These statistics vary by year. In 2025 our homicide numbers are off the charts and it’s only February. City Council can actively help with the recruitment process to show those considering joining CSPD that was are dedicated to their success.

By creating a business friendly environment and having a pulse on all aspects of economic success, housing, trails and safety. The state is doing their best to dictate how we grow and how many homes are in your neighborhood. I am a strong advocate of local control. Every project is different, every parcel is different, every neighborhood is different, and I believe that each project should be analyzed and approached individually.

The Great Recession caused a reset in home construction nationwide and we are witnessing the ramifications of that recession. This is truly a supply and demand issue combined with inflation due to COVID. Lobbying for legislative changes to encourage an increase in condo construction is necessary, as this entry level product is no longer being constructed at a rate that meets the pent up demand for entry level housing. Public/private partnerships will also help to bring new homes to the market in an effort to reduce the housing shortage.

There are varying levels of homelessness in the Pikes Peak Region, but if we could have a spectrum of resources to help every level that would be advantageous to downtown business. I have had several conversations regarding this subject and the low hanging fruit is to minimize the number of individuals entering homelessness possibly with the help of United Way. As a region we need to continue to work together to reduce individual and family homelessness using all of our available resources.

Mushrooms and marijuana are both legal, and our responsibility as a community is to educate our youth regarding the negative impacts of the both legal and illegal drug use and abuse. Partnering with the Faith Community, youth sports and educational institutions to expand this education will be an all hands on deck effort.

The majority of my engagement has been with governmental entities. The Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG) having served both on the Board of Directors and their Transportation Advisory Committee. I serve on the CAC for the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA). My background as an engineer has helped more on large scale community-wide projects, but I am excited to engage with the faith community as a City Councilperson.

We are doing much better than cities like Denver, but we need to continue investing in our police department to make sure we are keeping our neighborhoods safe.

We are 60 officers short of being at full strength in our police department and the impacts of this shortage contribute to our rising response times and also make it more difficult to keep up with enforcing traffic laws that tamp down on reckless driving and street racing.

Overcoming these challenges starts by making sure we are paying our police a competitive wage and benefits package, while also ensuring we are investing in their families by taking on our city’s affordability crisis.

Economic development and attracting high paying employers to Colorado Springs is essential to support our families and residents. Through my volunteer work with organizations such as Peak Education, I have worked to create alignment between our city’s workforce needs and our local industries to ensure the jobs that are coming to Colorado Springs can eventually be filled by our kids and youth.

We need to be recruiting employers and encouraging local entrepreneurs from a multitude of industries from the trades, to tourism, and tech fields.

Colorado Springs has an amazing beauty that we must be diligent in protecting as our city grows. However, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. By being open to direction, we can look to our neighbor to the west, Salt Lake City, which has experienced similar growth. They were purposeful in their expansion while preserving their natural beauty. We can use their example as a roadmap, ensuring smart development, diverse housing options, and thoughtful urban planning that maintains the unique character and environment that make our city so special.

This issue is personal to me as I’m someone who experienced periods of homelessness as a child. We need an approach to this crisis that realizes that we are all created in the image of God; focuses on a compassionate approach to helping those who are experiencing homelessness connect to the resources they need to become self-sufficient; and also keeps our city’s businesses, parks, and other public spaces safe for families and businesses.

The city needs to continue programs such as the homeless outreach programs nested in our police and fire departments, while continuing to leverage relationships with local nonprofits who are utilizing philanthropic dollars and state/federal grants to help connect those experiencing homelessness to resources.

As a family man and father, the decriminalization of drugs is a concern to me.

The opioid and fentanyl crisis needs to be addressed both through an approach from law enforcement and partnering with local organizations and the state/federal government to help people experiencing addiction. We need to disrupt supply by targeting drug traffickers, while also helping those who are addicted connect to the resources and help they need to overcome their challenges.

My faith is a key part of what makes me who I am.
As a City Councilor I will work to be an accessible voice who regularly solicits feedback and concerns from constituents.

The last figures I found regarding our crime rates showed our property crime rate and crimes against society were the lowest in the last five years. Having spoken with the police chief, I know they are proud of those decreases and feel their community policing efforts have proved beneficial.

That being said, we still rank 157th in the nation in safety and juvenile violent crime has increased by 59% since 2021. So, we have made some progress, but not enough.

Public safety is the primary responsibility of our local government, so we need to increase the pay of our first responders and increase the size of of our police and fire departments, along with with bringing our EMS services under City control. Our Priority 1 Response times have increased since 2019. We need to continue to grow our police department and 911operators to decrease those response times to acceptable levels.

Regarding zoning, I would encourage neighborhoods to follow the lead of 3 neighborhoods who are part of the Vibrant Neighborhood group and have their own Neighborhood Master Plan. I don’t think ADUs (secondary homes on properties) work in all neighborhoods and would prefer to let eacb neighborhood decide on whether they want to allow them and what restrictions like height, size, parking, etc. they will allow.

Although projections have Colorado growing by another 200,000 by 2050, the U-Haul Growth Index showed more people moving out than moving here in 2024. We need to continue to build more affordable housing options like condos or apartments. With the average price being over $530,000, it is almost impossible for the average family under 35 to be able to buy a home.

I am not in favor of Accessory Dwelling Units, particularly on the West side of town, as the added density and additional parking on streets can cause unintended consequences in the event of an evacuation. ADUs may be a better solution in neighborhoods that a) want and approve them, and b) have sufficient evacuation choices so the increased density wouldn’t pose a problem.

Homelessness can be eradicated. Its been done in cities like Bakersfield, Amarillo, and even Houston has had huge successes. We need to track those who are homeless and point by point get them the help they need, whether it is just a shelter or if it includes mental health, job training, leaving abusive relationships, and transportation to jobs and services.

I believe in personal rights and support both of those as they can help people with PTSD, anxiety, depression, and many other issues. I support the securing of our southern border and feel that will help with the Fentanyl epidemic. I would also increase the penalties for sales and death due to Fentanyl.

My faith is a personal one simply based on the Golden Rule: “Do unto others that which you’d want done unto you.” Also, he without sin cast the first stone.

I went to Mexico twice on church mission trips with my daughter and would work well with those groups doing “the Lords’ work”.

I haven’t done any specific research to formulate an opinion about crime rates or response times. Though I can assume that there is always room for improvement.

We absolutely need to help our local businesses to stay in business in order to continue providing employment to our citizens. Some current issues in District 3 are parking, business taxes, and PIF (public improvement fees).

Our current real estate market is due to over-inflation, over-saturation, and increased interest rates. To fix this, we need to start at the very bottom of our economic crisis.

By providing funding for local shelters. This funding can come from the increased tax revenue from allowing recreational MMJ within city limits.

The best protection is education. I believe that the city has already voted on allowing recreational MMJ within city limits. I also believe in decriminalization of other recreational drugs.

I am an Atheist and believe that religion has no place in politics.