We may be pretty good compared to similarly sized cities — but that isn’t good enough.  Crime is increasing in Colorado overall and in Colorado Springs specifically.  Our state legislature and governor are largely responsible for this.  

We are very close to being at full authorized strength – 839 officers.  I was at a CSPD graduation for another 23 officers yesterday. 

City council needs to fully fund what is needed by our Police Department.  I have voted against the last two budgets because they REDUCED Operations and Maintenance funding to CSPD.  I also called for pay increases for our 911 call center personnel to address the shortages we have in those positions — which results in longer response times.  

As far as attracting jobs to Colorado Springs, that is the role of the Chamber/EDC and they then present recommendations to Council to sometimes offer incentives to these companies. We should prefer those with higher wages and low water use.

Annexations – If we are going to annex land into the city it needs to be a “logical” extension of our current city boundary. The last two large annexation proposals weren’t (Amara, and Karman Line) – and I voted against them.

Zoning Changes – I look out for the rights of the citizens already living there. No one has a “right” to a zone change and if it is going to negatively impact your neighborhood then I vote against it.

Allow citizens to be a part of the decision making process. For example, I wrote and proposed to my colleagues on council a building height limit for downtown Colorado Springs. I believe the people who pay the taxes and do the work in the city should be asked what THEY think before we start making our downtown resemble Denver. Skyscrapers will definitely impact our “character and environment”. We could have put this on the November ballot at no extra cost. Unfortunately, there was no support on council to put it on the ballot – even though 6,000 citizens has signed a petition asking us to do so.

I think the legalization of Recreation Marijuana (RMJ) sales in Colorado Springs will make us more like Denver. Unfortunately, a judge has ruled that council’s effort to allow citizens to vote on repealing that legalization will not be permitted.

While I respect the judge’s decision, there were approximately 9,000 citizens who voted to both legalize and ban RMJ sales on their ballot. I have also been told by many that they voted yes on the question with the penalties listed in it because they don’t support RMJ sales. Unfortunately that was the ballot question that legalized it!

We will need to enforce our laws and educate adults and especially youth about the medically documented risk and harm from these drugs.

I have a great relationship with the local “faith community” and consider many of the Pastors to be personal friends.  I have invited many of them to offer the invocation at the start of City Council or Colorado Springs Utilities meetings.  I am always open to meeting with them to discuss any issue – just as I do with any constituent.  I appreciate the support they have provided to me, and council in general, on various issues.  

I interact with constituents by having quarterly “town halls”, answering emails, returning phone calls, going to visit with them and talk about what their concerns are.  Yesterday I walked part of the Sinton trail with a constituent to see his concerns firsthand.

First of all, I think our police officers are doing a great job with their limited resources. I’m grateful to have the endorsements from our Police Protective Association, former Sheriff Bill Elder, and our Colorado Springs Professional Firefighters Association.

We are behind the power curve compared to similar sized cities with respect to the number of police and firefighters, salaries and benefits, and response times. City Council needs to evaluate our city budget to ensure we are properly funding our police and fire and, if necessary, have the difficult conversations about how we find additional funding to better support our first responders who put their lives on the line to keep our families safe.

Colorado Springs needs to remain a family friendly city. That means supporting an environment that allows for multiple generations of families to afford to call Colorado Springs home. This means making sure we have the employment opportunities so our kids and grandkids can find good jobs that allow them the same start in life many of us experienced.

We must be proactive in recruiting high quality employers from a wide range of fields — from the trades to the tech jobs that many communities value.

I will prioritize the needs of our current neighborhoods while determining if the zoning change or annexation helps alleviate our affordability crisis or enhances economic opportunity for our families.

At the core of this question is keeping our families together. We don’t want our kids living in our basements, but we don’t want them living in Kansas either.

I believe we can create more starter homes and housing opportunities that support our families, while not disrupting the character or the safety of our neighborhoods.

New housing projects must be evaluated one project at a time and evaluated through a rubric that considers the impacts on existing neighborhoods, whether the project addresses our affordability crisis, and evaluates impacts on our ability to keep neighborhoods safe while protecting our water supply.

We’re all children of God. Our families deserve to walk through their neighborhoods and parks and know they are safe, our small businesses deserve to operate without disruption, and our homeless deserve to be treated with dignity.

We are doing better than most cities on the front range. Our fire department is nationally recognized for their work in this space and our CSPD is doing good work connecting people to resources. We need to continue this work while also partnering with other organizations who are helping our homeless population get on their feet and better themselves. We can be compassionate towards the least of us while prioritizing the safety of our families, neighborhoods, and public spaces.

I am not a fan of recreational marijuana or decriminalizing other drugs.

With respect to the opioid and fentanyl crisis, this comes back to our public safety apparatus and ensuring our law enforcement is equipped to target the dealers who flow these drugs into our community.

At the same time, we need to work with the county and state to make sure we are effectively using state and federal dollars to help our neighbors experiencing addiction get connected to the resources they need to overcome addiction and back to a healthy lifestyle. An example of this approach is a program in our fire department where they follow up with overdose victims to help connect them to the help they need.

I am a man of faith who has served in leadership positions in my church and sing in my church choir.

As someone who is pretty extroverted, engaging with constituents to understand their needs and positions on issues before Council is a part of the job I look forward to most.