our great city. Of those, our Public Safety and the water/housing concerns are the two most pressing issues while upgrading and maintaining our roads is an ongoing and important issue. I believe that public safety is the government’s #1 job and that every resident should feel safe in their neighborhood and their home. The city’s homicide numbers increased 22% last year and our last chief of police acknowledged call response time and dropped calls issues. Our community deserves excellence in meeting critical service needs. To accomplish this, I will ensure we address our police staffing shortages with better retention and recruiting, reverse the increasing crime rates locally, and improve the city’s call response times. Additionally, we need to address long-term concerns over water and our population growth. I’ll sponsor a review with stakeholders to develop a city and regional strategic water plan. And, by making data-driven, smart growth decisions we can take advantage of infill areas of the city and strategically plan projects near existing infrastructure and essential services (such as fire and police stations, as well as access to utilities/water) that help keep costs down. When properly planned and with public input, smart growth decisions will take advantage of available services, promote efficiencies, and help keep housing costs down. One thing that needs to be better reviewed is the recently adopted water rule that seemed to have been pushed through with poor transparency and potentially on the behalf of one developer who drafted the rule and potentially benefits the most from its passage as it appears to give that developer a de facto monopoly over long-term, large-scale development in the city.
Christopher Mitchell: Growth: Formulate and implement a set of pro-resident, “Graduated Growth Planning” policies with respect to Land Use, Development, and Infrastructure. Community: Formulate and implement a set of “Clean City” policies addressing trash cleanup, open space conservation, homeless populations, and gang violence (urban warfare). Public Safety: Reduce workforce deficits in Public Safety, improve occupational development, and increase service coverage (staffing and equipment).
Yemi Mobolade: I have attended more than 60 meet and greets and my campaign knocked on over 8,000 doors and the consistent questions that I am hearing include:
● Are my family and my neighborhood safe?
● Do we have the infrastructure to keep up with our rapid growth?
● Can I afford to live in this city?
Therefore, my top three priorities as mayor are:
- Safety – Protect our families and keep our neighborhoods safe, as well as prevent and end homelessness.
- Infrastructure – Bring housing within reach for all Colorado Springs residents and ensure Colorado Springs has the water resources for today and tomorrow.
- Economic Vitality – Build a business-friendly city and create a future-ready workforce. I am running for Mayor because Colorado Springs needs my leadership. The stakes are high, therefore a great type of leadership is needed. To solve our safety, infrastructure, and economic challenges, Colorado Springs needs a leader who can both navigate the difficult social, political and cultural challenges of our times and bring the best leaders together to solve our city’s toughest problems. I am a triple-strength candidate with proven leadership in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, and have a proven track record of assembling the best talents and leadership of our city. I have repeatedly unified our residents around a common purpose, and successfully elevated residents, small businesses, and entrepreneurs to economic security.
Tom Strand: Public Safety: CSPD, CSFD, and Emergency Management Services. We need to recruit and retain sworn Police Officers to the level of 820 asap. We do that by creating a regional Police College supported by local Universities and Colleges. Also, begin continuous CSPD Academy classes in July. We encourage all citizens to thank our First Responders at every opportunity. For CSFD, we need more EMTs and social workers to deal with 80% of all service calls. Emergency Management Services require more staff ( 15% increase) and modern equipment to support wildfires and floods and to coordinate our Zone evacuation procedures. Affordable Housing: Apply and gain more Federal and State HUD and other grant funding to incentivize private developers and builders to provide 4000 housing units in the next twelve months. These would be smaller lots, tiny homes, duplexes and one-bedroom, multi-unit apartments. Economic Development Jobs. Attract 5000 new and expanded $ 40,000+ jobs in the next 12 months, by working directly with the Chamber of Commerce and EDC, and private enterprise and non-profit organizations.
Wayne Williams:
- Public Safety. I am dedicated to providing Colorado Springs Police and Firefighters with the personnel, training, tools and resources necessary to keep our neighborhoods, businesses and schools safe. As a council members, we obtained voter approval to fund fire mitigation and adopted our city’s first fire evacuation ordinance. I will continue my work with state and local agencies to enhance wildfire preparedness and mitigation.
- Since joining the city council, we’ve added positions for 62 new police officers, and 66 firefighters and funded 3 new fire stations, moved to a continuous police academy and established a public safety fee to make sure new development pays their fair share. As mayor, I will ensure our public safety needs are prioritized.
- Infrastructure (Roads, Water, Parks). Time spent in traffic gridlock is time lost with friends and family. It also has an adverse impact on our economy. That’s why I’ve championed road and infrastructure projects, including the widening of I-25 and the creation of the Pikes Peak RTA.
- As Chair of Colorado Springs Utilities, I helped create a developer-paid $5,800 per home water resource fee that goes into a separate fund to acquire new water rights. And we’ve reached agreements in the Arkansas Valley to upgrade farmers’ irrigation systems and buy the water we save – 3,000-acre feet acquired and entered a framework for 15,000-acre feet (enough for 100,000 users). For the first time, we’ve adopted specific protections for Colorado Springs residents, ensuring a buffer exists so that we have the necessary water for our future.
- During my four years on City Council, we’ve added over a thousand acres of parks and open space. And we added more than a thousand acres for El Paso County when I served as a County Commissioner. I helped refer the TOPS extension to the voters and I support its passage.
- Economic Vitality. I am committed to preserving a low tax burden for our residents while delivering economic growth to our city through business development and recruitment, as well as public/private partnerships and investments. I’m honored to be a past recipient of the Chamber’s Regional Leader of the Year Award and now serve on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Springs Chamber and Economic Development Corporation.
Q2: What is the number one challenge facing the next Mayor when it comes to the management of the city and working with the City Council?
Sallie Clark: Establishing a good working relationship with City Council is paramount. As Mayor, I will ensure that Council has complete and accurate information which in turn will help them make good decisions and direct city staff to be available for their questions and needed details on issues.
Andrew Dalby: The next Mayor will need to be strong enough to run a tight ship and demand excellence from the many departments of the city government, while being collaborative with City Council to get the budget passed and essential services funded. Mayor Bach was strong, and Mayor Suthers was collaborative, and as the third strong Mayor in Colorado Springs history, I will be both.
Darryl Glenn: Our city government must become leaner and more efficient without raising taxes. My plan involves reallocating funds away from services that are best performed by the private sector, reinvesting those funds into strengthening our core services and building our emergency reserves.
Longinos Gonzalez: Proposing a fiscally responsible annual budget in a year when we may be entering a recession, and maintaining effective dialogue and collaboration between our offices. I have the experience to be able to get things done, have a demonstrated fiscally conservative record, and can best address our city’s priorities. As mayor, I will take a long, hard look at the budget to identify if there are areas of excess or waste and work with the council to ensure we have an efficient budget proposal that prioritizes our core functions and that we are good stewards of taxpayer funds. With a potential recession looming, and costs rising, developing and submitting an efficient budget will be the biggest challenge but is one I believe I can best handle.
Christopher Mitchell: Growth management (see Question #4).
Yemi Mobolade: The three primary responsibilities of your next Mayor pertain to Public Safety, Public Works and Public Parks. But there is a fourth “public” focus which is the number one challenge facing the next Mayor, namely Public Leadership. Leadership matters, especially given that overall public trust in government has fallen to “near historic lows.” I see immense opportunity, through courageous, compassionate, integrous, accessible, and transparent leadership, to restore public trust in local government and City Council. Addressing the growth pains related to safety, water, and zoning, requires a leader with more than the right ideas, it requires the right leadership, experience, and a leader that is trustworthy. In addition to my seasoned experience bringing diverse communities together to solve tough problems, I live the same experiences as the residents I desire to serve; I am not a career politician. I will look at the issues with “fresh eyes” and facilitate civil and productive conversations that will move our community forward.
Tom Strand: Will be to consolidate our 2800 employees now in multiple Divisions into a single and laser-focused Team providing more efficient and measured service to our entire population. With City Council, we must clearly define Council legislative functions and Mayor Executive duties to appreciate each other’s responsibilities and complement better and more effective service delivery.
Wayne Williams: The city budget. Just like our families need to make important budget decisions to operate within their means, so does our city government. As mayor, I will work with City Council to continue to operate with a balanced budget and a healthy reserve that will allow us to withstand any future crisis. I will ensure that public safety and transportation infrastructure remain priorities in the next budget.
Q3: How large, population-wise, do you want Colorado Springs to be?
Sallie Clark: We cannot limit the number of people who want to move here because it’s truly a magnificent place to live. The key is good advanced planning for development. The city must prepare for growth and assure that our road corridors are consistent with good pre-planning, our public safety resources are adequate and supported and our quality of life for residents is maintained and improved.
Andrew Dalby: Colorado Springs is an order of magnitude larger than it was when I was born here. My business is located on land my father bought a half-century ago when it was miles outside the borders of the city. While I have personally become wealthy due to the growth of the city, and there are many more places to spend money than there were when I was a kid, it is not all positive. There used to be more freedom, more community, and more opportunity. Housing was affordable and crime was negligible. Growth is necessary to continue to thrive, but I don’t want Colorado Springs to become Denver. If I wanted to live in Denver, I’d move there. Unfortunately, many of our local politicians seem to have Denver envy.
Darryl Glenn: TBD but our growth should be based on our ability to maintain an adequate water supply and our ability to provide core services like public safety etc.
Longinos Gonzalez: I understand that we do need to grow, but I don’t want us to become Denver, so I oppose unconstrained growth and development. Additionally, addressing housing costs and long-term growth is one of my stated top three general priorities (separate from a budget issue) so we need to identify what is a good balance to growth. To identify and balance those growth needs and concerns, I have already called for stakeholder meetings that include the city, county, and residents to develop a city and regional strategic growth and water plan. I believe that by making data-driven, growth decisions we can take advantage of infill areas of the city and strategically plan growth areas to our east near essential services, such as fire and police stations, and utilities, that reduce new infrastructure costs and helps keep housing costs down. I want us to be able to retain the character and heritage of our Pikes Peak region.
Christopher Mitchell: As Mayor, the first order of business is to slow the growth rate and introduce a consolidation phase according to the tenets of “Graduated Growth Planning.” Subsequently, in the consolidation phase, the City will evaluate growth goals, including population, before the next growth phase according to “Graduated Growth Planning. “ See Question 4.
Yemi Mobolade: More than the size of our city, I am running for mayor to help ensure we are growing responsibly and intelligently. And as we grow, I will lead in a way to ensure we protect our beloved quality of life, while remaining true to the spirit and culture of Colorado Springs.
Tom Strand: Colorado Springs population is about maxed out for the next 4 years at approximately 500,000 for our public safety and infrastructure capacity and capabilities. Additional growth will bring in additional funding but must be carefully managed.
Wayne Williams: I do not support population quotas.
Q4: Colorado Springs is continuing to grow, but we are struggling with infrastructure to support the sprawl – how do you balance growth with needed infrastructure?
Sallie Clark: Just like our own household budget, the city should not grow outside our means to provide services. While we cannot stop people from moving here, we can assure that over-densification does not have long-lasting impacts on crime, road systems, fire and emergency response and utility needs. Smart growth planning will ensure that current residents are not sacrificed for new development.
Andrew Dalby: Different people have different needs and wants. I live on an acre and enjoy having the space. Others prefer renting an apartment or would like to live in a townhome or high rise. A car is a necessity where I live now, but I commuted by bike for years. The city should allow people to live as they desire without having to beg permission from the city council. The zoning scheme in place neither protects property values nor allows for reasonable development. Unfortunately, the city council gets involved in every minute decision trying to play Solomon, but since they aren’t actually particularly wise, they actually end up cutting the baby in half. Instead, we should de-zone the city, and cede development rights in trust to each neighborhood. That way the people affected by the development would be the ones voting on it, and they would recoup the economic value of the development. The only role the city should play is ensuring that all residents have adequate city services including water, police and fire, and evacuation routes.
Darryl Glenn: My plan involves reallocating funds away from services that are best performed by the private sector, reinvesting those funds into strengthening our core services and building our emergency reserves. This plan will implement a more balanced infrastructure improvement plan for our streets, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, and parks. Our older neighborhoods will be elevated to the same standard as our newer developments.
Longinos Gonzalez: I believe we can best address those concerns by making smart growth decisions that take advantage of stakeholder and public input and utilizes infill areas of the city and strategically planned growth areas to our east near essential services, such as fire and police stations, and utilities, and existing infrastructure. This will lower the overall amount and cost of needed new infrastructure which in turn will help keep housing costs and sprawl down.
Christopher Mitchell: Currently, growth is completely mismanaged. I subscribe to “Graduated Growth Planning,” which defines the multivariate trend lines and the inter-relationships to the components of growth management (e.g. infrastructure, service coverage, natural resources, and open space conservation). “Graduated Growth Planning” is a customized growth management and projection model based on growth consolidation dynamics, minimizing compartmentalization and maximizing stability. Before “affordability,” there has to be “stability.” “Affordable Housing” is a term marshaled and misapplied primarily by housing developers who peddle false hope to the City of Colorado Springs rather than focusing on “Stability in Housing.” I am against the short-sighted and disjointed development policies of high-density urbanization supported by the Department of Planning and Development and Housing Developers. I will be a Mayor for the residents first. The City of Colorado Springs belongs to the residents; it does not belong to developers who bring ill-conceived development plans and methods to this community.
Yemi Mobolade: Growth is inevitable. The question is not whether Colorado Springs will grow; that has already been decided for us. The opportunity in front of us is to decide how Colorado Springs should grow. The concern is if Colorado Springs will grow irresponsibly given that our resources are not without limits. I have performed over 60 meet and greets with our local residents and the concern I hear consistently is if Colorado Springs has the infrastructure to keep up with our increasing growth. Our city is at a turning point in its history, particularly in regard to managing our recent growth, planning for the future, and providing the necessary infrastructure in terms of water, roads, public safety, and housing. As mayor, I will promote responsible growth, guided by intelligent and sustainable principles that strengthen our city infrastructure, so we can meet existing city demand and prepare for an expanding population. As we work to build communities and neighborhoods, I will lead in a socially responsible, environmentally sustainable, and economically prosperous way. And as we make decisions around mix-land use options, diverse housing opportunities, preserving our open spaces, and connecting our roadways, I will invite public participation and welcome diverse stakeholder input. More specifically, I will steward our growth through:
- Collaborative Leadership: I will leverage my leadership experience to invite new and different leaders to the table to help move our city forward.
- Public Participation: I will invite public participation for decisions that affect neighborhoods, and I will lead in a way that serves citizen interests.
- Experts: Elevate the input of our traffic engineers, water experts, and wildfire mitigation specialists to be in step with our much-needed development plans.
Tom Strand: Ah, balancing growth, and yes sprawl, with public safety resources and infrastructure capacity is the “ secret sauce “ of a healthy, and successful future. This must be a partnership of City leadership on both sides of Nevada Avenue, and all segments of our blossoming community, private enterprise, military leadership, non-profits, faith-based and non-governmental organizations. “Please go away signage” will not work.
Wayne Williams: I have successfully championed road and water infrastructure projects, including the widening of I-25 and the Pikes Peak RTA and the establishment of new water and public safety fees for developers. Growth should pay its own way – new development must be accompanied by the necessary infrastructure to sustain it. As mayor, I will continue to fight to ensure we have adequate transportation systems, utilities, fire and police stations, and that we provide the other services needed for a growing city. Our annexation policy should be based on what is best for the residents of Colorado Springs. This means that areas should be annexed only if we have sufficient excess capacity for utilities. With respect to water, I’ve worked to add additional water resources and helped lead the fight to replace the vague “foreseeable future” standard with a new ordinance guaranteeing a 128% buffer before allowing new annexations to occur.
We also must ensure that the cost of providing utilities, public safety, and other services in the area proposed for
Q5: How can the city hire the best and attract and retain good applicants, specifically in our Public Safety positions?
Sallie Clark: From my full blog at https://sallieclarkmayor.com/blog-sallie-clark-mayor-crime-prevention/. Currently, the city is approved for 821 officers, yet of those positions, according to Colorado Springs Police Department as of February 2, 2023, there are 61 or 7% vacancies that don’t account for those on medical leave. With an attrition rate of 9.5% per year since 2018, we will never close the gap. In dispatch, the numbers are even worse. Of the 107.5 authorized, only 79 are filled with a 27% staffing shortage. No wonder we’re experiencing long wait times to report crimes and 9-1-1 dispatchers are overloaded with emergency calls and working overtime hours in a difficult job. These staffing issues have reached a critical stage. According to the Colorado Springs Police Chief’s presentation to the City Council in September of 2022, since 2018, murders have increased by 45.5%, robberies by 23.6% and aggravated assault by 19.8%, in the crimes against person category over the last four years. Motor vehicle thefts have increased by 28% since 2018. And in a recent presentation by 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen, only 8% of motor vehicle thefts are ever solved. As a community, we have to ask, is this trend ok? My answer is absolutely and unequivocally, NO. So, what is our initial step to address the rise in crime? One of my first priorities will be to engage our existing police department, learn what has been tried, and initiate new efforts. Supporting our first responders is vital, for without retention and recruitment, this will be an ongoing challenge. In addition, the recent loss of qualified immunity places officers in a position of personal liability coverage for up to 25,000 per incident and while the city discussed providing gap insurance, it’s unclear whether the mayor and council have followed through on this commitment. Fostering an ethical, diverse, and thriving police department will help us recruit and retain officers. One of the best sources of recruitment is other officers. We must consider bonuses for officers who recruit peers, retention incentives, competitive pay, and benefits in line with comparable cities, continuing education, career development, and promotional opportunities. We will ensure that officers are supported by highly trained front-line supervisors, their chain of command, the city council, and the Mayor. We will review and adopt successful strategies other police departments have used to recruit and retain officers.
Andrew Dalby: Colorado Springs is uniquely blessed in the ability to recruit and retain public safety officers, but we aren’t executing because of cowardly politicians. We have thousands of soldiers, airmen, and guardians who have the necessary training and proven dedication to serve their community. As a city of veterans, we are also the most pro-cop big city in America. However, we are being de-policed as politicians demonstrate they care more about pandering than protecting. Recently, a firefighter was involved in an incident that resulted in death. The city council voted to “save money” by denying him a legal defense. I have always been a vocal opponent of qualified immunity—no one is above the law. I don’t mind that the officer was charged with negligence—we have an independent judiciary for a reason. But a bedrock belief must also be a presumption of innocence. Pinning on a badge does not confer any moral authority, and if a public safety officer is convicted by a jury of their peers after due process of law, then they are a criminal and should be treated as one. However, unless and until convicted of a crime, neither the mayor nor the city council has a right to prejudge them and deny them an effective defense. If we ask public safety officers to put themselves in danger on our behalf, they have a right to receive our full-throated support in return.
Darryl Glenn: As Mayor, I will implement the following proactive policing plan designed to attract and retain public safety employees:
- I will be personally involved in improving public safety employee retention, recruitment, and community relations.
- There will be a renewed emphasis on arresting all criminals. I support modifying our city code to increase penalties (to include jail time) for crimes against our citizens and their property.
- I will lead a coalition to repeal legislation that makes it easier for people to commit crimes and legislation that creates personal liability for first responders lawfully performing their duties.
- I will impose a city-wide zero-tolerance policy for panhandling and violators will be arrested.
- Improving response times and protecting private property will receive greater emphasis.
Longinos Gonzalez: I will direct a review of the department, including salary and benefits, training and a leadership climate study, to identify concerns within the department. As my number #1 priority, I will ensure improvements are made, including if that requires additional budget support. I will also ensure that our police and fire departments know that they have my support and improve the morale within the departments. I will host town halls and forums to bring our community leaders, residents, and our public safety leaders together to foster greater trust and support for our department and identify areas of concern within our community. I have the most experience among candidates working with law enforcement during my many years as a counterdrug senior analyst and in my 6 years serving on the city’s Public Safety Sales Tax Oversight Committee working with the Police and Fire Chiefs. I am endorsed by the president of Colorado’s chapter of Pro Police Rally.
Christopher Mitchell: I view my service as Mayor as a personal calling and an entrusted stewardship. I believe in transparency and accountability in government. As Mayor, I will have a once-a-week, topic-driven radio show for the general public to listen to, call in, and “talk to the Mayor.” In addition, I will like to have frequent topic-driven town hall-style discussions.
Yemi Mobolade: In order to attract and retain the best applicants for our public safety positions, I will bolster recruitment and year-round training academy efforts. I will also ensure we are closing the back door to prevent early retirement and improve retention. The weight of the badge is heavy. Like being a mayor, the work of our law enforcement officers is a noble undertaking, and one of the highest callings. From my firsthand experience with ride-alongs and my conversations with law enforcement officers, I see an opportunity to boost morale and reduce burnout. As mayor, I will invest resources to boost morale through:
- Recognition for exemplary performance
- Leadership development and additional training
- Support for a healthy work-life balance
Tom Strand: Attracting and retaining the best employees, especially in the ranks of First Responders and teachers, is job # 1. Our City’s history and beauty can only help so much. It will take careful attention to reasonable and responsible pay and benefits to compete with other Cities. But affordable housing, the lowest possible utility costs, and a community that appreciates and embraces Police Officers, Firefighters, and food service employees are essential.
Wayne Williams: Changes in the law and in public attitudes have made being a law enforcement officer less desirable. I’m proud to be an appointee of Governor Jared Polis on the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board where I and my colleagues have taken a number of steps to remedy these challenges, including improving training and removing an offender’s POST certification in appropriate circumstances.
Maintaining public safety will be one my top priorities as mayor. In my four years on City Council, we have provided funding for an additional 62 police officers. It is also anticipated that our city will need add 200 more police officers by 2035 to keep up with our growth.
Like most major cities, Colorado Springs has struggled to fill our available police positions, but we are making progress. We have moved to a continuous year-round police academy and are reducing the waiting time before a new class starts. As mayor, I will make sure that we’re competitive in the recruitment process, but we will always ensure our high standards are met. I will always ensure that our police, firefighters and other first responders know how much we appreciate them and respect their service.
Q6: How do you intend to deal with the perception that the city leaders are not listening to its citizenry? The current public processes appear to be facades with outcomes already determined prior to citizen input.
Sallie Clark: Neighborhood engagement is a priority for me. I started as a neighborhood leader to save Fire Station 3 and politicians refused to provide detailed response time data and public information. The involvement of citizens is where I began in politics and it’s very important to me to change the current attitude of city government which seems to discourage citizen input. Transparency, accountability and open communication will be an everyday occurrence in my administration.
Andrew Dalby: There is a perception that city leaders are not listening to the citizenry because they aren’t. As Mayor, I’ll change the perception by changing the reality. City Council and the County Commissioners both meet in the middle of the day on Tuesday and they meet at the same time. The schedule is specifically designed to prevent you from voicing your opinion. I got into the race because when the city widened Dublin Boulevard, they were going to terminate a church’s driveway in a 10% slope directly into 40mph cross traffic. As an affected landowner, my agreement to the development plan was legally required, but I refused to let the city endanger the public in violation of the law. I spent tens of thousands of dollars on attorneys and engineers, but the city engineer didn’t care that the plan was blatantly illegal and would kill people. The situation only got resolved after I made a political donation. Because I couldn’t ethically buy a politician, I became one. I am self-funded because no one can buy me.
Darryl Glenn: My goal is to be the Mayor for everyone. Whether you’re a single mom or a CEO, everyone will be entitled to have equal influence within the city government and be entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.
Longinos Gonzalez: I absolutely agree that the city seems to be more about putting on a show about listening to residents more than actually listening to residents. Time after time, we have examples of the city not taking public input seriously. I will change the perception by actually taking our resident’s input seriously. I have a record of doing that as a County Commissioner, most recently in my vote in opposition to the Flying Horse North hotel proposal in Black Forest because of density, water, and conformity concerns. I listened to staff and residents in making my data-driven decision.
Christopher Mitchell: I view my service as Mayor as a personal calling and an entrusted stewardship. I believe in transparency and accountability in government. As Mayor, I will have a once-a-week, topic-driven radio show for the general public to listen to, call in, and “talk to the Mayor.” In addition, I will like to have frequent topic-driven town hall-style discussions.
Yemi Mobolade: I have learned firsthand from meeting with residents throughout the city that the predominant viewpoint is city leaders are not listening to the citizens of Colorado Springs. This sentiment also resonates with me and it’s why I am running for mayor. I believe our community is only as good as its government, and our government is only as good as those that serve in it. As mayor, I will ensure our neighborhoods finally have a seat at the table with decisions that impact our community. I am a leader that naturally welcomes input and listens to diverse perspectives, not just surrounding myself with like-minded individuals. And because I am not beholden to any special interest groups, I will lead in a way that welcomes public participation and serves citizen interest. I will be a mayor for ALL people.
Tom Strand: As the current President of the City Council, and former Chairman of the CSU Utilities Board of Directors, I have looked citizens/ratepayers in the eyes and always listen intently. I try the same focus and attention on the remote calls on Microsoft Teams. My demonstrated interest and concern do resonate. I would constantly encourage and persuade Council Members and City Staff to make customer and citizen service our absolute priority.
Wayne Williams: I am a strong supporter of community collaboration and I’ve worked hard to ensure we deliver on the promises made. I’ve attended, participated in and organized numerous opportunities for citizen input. We worked with community groups to renew the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (with 79.4% of the vote) and to pass measures funding public safety, parks, road maintenance and fire mitigation. We also worked closely with neighborhood groups in adopting our new zoning code and rules for ADUs and short-term rentals.
As a member of the City Council, I helped create the Law Enforcement Transparency Advisory Commission (LETAC) to bring diverse views together on police use of force and related issues. We successfully implemented LETAC’s recommendation for funding Alternate Response Teams. As mayor, I will continue to lead a city government that works with our residents, stakeholders, agencies, organizations and businesses to accomplish a shared vision and goals.
Q7: Besides providing adequate housing, what is your strategy to deal with mental health/substance abuse issues that you think lead to the homelessness issue in our community?
Sallie Clark: I will tackle homelessness in several ways: Be Tough, Be Compassionate, Be Innovative.
- Tough-enforce existing laws
- Compassionate-establish a community detox center (as I did as a commissioner), engage with mental health providers and substance abuse professionals
- Innovative-look to other communities that have established tested and successful programs (Houston, Salt Lake City, Providence RI, etc.) Read my blog to learn more at: https://sallieclarkmayor.com/sallie-clarks-blog-homelessness-and-community-solutions/.
Andrew Dalby: I am a libertarian, in that although I have strong opinions, I have no desire to try to force my values or beliefs on anyone else. Part of that is because I have been a manager since I graduated from college, and I have six children. People have free will. You CANNOT make choices for them, no matter how much you would like to. One member of our unhoused population is the son of a friend of mine. He has been repeatedly offered money, housing, treatment, and a job. He would rather sleep on the street. I cannot imagine the heartbreak of doing everything in your power to help your child, only to have your efforts undermined by soft-hearted and soft-headed enablers who give them an easy out. As Mayor, I would encourage the homeless to make better life choices by enforcing our laws against public intoxication, public camping, littering, arson, and assault.
Darryl Glenn: I support specialized public safety teams that are responsible for responding to emergencies involving our homeless population and that serve as liaisons to our community partners. These teams will work with our community partners in the private sector, faith-based organizations, and non-profits on network assistance programs that are available for the homeless population to use within their agencies. Community partners will be encouraged to develop or utilize their resources to assist with temporary/permanent housing, mental health services, and other financial assistance including but not limited to security deposits and relocation assistance outside the city. I will also eliminate codes that hinder people from using their property to provide shelter.
Longinos Gonzalez: We need to continue to address homelessness and mental health/substance abuse issues from multiple sides. It is both a public safety and rule of law issue. It is also a public health and wellness issue. In all cases, we need to bring all players together – government agencies, nonprofits and faith-based organizations, our Public Health Department, and our law enforcement – to ensure the safety of all our residents, and also help the homeless seeking assistance get matched up to the services they need and are eligible for. As a County Commissioner, we’ve increased those efforts significantly during my time as well as increasing our homeless camp cleanups. And in helping those in need, I advocate for those homeless veterans in my role on the Colorado Board of Veterans Affairs and at Mt Carmel, and for those needing mental health or substance abuse support through my role on the Board of Health and on the newly formed Regional Opioid Council. Collaboratively, we can help better support those in need while also ensuring the public safety of all our residents is improved.
Christopher Mitchell: As Mayor, I believe the best redemptive path forward is to partner with “Homeless and Housing” organizations in the community equipped and specializing in mental health/substance abuse issues.
Yemi Mobolade: As mayor, I will work to find the balance between caring for our residents experiencing homelessness with compassion while meeting the public safety needs of our residents. Homelessness is a complex issue caused by many different factors including mental illness, substance abuse, poverty, escape from domestic violence, and the lack of affordable housing. I am committed to supporting the Pikes Peak Continuum of Care, a consortium of local providers with expertise in specific areas of homelessness, to provide services and to advise the City on the issue. Following are some specific steps I will implement as mayor:
- Boost partnerships with local providers to increase services and access to shelter for homeless neighbors and families, especially with organizations focused on mental health care. “Research shows that 71 percent of people experiencing homelessness have a
mental illness or post-traumatic stress.” Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. - Employ additional homeless outreach team officers to address homeless camps. These officers are specially trained to compassionately serve our homeless neighbors by providing information and referrals for food, shelter, housing, and other services.
- Expand the Colorado Springs Fire Department’s innovative non-emergency services, such as the homeless outreach program and crisis response teams into the city’s general fund. These teams of behavioral health and crisis-trained specialists serve our homeless
neighbors, respond to the frequent users of the 911 system, and help save thousands of dollars in emergency services, ensuring fire and police staff can respond to emergencies quickly. - Increase permanent supportive housing options through local partnerships, including Homeward Pikes Peak, Springs Rescue Mission, The Place, and other local providers. Supportive housing combines housing with case management and supportive services and is an established solution to make homelessness nonrecurring.
Tom Strand: After the priority of providing “ roofs over heads”, clearly behavioral and mental health and substance abuse wraparound support and services are critical in reducing homelessness, and suicidal ideation in our community. We must work locally and nationally to attract more providers and specialists in these areas, incentivizing our higher education facilities and doubling our current CSPD Homeless Outreach Team to 20, and our CSFD specialists with more social worker and health care skills.
Wayne Williams: Colorado Springs is one of the few large cities in America where the number of unhoused have been reduced. We must continue to ensure we have sufficient beds so that we may enforce our laws protecting access and banning camping in certain public spaces.
We must compassionately address the root causes of homelessness by working with non-profit partners like Springs Rescue Mission, the Salvation Army, and Catholic Charities to provide education and treatment options for those experiencing drug addiction and/or mental illness. Likewise, I support public-private partnerships that provide job training and opportunities for our residents.
For the health and safety of the public, we need to continue to enforce our city ordinances that prohibit individuals from blocking public rights-of-way and camping on, and potentially contaminating our public spaces and waterways. We also need to expand our Homeless Outreach Team and Community and Alternate Response Teams to meet the needs of our community.
Q8: Attainable or affordable housing is in the news – how do you define attainable/affordable housing and how would you get developers interested in building/developing this type of housing?
Sallie Clark: No more than 30% of your income should be spent on housing. A community conversation of how incentives could help and whether existing regulations in the city preclude developers from building new affordable units and homes. The city also needs to be involved in discussions with the state on the future of Proposition 123-dedicated tax revenue to affordable housing which is awaiting specific guidelines. There is no easy answer to this one, however, fewer regulations, incentives, working with the nonprofits, builders, citizens, local, state and federal agencies and the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department (PPRBD) will be critical components to come up with new opportunities for affordable housing. Attracting primary living wage jobs should be a priority in the city.
Andrew Dalby: I have six children who are becoming adults. I am acutely aware of the difficulties facing young people when it comes to affordable housing. The old rule of thumb is that you can afford a house that costs about three times your annual income. The average wage in Colorado Springs is $50k-$60k, which means the average house should be between $150k and $180k. It wasn’t that long ago when it was. When we were newlyweds, my wife and I lived in a basement trying to save up $30k for a down payment. I remember the curtains moving when the wind blew, and icicles forming on the windows. Young people today are facing a down payment of $100k for an average house of a half million dollars. That doesn’t require good financial discipline or living in less-than-ideal conditions while you save, that is impossible. The American Dream should not be an unrealistic fantasy. When confronted with an obviously stacked deck, are we surprised that young people are embracing socialism? Socialism may have an unbroken record of catastrophic failure, but to a person forever locked out of home ownership, what’s the difference? Unfortunately, the law of supply and demand is an iron fact that can’t be wished away. The only way to reduce the price of something is to reduce the demand or increase supply. I’d rather not further reduce livability in the city, which means we need to increase the supply of housing stock in the “missing middle”. The fact that most of the career politicians are bought and paid for by the big developers means that they have no incentive to allow for this type of housing. Excessive regulations and busybody council decisions make it impossible for small developers to build, and the big developers make more money on miles of roads and disposable McMansions.
Darryl Glenn: In my opinion, the government cannot solve the affordable housing crisis, nor should it attempt to implement policies that interfere with property rights. The government has an important role in administering and enforcing safety standards for housing. However, when it comes to affordability, the government’s role should be limited and constantly monitored to avoid infringing upon private property rights. I also believe that it’s not the government’s job to use tax-payer funding to artificially influence the affordable housing market. Housing affordability within any community is not a fundamental right.
Longinos Gonzalez: Attainable or affordable housing is normally based upon the individual (or family) spending no more than 30% of their income on housing costs, so it is different for every person. We need to strive to lower the cost of housing at all price points and I believe the best way to do that is by cutting regulations and fees. National studies indicate that government regulatory requirements at all levels add approximately 40% to the cost of housing construction. We need to cut those regulations and costs locally, as well as advocate at the State level to oppose bills that add to the cost of construction.
Christopher Mitchell: See Question #4.
Yemi Mobolade: According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, affordable housing is any housing that does not require an individual or family to pay more than 30% of their income. In 2019, 71% of homes in Colorado Springs were affordable, but today only 24% of homes are considered affordable. This new reality impacts the ability of the pillars of our community to afford housing, including teachers, firefighters, law enforcement officers, and the military. While the City of Colorado Springs is not a housing partner, as mayor I will support the development of diverse housing and the preservation of affordable housing in Colorado Springs. More specifically, I will:
- Facilitate increasing the supply of affordable housing through new construction, acquisition and rehabilitation, and preservation of the existing affordable housing stock.
- Increase long-term funding and incentives to bring down the cost of housing development and increase the housing supply.
- Expand existing municipal financial (tax rebate) incentives for affordable housing projects.
- Work with philanthropic foundations to establish a “missing-middle housing fund” to support housing innovation for residents that make $50K-$100K a year.
- Appoint a Chief Housing Officer (without adding a new position) who will develop public-private partnership opportunities and advance our city’s housing priorities, including expediting attainable and affordable housing projects.
Tom Strand: The bottom line comes down to more available housing. All housing, at any cost, will help. Affordable housing, at a HUD standard, is mortgage or rental expense, plus utility cost, at 30% or less than income after taxes. Attainable housing is whatever a family or individual can make ends meet and must struggle on a paycheck-to-paycheck basis. Generally less than 50% of total income. To achieve this we partner with builders and contractors to provide Urban Renewal Authority TIF funding, build smaller units, and increase federal and state special grants. After improving our public safety, this must be a full-court press strategy.
Wayne Williams: Attainable housing is housing that people earning around the median income can afford, and affordability generally means 30% of a household’s income. As Chairman of the Colorado Springs Utilities Board, I worked to establish a fund to cover utility connection fees for affordable and attainable housing to help encourage construction by non-profits and other community partners. On City Council, I worked with others to establish a program to rebate city sales tax for affordable and attainable housing. As mayor, I will continue to
work with community partners to incentivize a mix of both market-rate and affordable units. Homeownership is a key to personal wealth creation. As mayor, I will work with the legislature to improve Colorado laws so that we support the building of entry-level homes.
Q9: Do you support Special Taxing Districts, why, and what do you think are the pros and cons of this type of quasi-government in our community?
Sallie Clark: Only if they are transparent about revenue, future dormant mill levies (related to Metro Districts), and Tax Increment Financing that has been vetted through all affected taxing entities affected by reduced funding. I testified on behalf of Colorado counties as a commissioner to require city urban renewal districts to share details and provide transparent documents with all government entities affected by TIF mill levy reductions (library, county, school districts, fire districts, etc.) to ensure that the benefit outweighs the loss of revenue.
Andrew Dalby: Special Taxing Districts are an unconstitutional attempt by politicians to get around TABOR. Rather than having to be accountable to the citizens with how they’ve spent your tax dollars, they pretend to “make the developers pay their fair share”. However, that is complete nonsense. The developers just shift the cost into Special Taxing Districts, which drives up the prices of homes, further driving unaffordability. Meanwhile, the developers get even richer off the interest from the bonds which they control, the government enforces, and you pay.
Darryl Glenn: Colorado Springs reportedly has over 100 metro districts and this number seems to keep growing. Historically, developers have relied on this funding mechanism in the development process due to our city’s inability or unwillingness to fund public infrastructure improvements. I often reminisce about the ’70s and 80’s in Colorado Springs and how much things have changed. I remember when there was a drive-in movie theater near Doherty High School. For newcomers, it’s hard to believe that Powers was a dirt road on one end and a paved two-lane road on the other. I have spent countless hours talking to people about the quality of life in our city. Overwhelmingly, people have shared with me that our city is disconnected and growing at an unsustainable pace. I currently live in a metro district by choice and I’m well aware of the quality of life benefits within my community when compared to older neighborhoods. My goal as Mayor is to move away from the metro district model and implement a more balanced infrastructure improvement plan for our streets, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, and parks. Our older neighborhoods must be elevated to the same standard as our newer developments.
Longinos Gonzalez: I have concerns over Special Taxing Districts. Some do appear to be needed to develop the required water and wastewater requirements (in unincorporated El Paso) but are less necessary within city limits. A pro of these types of districts is that if done for the proper purpose they can utilize to pay for infrastructure that might not otherwise be completed. A con is that these districts may be utilized as a method of additional revenue not for paying for the infrastructure needs. In the Denver metro area and more recently, here in Colorado Springs, media reporting indicates that several metro or special taxing districts had taken advantage of their district status to add profits or not repay their debt properly, which has lowered my confidence and support of these types of options.
Christopher Mitchell: Special taxing districts are quasi-governmental entities formed to finance, develop and manage areas outside the existing infrastructure of a municipality. Although special taxing districts have merit as growth management constructs, special taxing districts also serve as a backdoor mechanism by which the public unknowingly subsidizes planned housing developments, while developers reap the profits from the sale of the housing products in the community development area. In other words, the developers in the community development process use special taxing districts to avoid development costs, especially costs related to new infrastructure development, and transfer those costs to City residents.
Yemi Mobolade: Because of the city’s relatively small budget and revenue limitations around the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR), special taxing districts have become the primary solution for the financing of public improvements and ongoing maintenance. These taxes serve to reimburse the developer for the public improvements they are required to provide. Many residential properties in Colorado Springs, especially in newer development areas of the city, are under the governance of metropolitan districts, just as commercial properties located in commercial centers are under the governance of Business Improvement Districts (BID). My business is subject to the Greater Downtown Colorado Springs Business Improvement District (BID) which helps ensure the safety and cleanliness of the Downtown area and supports the economic vitality of the city center. The benefits of these quasi-government entities are that they help fill the public infrastructure gaps that exist in the services the City provides and the services residents and business owners need. Because of their local control over the services, these entities are better able to respond to local neighborhood concerns. Despite filling the gaps in services, an added layer
of government and city services can distract from a city-wide cohesiveness of a local services program. Furthermore, special taxing districts are sometimes known for corruption since there are no regulations to stop developer-controlled boards from approving agreements that are financially advantageous to their business, but often leave the homeowners with hefty property tax bills. Simply put, the power of taxation is granted to the developers. Nevertheless, the benefits of creating a district often outweigh such potential drawbacks as special taxing districts are a necessary tool to create infrastructure and bring housing within reach of Colorado Springs residents. As mayor, I will work to improve laws and establish better city oversights to prevent corruption in these Special Taxing Districts.
Tom Strand: Special Tax Districts were obviously created under State Statute to underwrite and incentivize the development of residential and commercial properties. This permitted special bonding and lower financing that would pay for public services such as primary utility connections, and roads, gutters, sidewalks and sewers. I have been working and analyzing STDs for eight years on all of our City Finances Committees. This procedure can be abused and should be re-studied with the Planning Division and City Council, and, as Mayor, I will oversee that initiative.
Wayne Williams: Growth should pay its own way, which means requiring developers to pay to construct public improvements such as roads and utility lines. Metro districts reduce the purchase price of new homes by financing infrastructure improvements. Homebuyers can then choose whether to buy within a special district or to pay more for a home. I worked actively on our city’s working group to revise our special district policies to provide enhanced transparency and certainty so that homebuyers can make an informed choice between these options. I oppose other alternatives, however. I don’t think that existing residents should have to pay for the cost of public improvements in new neighborhoods. And I don’t favor lowering standards and permitting dirt roads in new developments in the city – buyers desiring that option should buy in unincorporated areas.
Q10: How are you funding your campaign? If you get more than 65% of your campaign contributions from one industry, its employees, or families, how do you remain impartial and supportive of all citizens in Colorado Springs?
Sallie Clark: My 300+ donors come from all walks of life-individuals, service industry workers, small and large business owners, retirees, investment professionals and a few developers. I will remain impartial on all decisions and engage all stakeholders in a process that is balanced and fair to all, as Mayor.
Andrew Dalby: I am self-funded. A few close friends and family members have given me a few dollars, but literally, 99% of my campaign funds came out of my own pocket. It is precisely because big money donors control their puppets that I got in the race. Of course, career politicians are bought and paid for. They don’t care about you, they will promise the moon, but they only care about their next government office and rewarding their donors. That’s not even including the one who awarded government contracts based on who would put him on the payroll. A multi-decade history of failure is enough. Vote for the only candidate with the education, expertise, and experience to manage a city this size who isn’t a sold-out shill.
Darryl Glenn: I have a national network of private citizens donating to my campaign. I do not have any special interest group funding.
Longinos Gonzalez: I am self-funding approximately 80-85% of my campaign personally so I am absolutely able to remain unbiased and impartial in my votes. When I was first running for County Commissioner, I self-funded 95% of my primary race, so I am a candidate that can be trusted to vote in a manner that is impartial and in the best interest of residents and NOT based upon large donors or developers like another candidate might be.
Christopher Mitchell: My campaign donors are all ordinary private citizens, and the donations are small in the percentage of overall amounts.
Yemi Mobolade: I am running to be a mayor for ALL people and my finances show it. Financial transparency is critical in building trust between city government and the citizens of Colorado Springs. I’m already demonstrating my commitment to this transparency by making records of financial contributions to my campaign – and those of all candidates – much more easily accessible to the public (www.yemiformayor.com/financial-transparency). The numbers show a clear distinction between my campaign and my opponents. One of the most compelling stats from our fundraising is the number of individual donations. At the time of publishing the database, our campaign has 858 individual donations. For comparison, the other 11 candidates combined have only 576. Our donations have come from every city council district, zip code, and neighborhood in our great city. In contrast, many of my opponent’s donations have come from one or a handful of “special interest groups.” My campaign is debt-free and completely crowdfunded. For too long, the influential few have tried to buy our city. It’s time we gave the people their voices back.
Tom Strand: My campaign Funding: To date has been financed by small, (less than $500) contributions, with the exception of one $ 5,000 contribution from a 500-unit residential property LLC organization. Total contributions to date are approximately $ 8,100. Not very much. No self-funded monies or contributions from large companies or industries. I pledge that I shall always be impartial and support all factions and peoples of Colorado Springs.
Wayne Williams: I’m honored to have the support of many individuals and organizations focused on the economic well-being of our community and who support my platform of prioritizing public safety, roads and infrastructure, and the economic vitality of our community, including the Colorado Springs Professional Firefighters, The Gazette, Mayor John Suthers, former Mayor Lionel Rivera, Sheriff Joe Roybal, the civic organization Colorado Springs Forward, and the Housing and Building Association. I’m also honored to have the support of friends and family and a number of former employees, as well as elected officials on both sides of the aisle. As an elected official, I make decisions based on what I believe is in the best interests of our community – not any particular supporter. In a number of instances (imposition of new fees on developers, requiring sufficient water for annexations, and opposition to collective bargaining) this has put me at odds with some of those who support my candidacy for mayor.
[…] Maverick Observer emailed Mayoral Survey questions to all the candidates vying for the mayor position in Colorado Springs. Now that we are in a […]