“I don’t believe even the most visionary among us could have foreseen what has transpired since we emerged from the great recession. We’ve added 40,000 high paying jobs since 2015, most in high demand areas such as software engineering and cybersecurity. That in turn has caused us to have the fastest growing millennial population in the country.

“Downtown has undergone a dramatic transformation, including the Olympic Museum, Weidner Stadium, Robson Arena and several new hotels and hundreds of new residential units. The new Summit House on Pikes Peak and reconstructed Cog Railroad will also enhance tourism.

“Thanks to citizen buy-in we’ve overcome a billion dollar public infrastructure deficit in five years. Our roads and storm water system have improved dramatically. Our healthcare infrastructure has improved tremendously, and now includes a Children’s Hospital. The airport has grown general aviation and the business park and we’re on the cusp of significant expansion of commercial air service.

“We’re adding affordable housing at a record rate and our management of homelessness is as good as any large city in the country. For five years now we’ve been listed in US News and World report among the 5 Best Places to Live in America and for two years in a row we’ve been their Most Desirable City in America.

“By the way, when COVID is behind us, I’m confident Colorado Springs will be statistically shown to be the most economically resilient large city in the country. Already 93.5% of those laid off in March and April have been reemployed, much higher than Denver. Our unemployment rate is now significantly lower than the statewide rate.”