Experienced & Committed
District 1 City Councilman
Chairman,
Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) Board of Directors
Vice Chair,
Pikes Peak Rural Transport Authority (PPRTA)
El Paso County Board of Health Member
Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG) Board of Directors Member
Lodgers and Automobile Rental Tax (LART) Committee Member
Stormwater Advisory Committee Member
Independent Ethics Committee Member
Audit Committee Member
Special Forces (Green Beret)
Center Director,
Men’s Health Clinic
Physician Assistant
Paramedic
Wilderness Guard,
Bob Marshall Wilderness, MT
Russian Linguist,
Defense Language Institute
Bachelor of Science, University of NE School of Medicine
B.A. in Political Science, University of New Mexico
Corpus Christi Catholic Church Parishioner
Special Forces Association
4-24 Member
Pikes Peak Firearms Coalition Boardmember
Korean War Veterans Association Member
Priorities
Public Safety
This is the first responsibility of government. Our families deserve to be safe at all times, wherever they are - home, school, parks or workplace.
Infrastructure
The second responsibility of city government is the development and maintenance of infrastructure. You pay your taxes, and you deserve quality roads and bridges - without long traffic delays.
Parks, Trails and Open Spaces
Our parks, trails and open spaces have attracted families and business to Colorado Springs from the beginning. They are our great inheritance from our City's founding fathers and we must maintain their beauty.
Small Business
We must strongly support our small businesses, which are the commercial heart of our city.
Significant Events
Transparency and Integrity
I don’t take developer campaign donations. I was censured for asking councilmembers who had taken $2,500 campaign donations from Weidner Apartment Group, to recuse themselves from (not participate in) the hearing for the Weidner apartments at Garden of the Gods and 30th. This project is in District 1 and I believe there can certainly be the appearance of a potential “lack of impartiality” when councilmembers take thousands from a developer and then vote on his project. I think citizens intuitively know this.
When I was censured for politely asking this question the outpouring of support from citizens was tremendous. Citizens don’t trust councilmembers taking thousands from developers and then approving their projects. I will continue to represent the citizens of District 1 - even when asking the right questions has a cost to me! Watch the video to the right.
Public Safety
I wrote and got passed by Council a resolution which stated that Colorado Springs is not a sanctuary city. It declared that “Colorado Springs is not, and will not become, a Sanctuary City…” We were later told by a reporter who had been to the U.S.-Mexican border that there was a list of cities to either go to or avoid. Colorado Springs was on the avoid list. The reporter stated that the resolution we passed (6-3) on 13 Feb 2024 was the reason that Colorado Springs was on the 'avoid' list.
Protecting neighborhoods:
I fought against the Rockrimmon Library closure from the start. I will keep working to have a Pikes Peak Library DIstrict (PPLD) library restored to the northwest part of the city. I testified (twice) at the meeting where the PPLD Board of Trustees (BOT) voted to close the Rockrimmon Library. Before that I had met with the PPLD CEO and two BOT members and was assured Rockrimmon wasn’t being considered for closure for at least another year. That was not true. I spoke against the closure at every meeting. I proposed that the city appropriate enough funds to keep it open for a year while we looked for a permanent solution. However, there was not support amon other Councilmembers.
I called for BOT members who had voted to close it to resign. I am willing to remove them from the BOT - but others on council and the County Commissioners are not. I have been working alongside the Save Rockrimmon Library citizen group. I have donated $1,000 of my own money to help their efforts to establish a temporary library.
Public Safety:
I was one of the 5 votes that stopped the high density apartment complex at 2424 Garden of the Gods (GOG). This was the first instance of me listening to the citizens on a land use decision and taking their concerns seriously. The fire risk and evacuation concerns are real on the West side of the city.
In July 2024 I was the only vote against the Weidner (Arrowswest) high density apartment complex right across the street from 2424 GOG, and next to Red Leg Brewing. The fire risk and evacuation concerns haven’t gone away - but the votes to stop it have. It will also block the beautiful views to the south when you are on GOG and approaching 30th Street. I am not afraid to be the only vote for or against something - if it is the right vote.