Ballot Countdown: Colorado Springs mayoral candidate to host jobs discussion, Suthers picks up CSF endorsement
Makepeace to host discussion on jobs
Colorado Springs mayoral candidate Mary Lou Makepeace will host the second in a series of five round table discussions from 10-11 a.m. Feb. 10 at the Gold Hill Mesa Community Center, 142 South Raven Mine Drive.
The topic is Job creation. Panelists include Paul Rochette, senior partner at Summit Economics and an instructor at Colorado Technical University and Webster University and Tatiana Bailey, director of the Southern Colorado Economic Forum. The round table is free and open to the public. Seating is limited.
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Candidate filing deadline next week
The deadline for mayor or City Council candidates to submit paperwork to Colorado Springs City Clerk Sarah Johnson is 5 p.m. Feb. 11.
Voters will elect three at-large City Council members and a new mayor. In Council District 2, voters will elect a replacement for Joel Miller, who resigned his seat in November to run for mayor. And in Council District 4, voters will decide the fate of Councilwoman Helen Collins, who faces a recall election.
Anyone interested in jumping into the race must pick up candidate filing forms from the City Clerk, 30 S. Nevada Ave. Suite 10. Packets include a nominating petition that requires 100 signatures of registered voters for the mayoral candidates and at-large council candidates. Those interested in running for the District 2 and District 4 council seats need 50 valid signatures.
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Forward endorses Suthers for mayor
Colorado Springs Forward board of directors is the first out of the chute with its endorsement of John Suthers, former Colorado Attorney General, for mayor.
The newly formed group said Suthers has a connectedness to Denver and “outstanding political contacts in the Governor’s office as well as the state legislature.” The group also noted that it believes “Suthers can sit down with people, who may not agree with him or his positions, and with his collaborative demeanor, reach a result that can move the process forward in a non-combative way.”
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Lathen, Suthers to meet with panel
Mayoral candidates Amy Lathen and Suthers accepted the invitation to meet a panel of citizens from Candidates Plus, an organization founded by Patrick Davis that aims to rate candidates.
Seven community members volunteered to interview mayor candidates. The panel represents taxpayers, business, military, health care, law, utility rate payers, nonprofits, the faith community, education, real estate development, minority communities and young professionals.
Community evaluators will interview candidates and score them in six categories: networking ability; employment and positions of responsibility; character and personal/financial/legal history; intellectual capabilities and communications skills; political experience and plan; and political philosophy and positions.
Candidates Plus will publish the candidate’s scores online with a narrative supporting the scores at www.candidatesplus.com/
Crews tear down a building on South Chestnut Street next to Interstate 25 Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015, as preparation for the I-25/Cimarron interchange project continues in Colorado Springs. The $120-million project is scheduled to begin this spring and finished in the fall of 2017. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)